Remote Assistance - resolve host name

[KKit]

I am trying to work with a client using remote assistance. When trying to connect, I get the message "cannot resolve host name". After doing some research, I can see that their computer is not sending me their IP address. It simply sends me the 192.168.??.? address from their router.

When I look at other customer's files where I do connect successfully, I can see that it sends me their complete IP address, and then the sub of 192.168.??.? from their router.

I cannot find out how to resolve this. What happens on my clients end that their system is not sending a complete IP address to me?

I do, by the way, use this often with my clients. This is the first time that I have seen this issue come up.

Another "by the way" is that this client comments that "her accountant connects every time". Obviously, she uses it also, and has used it is the past without any issues.

So what is happening? Why is this not sending me an IP address? Anyone have any clues?

 

[linney]

Anything similar to these?

Ask for Remote Assistance /host name issue

http://www.pcreview.co.uk/forums/thread-2006058.php

http://groups.google.com/groups?q="cannot+resolve+host+name"+remote+assistance+xp&rls=com.microsoft:

http://www.google.com/search?tab=gw...annot resolve host name"+remote assistance+xp

 

[KKit]

Thanks. Most of this I had already seen while surfing for info, but one of the threads did give me one other clue that I can have them check out on their router setting. This is the UPnP setting on the router.

It also gave me a mental note to ask if they have replaced their router since they last used remote assistance with their accountant.

Stay tuned...I will chat with them tomorrow and see how it turns out. If I find an easy solution (ie. if this works), I will post it.

Thanks

 

[linney]

Are they using Windows Vista and not XP?

 

[KKit]

That is a good question. I never thought of that!

I have not used Vista at all. How does remote assistance differ with it?

 

[linney]

Not a lot really, I just have a vague recollection of reading somewhere that one or two Routers (clients brand is?) were causing trouble in Vista but not in XP. I'll let you check the actual operating system version out before trying to dig up that bit of information.

 

[KKit]

Nope...not a Vista problem. It is a Linksys router running on XP Home Edition - SP2.

I did some of the obvious stuff with them, including having them look at their router settings and ensuring that the UPnP setting was ON.

However, the invitation file still only shows their 192.168.0.107 address, and not their actual IP address. I am having them get their IT contact to look at it (as I know virtually nothing about router settings beyond the norms).

After doing some research on the net, it seems that this problem is very popular, with no solution posted by Microsoft on their site. If we solve this issue, I will be sure to post it!

 

[chella]

I had the same problem using Messenger 7 to facilitate the whole remote assistance connection. I found that the client was behind a DSL modem that had IP Passthrough disabled. I had to have the client find out the IP address for the DSL modem (I called BellSouth Tech Support for this info) Then I was able to enable the IP Passthrough on the home networking webpage. After I had to run ipconfig /release and then ipconfig /renew. Once this was done my remote connection went through perfectly.

 

[smah]

This is due to the NAT device (router) on the other end. It is either not fully UPnP compatible or UPnP has been turned off. To resolve, the router would need to be set to port forward tcp port 3389 to the local IP of the client PC & then modify the remote assistance invitation to connect to the router's public IP address as mentioned in MSKB921047. Usually, using MSN or Windows Messenger, to initiate the RA request can overcome this because of the way it traverses the NAT device.

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