Win2000 Server and Active Directory Services Sites

[Sylva]

OK, Guys, here's the lowdown:

The purpose of this exercise is to simulate the installation and configuration of 2 sites on 2 separate network segments, one domain, say Domain1.

On my experimantal network so far I have 3 computers and a non-managed Addtron 5 port ADS-1005T Auto-sensing switch.

On one of the segments, say 192.16.4.0 there is only one computer which already is a DC with DNS and Active Directory configured. On the other segment, say 192.16.5.0
there are 2 computers: one Win98 client and another Win2000
Server, this one with DNS services configured, but no Active Directory.

The switch, supposedly having a MAC table, automatically filled by sensing the broadcast packets comming to it from all of the NICs in the network, directs the other segment's packets to the destination MAC's segment.

Now, I am trying to install Active Directory on the second segment, 5. However, when the authentication window pops up for signing in as an authorized installer, although the installer name exists in the domain, authenticated by the DC on segment 4, this DC on segment 4 is not found.

Ping and Tracert do not find it either. All DNS configs on the DC on 4 seem to be all right. This is true, because there is no trouble when the whole network is on one segment , say 4, that is, without being broken into two.
The DC does not see any computer on segment 5 either.

Any suggestions?

Thanks, John.

 

[micronmega]

Crossing to another subnet usually requires talking to some sort of routing device. Two different subnets on the same switch like you have will not work.

 

[Sylva]

Yep, that's very true, however transparent bridging is supposed to transmit packets between different segments because it's MAC address sensitive (Data Link Layer) and not IP address sensitive (Network layer). There are two main reasons for using bridging: one, braking the network into segments, and two, to reduce packet collision. However,
to have different segments, one needs different network addresses, like mine, where the first 2 octets are same, but
the third is different (192.16.0.0/24), that is category C.

When one has VLANs, then routing is indeed needed to assure that packets get through to another segment because software will stop broadcast packets from propagating to other segments. This is why VLANs are used, to insulate segments from each-other. But routing between VLANS takes over from layer 2, so packets are directed using their headers' IP addresses. This will reduce broadcast storms because broadcast packets will not get through a layer 3 device.

Of course, I can be mistaken, so corrections are welcome.

 

[micronmega]

Your 192.16.4.x/24 segment needs to know how to get to the 192.16.5.x/24 segment. So DC4 tries to arp and get DC5's mac, but because it's on another IP segment, it never gets that info.

 

[Sylva]

Thank you, MICRONMEGA, for the time allotted toward my humble person.

I tried this because Cisco's CCNA exam 640-507 Certification Guide, Wendell Odom, 2000 edition, has the best description of bridging that I've come across so far, beginning with page 145. If you have this book, in Figs. 4-7 and 8, it seems that they profess the possibility of what I was set out to do might be successful. However, I did not go far enough, for in Fig. 4-9 they present the real Mcoy (well, you guessed it, with a router!). A router would enable me to do much more than just sites, because I'd like to also create more than 2 subnets. Unfortunately, the wireless and cable modem "routers" are not capable of multi-segment routing (or, am I wrong on this too?), so a real router will be needed.

Thanks again,
JOhn.

 

[GlenJohnson]

Why not throw a nic in a server and use it for routing?

Glen A. Johnson
"Fall seven times, stand up eight."
Proverb

Want to get great answers to your Tek-Tips questions? Have a look at FAQ219-2884

 

[Sylva]

Thanks, Glenn, I thought about it. Just did not want a software-based router. Guess it doesn't matter for such a small network, speed is assured and it's not the object anyway.

John.

Great help guys, thanks.