Another Remote Desktop problem

Have a dynamic DNS for my main PC running WinXP. Using a Truemobile 2300 router on a cable modem. Can ping the domain name associated with the Dynamic DNS and can use Remote Desktop Connection between any 2 computers on our LAN. But, obviously, cannot connect from outside our LAN or I wouldn't be writing this.

Have read the very informative forum entry by Newt and others (many thanks for such a clear exposition) and think most things are in order. But before addressing the setup in detail, there is one thing that is very perplexing: For the Internet Connection Settings on the router, there is a checked item that identifies the Host Name and Domain Name. The Host Name entered is x1-6-00-90-4b-37-33-a3 and the Domain Name is attbi.com. Now the original domain name was attbi.com but is now comcast.net (you can't even ping attbi.com.) And the host name may have been that of the previous router but the Mac Address on the underside of the present Truemobile 2300 is 00-90-4b-37-33-a2. I have tried to correct these 2 entries, even resetting the router, but every time the router boots it returns to the old entries! frustration!!

Could a Remote Desktop Connection be possible with these false entries ... independent of any other false ones? If not, how can they be changed?

Chuck

 

Have a dynamic DNS for my main PC running WinXP

Not really sure what that means.

Please do the following from the XP PC and post the contents of the text file you will create. Then we will be on solid ground and with a good chance of giving you an answer that makes sense and is correct.

start~run~cmd
ipconfig /all > c:\config.txt

 

A dynamic DNS service or domain name gives Internet access to a particular PC within a LAN. I didn't know otherwise how to access a specific PC behind the router. Is there a better way? The domain name for my PC is chuckmg.dns4me.com which is what I use for the Remote Desktop Connection.

Text file of ipfconfig/all attached.

 

OK. Thanks. Partly we have a terms-confusion thing here.

DDNS (Dynamic DNS) will certainly allow you to maintain an internet DNS listing for yourself (like chuckmg.dns4me.com).

However, it cannot match that name with a private IP address like the one your PC has for use outside your local network. 192.168.x.x addresses are never assigned and simply won't work on the internet. This was by design when the whole IPV4 numbering scheme was developed.

Your DDNS provider is matching the IP of your router/switch with that name. There is probably a small piece of software somewhere (your PC most likely) that notifies the DDNS provider periodically of the IP of your router and maybe further of your PC's address so it can update things. Different providers have dealt with the NAT issue in various ways.

In this case, you probably ought to ask them what is needed for you to use remote desktop. They know how they are set up and should be able to give a quick answer.

If not, you might have to set the router up so that it port forwards any remote-desktop traffic being originated from an internet location to your PC. Given the way NAT works this should mean that if someone asks you for help, you will get the request and any response you send will get to them since they originated the conversation.

I am curious about the DNS Server addresses in your ipconfig listing though. The 2nd address looks fine but I would expect to see an internet IP addresses rather than the private address you have as the primary DNS unless the router device you have also does some DNS work. Since the PC is functional I certainly wouldn't change it but I'd love to know why things are set up that way.

If you can use the chuckmg.dns4me.com locally among your PCs then maybe they have set things up so you do have a DNS server within your local LAN that does the name < -- > IP address resolution to your private address.

And I guess I really gotta get up to speed on the IPV6 stuff since you seem to have at least one adapter that only has an IPV6 address.

 

Your DDNS provider is matching the IP of your router/switch with that name. There is probably a small piece of software somewhere (your PC most likely) that notifies the DDNS provider periodically of the IP of your router and maybe further of your PC's address so it can update things.
You're right (of course). If chuckmg.dns4me.com is pinged the reply is 67.170.37.58 and this never seems to change. If it doesn't really change, then couldn't 67.170.37.58 be the domain name for the Remote Desktop Connection (RDC)? Then given the name of my PC, chuckxp, I can see how the RDC gets to my PC and not to another on the LAN.

In this case, you probably ought to ask them what is needed for you to use remote desktop. They know how they are set up and should be able to give a quick answer.
Unfortunately they simply referred me to the router source, Dell (Truemobile 2300). Called Dell but they were unable to help beyond basic setup of router.

If not, you might have to set the router up so that it port forwards any remote-desktop traffic being originated from an internet location to your PC.
Present configuration of the router:
1) 192.168.2.100 is reserved IP address in the DHCP Server Settings
2) 192.168.2.100 is a static address to my PC using the Mac address shown in ipconfig.
3) Incoming port 3389 is assigned to 3389 on 192.168.2.100 … from your discussions I take it that the destination ports could be assigned a range of ports and need not be 3389. Is this true?

I am curious about the DNS Server addresses in your ipconfig listing though. The 2nd address looks fine but I would expect to see an internet IP addresses rather than the private address you have as the primary DNS unless the router device you have also does some DNS work.
Are you referring to the : fe80::3088:d3ff:fe86:1e90%4 address in the Ethernet adapter Network Bridge? Would you expect a 192.168.2.x address?

Chuck

 

Nope/yep/sorta. This is what I see

Code:

DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.2.1
                                    63.240.76.4

What I expected there was a pair of 'real' addresses rather than the one private as primary and the live as secondary.

The IPV6 addresses (the ones in hex rather than decimal) aren't doing much at this point but it shouldn't be long (year or two or three) before they are the norm and the dotted decimal IPV4 addresses will only be found in private networks.

Once we are converted to IPV6 the whole issue that caused you to need DDNS will vanish since there will be more than enough available addresses for every PC, router, server, cell phone, television, rock, and bird in the world with quite a few spare addresses.

The one that does have me puzzled is

Code:

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:

        Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . : 
        Description . . . . . . . . . . . : 
        Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-B0-D0-22-F5-A5
        Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No
        IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : fe80::2b0:d0ff:fe22:f5a5%5
        Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 
        DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : fec0:0:0:ffff::1%3
                                            fec0:0:0:ffff::2%3
                                            fec0:0:0:ffff::3%3

because it appears to be a physical device but has only the IPV6 information. Not hurting anything but I just don't know enough at this point to figure out why it was created. Ah well, some research to keep me occupied assuming I get tired of learning about the wireless stuff and need a break.

 

Can't the DNS Servers be changed? Right now the bridge is configured to accept Automatic IP addresses and automatic DNS server addresses?? How did the above servers get there?

Chuck

 

Ever heard the phrase "Cant see the forest through the trees "?
Your making this to complicated
Dynamic DNS is a totaly seperate issue it's simply keeping track of your WAN IP and associating it with a domain name.

Which ever PC you want to listen for remote desktop will need 3389 fowarded from the WAN side of the router.

Some routers call it port fowarding and some call it virtual server.

I found some info on your router.
http://docs.us.dell.com/docs/network/p57205/en/config/web_conf/advanced.htm#port_forwarding

http://delltalk.us.dell.com/supportforums/board/message?board.id=si_wireless&message.id=6449

 

Newt,

Many thanks for all your help. I am abashed!! I was using the DDNS as the Domain in the RD dialog box.

But that brings up 2 questions: Of what good is a DDNS if the IP of the router is sufficient as the Computer?

Does this not imply that only one computer on a LAN - the one accepting the 3379 port forwarding - can accept an RD Connection? Or, similarly, only one PC can act as an HTTP Server?

Chuck

 

DDNS is good because your router's IP will probably be a moving target as it will be dymanically assigned by most ISPs and subject to change if you take it off-line for very long.

Yup. Port forwarding restricts you to only one PC that can get the inbound connection packet and act as your server.

 

Thanks, Newt.