Internet Computer Sharing

I have a cable modem providing a net connection to an NIC. Os is Win 2000 workstation. Have 2nd NIC to 5 port Tiawanese switch. Have enabled Internet Sharing on 1st NIC. Have four workstations on network. All can ping each other. Network works fine, except I can't enable Internet Sharing.

Internal network uses workgroup names. DHCP set automatic on both NIC's. Only workstation, called Host under microsoft definitions, can see Internet. Others in group see nothing of net.

Dealer suggested the net provider was disenabling signal, so as to prevent it being distributed to a local network. Anybody with any ideas. Seems to me the shared gateway under ICS is not sharing, but why, I don't know. NIC's are Realtek and SMC 1211. Cards and drivers seem fine.

 

Your dealer has no idea what he is talking about. If ICS (or the much better solution IMO of using a hardware router/switch) is set up correctly, the ISP sees only one device at your place. That device is the "internet nic" on your host PC (or the router if using a router/switch). After that, it can't tell if you have the one PC or 254 PCs using the connection.

If you stated it correctly, you have identified your problem.

ICS requires a static IP address on the "LAN NIC ". That address is the one that will be assigned as your gateway address most likely. The Internet NIC can be either static or DHCP assigned by the ISP according to the method the ISP wants to use.

Before I keep doing a lot of qualified answers here, easier to figure out how you are configured and speak only to that configuration.

Do you have a seperate DHCP Server or is the ICS system providing the service? Easier if it is.

You said workgroups so I assume no domain or domain controllers.

WINS server?

If you have the "host" machine with ICS set up normally, it should be acting as a router, providing DHCP if you want, and providing NAT (network address translation).

Briefly, any traffic for addresses other than your local LAN addresses will be handled by the ICS router + NAT. A packet with an internet destination from any PC will pass thru the gateway. NAT will store header information for that packet, change the header information to fit the Internet NIC, and pass it along. The return packet will be checked by NAT and the header changed to fit your LAN and then passed along to the LAN PC that started that particular conversation.

While ICS can handle a small network, I'd still recommend you spring for $50 and get a hardware router/switch. It will do DHCP, NAT, routing, firewalling, and the supper dishes for you. Since the $50 devices are 4 port (plus the modem port) you will need to plug your existing switch into one of the ports on the router/switch if you have more than 4 PCs but that isn't a problem.

Linksys, DLink, Netgear and others all make good, reliable router/switches.

 

Thanks for reply, Newt.

ICS is providing the DHCP

Network is windows for workgroups - no domain controllers

No windows server. Is a peer to peer network (is that terminology still used) each os using Win 2000 professional, but one with Windows XP.

I take it then, that if I configure the 2nd NIC manually (no auto DHCP) the network addresses will be resolved, the gateway will be shared and my IP provider will see only the address it provides to the 1st NIC. Can u confirm?

 

I'm with Newt on this one. The big question is why?
2 nics one machine...... That's a lot of un nessessary hammering of the processor because I'm sure your not using 50.00 nics that are hardware Nics like a 3com 3C-905.
Get yourself a 50.00 cable DSL router and be done with it.
Unless you only have access to a USB only Modem in which case Im sorry for even babbeling

 

Codecutter - there are two networking things you can do if life is dull. Both are guarenteed to give you some excitement.

First - assign a NIC an address ending in .255

Next - have a DHCP server assigning an address to itself.

The interesting thing is that you can actually do both of these things and never get any sort of warning.

 

Looking at the techniques for routing a cable internet signal to a small network, has anyone any feedback on SMOOTHWALL. I've read the idea for this application is to get an old box, say a P100, put Linux up on it, install the SMOOTHWALL software and hey, presto, mom I've got a router. How solid is SMOOTHWALL, how easy is it to get going, are there many traps (there's always a trap of some type).

 

In general if you are going to use a PC for routing, Linux is a much better bet than any Microsoft OS. I haven't tried it but things I read make it sound reasonable.

For a small network and all your routing just to the internet, it should be fine. You don't need super-fast or super-tight routing in that case since the speed of the internet is much slower than even a slow router would be and the Nix things tend to be pretty fast. Not in the same league with a good hardware router but fast enough.