Newby to networking; heres my probl 2

[metamorphy]

Newby to networking; heres my problem...

2 win98 machines hooked up with a crossover cable. Sometimes one or the other will show both icons in the network neighborhood but I cannot access them when I click. Usually tells me "cannot access" but sometimes says "network is busy". Sometimes network neighborhood stops responding and I have to end task. Sometimes I get no icons and "unable to browse the network\network is not accessible" message. Usually, they just show their own computer in the neighborhood. I use these ip addresses:
192.168.100.1 & 192.168.100.2
Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0

I tried "ping" from the dos prompt per the advice of my network admin at work. Usually I get "request timed out" all 4 times but sometimes I get a reply 1 or 2 times from the other computer. LED's are on for both NICs.

Both computers have their C:\drives shared out. I log in to both computers with username and password after I boot up. I have followed several tutorials to the T but I get nothing. Is there any advice you can give. I dont really care about sharing internet connection, only hard drives. Thanks in advance.

 

[daronwilson]

I would try pinging your own address from each PC. Open the command prompt, ping YOUR ip address and make sure you get good ping results. Also, ping 127.0.0.1 to make sure your IP protocol is bound and working. You should get good ping results from each machine regardless of your network cable and connection. IF that happens, I would suspect your crossover cable. IF you cannot ping your own card and loopback (127.0.0.1) I would suspect a conflict on that particular machine that will likely need to be resolved before you can do much on the network.

Good Luck!
It is only my opinion, based on my experience and education...I am always willing to learn, educate me!
Daron J. Wilson, RCDD
daron.wilson@lhmorris.com

 

[TheOldMan346]

metamorphy,

[ul][li]Make sure the computers have unique names (Comp1, Comp2, etc.)[/li]
[li]Make sure the workgroup name is EXACTLY the same on both[/li]
[li]Make sure some file/folder/device is shared on each computer[/li]
[ul][li]Make sure that you are logged into the network on each computer; i.e. Primary Network Login is set to Client for Microsoft Networks and when Network Login dialog comes up, you do NOT hit Esc or click Cancel[/li][/ul]

If the above is all OK, then:
[ul][li]Make sure the computers all have the same default protocols. Check this by entering the Network Control Panel and check the protocols installed. Two most likely are NetBEUI and/or TCP/IP. Select the protocols individually, click Properties > Advanced and you will see a check box to set the protocol as the default. Make sure the same protocol is default for both machines.[/li]
[ul][li]Open the network control panel and select the entry for File and Printer Sharing. Click Properties > Advanced. Select the LMAnnounce property and make sure it is set to Yes.[/li][/ul]

If none of this works, post back with the results.

Hope that helps.
The Old Man

 

[TheOldMan346]

Should have previewed the post before submitting! It should have read:

If the above is all OK, then:

[ul][li]Make sure the computers all have the same default protocols. Check this by entering the Network Control Panel and check the protocols installed. Two most likely are NetBEUI and/or TCP/IP. Select the protocols individually, click Properties > Advanced and you will see a check box to set the protocol as the default. Make sure the same protocol is default for both machines.[/li]
[li]Open the network control panel and select the entry for File and Printer Sharing. Click Properties > Advanced. Select the LMAnnounce property and make sure it is set to Yes.[/li][/ul]
Hope that helps.
The Old Man

 

[Tels]

From reading the description I would say you could likely have a problem with the physical connection.

IP is a very reliable and self-correcting protocol, if you have two computers directly connected and the IP addresses/subnets are set correctly (yours appear to be) then a ping should work. Only physical hardware errors, firewalls or corrupted TCP/IP stacks (v. bad & v. unlikely) could cause a ping to fail.
Take all the other advice on this page, check no firewalls are running and ping 127.0.0.1 (loopback) on both machines, and if all this works properly get a new cable.

Either way, don't move on until you can ping. It's the most basic connection issue. Mixed Linux/Win2000 Network Administrator

 

[Tels]

Oh yes.... start by pinging the IP address of the other machine Mixed Linux/Win2000 Network Administrator