Remote Deskptop Access behind DSL Router and Hub

Oh, help us. I was only trying to tease out a solution.

The network I play with is not his.

He has a link in one of his messages in this thread -- click on it -- that shows a screen shot of his linksys router.

Here's his link again: http://69.1.17.127/pics/remote.jpg

As far as I know that's all he has. As is usual for most people, he (I'm assuming "he ") hasn't helped us much by identifying the components and parameters of his network. He also hasn't come back.

In teasing out the elements of a solution, for the case that he might wander back and to satisfy my own curiosity, I identified network components that I might use, but when it gets down to actually doing it, I don't have the need--and my network configuration won't make it easy to play. I have the two routers and he probably does not. I probably will want to do this someday and knowing the elements required will help me prepare for it when I do. Like, for instance, I now know that VPN doesn need to be part of the solution though assuredly the security might be better that way.

> If in fact he does have 2 routers then
> the routing/port forwarding steps
> would not work here as they need to
> extend thru the 2nd router.

Yes.

On MY network, the second router is an old (5 years) NT box doing IP forwarding. It would need a service running on it that would listen on that port and redirect to the appropriate IP address. IOW, some kind of proxy.

Now just for giggles, if you can find some piece of free software that is easy enough to configure for somebody who is brain-dead (me), will run on dual-homed WNT 4 SP6a as a service, and will do the trick outlined in the paragraph above (accept incoming traffic on the adapter-ip-port and retransmit on the other adapter-ip to ip), then let me know where to get that, and in my spare time (???) maybe I'll try it.

 

Well you don't sound to "brain dead" to me! Smile.

But will try to help only if you do in fact do decide to try it.

Been using only 2K Server for too long now, don't remember all the possibilities of nt rouuting service but seems it would handle simple port forwarding.

Mike

 

Braindead enough to interpret ssmith's linksys as being ridgeone's

 

Yea that was a screenshot of mine trying to help him out.

 

Well, considering that ridgeone hasn't been back, youse guys wanna discuss politics or religion?

 

Wow, I go on vacation and look what happens; I get bashed! Jusk kidding everyone. Thanks so much for everyone replying to my problem. I still have yet to be successful with any of the suggestions though. mflynn seemed to have had my problem solved and maybe does, I am probably just to ignorant to know what I'm missing. Here's the config.

Verizon DSL PPPoE Dynamic IP - got the IP address through the IP@ program - thanks mflynn.
Lynksys BEFSR41 Cable/DSL router - DHCP enabled for LAN
Target PC - Windows XP Pro - IP 192.168.1.101
DSL IP - 151.203.182.254

I have setup up the router like ssmith10pn linked to. What should I be doing as far as the setup of Remote Desktop is concerned? When I try to connect from the client PC I get an error saying it can't connect.

 

AHH we forgot the most important part!

Go to system properties (easiest way is right click on my computer select properties) Remote Tab enable remote desktop.

 

Hey there, I thought I would share this with you, it may help.

I use VNC to control a windows xp system remotely over the internet. I configure the server machine, that is, the maching I want to control to listen on a specific port and I instruct my router to forward any packets on that port to go straight to the private ipadddress of the server machine. Its running a web server so to connect to it I just use IE with an address like:


http://<ip adddress>:<port number>

and presto remote desktop control.

Its very easy to configure, I only had to adjust virtual server settings in my modem/router config, and specify a listen port for the server software.

 

Uhhh....I have no idea what I'm doing wrong. I am beginning to believe that it is not possible. Here's the setup again.
XP machine running, with Remote Desktop enabled and ICF disabled.
Behind Netgear 8 Port hub and Lynksys BEFSR41 DSL/Cable router. DHCP enabled on router issuing IP 192.168.1.101 to XP PC. IP address from ISP is 151.203.182.254. I believe it to be a dynamic IP but hasn't changed for a while. Forwarded ext port 3389 on router and routing to 192.168.1.101.
When I use the remote desktop client at home (XP Pro PC), I cannot connect. I am typing in the IP of the target PC in the "computer" box, user name and password of that machine, and in the "domain" box I am typing the other IP address. NE1 have any further suggestions or know what I'm missing / doing wrong? Thanks.

 

Do you have another XP machine in your private network to attempt to connect locally?
That would rule out router config.

The IP address you posted is responding to ping traffic.

 

Ridgeone

I will try to help you tonight. Been pretty busy lately.

Mike

 

OK Ridgeone

I need to know what you have done to this point.

You need to do nothing at the remote (your office?) to go out to your home. That router will let you out. A router normally stops incoming.

So on the Laptop or from your office, behind a router or not, all you need is the Remote desktop program and it has to be set to contact the WAN (internet IP) of your computer.

I don't think you understood what a Dynamic IP is. A Dynamic IP changes when your ISP wants it too. Some ISP's will change the IP many times a day. Others will rarely change. Your IP will almost always change if you turn off the DSL modem for any lenth of time.

I have a Dynamic IP at home and it will hang for weeks sometimes.

Run the IP2 program and note the IP address over a few days and you will begin to see how often it changes.

Well if it changes and you need the current IP how can you connect? Well 2 ways basically. 1. Call home and ask someone to run the IP2 program and give it to you. Or 2. Signup with MyWanIP.com and you will run a program on your computer that continually posts your IP to mywnaip so that you can get it anytime.

Is this worth it to you?

So for testing and just getting it to work the best bet is to phone home and get someone to confirm the IP for you. Once you get it working and it does what you want then sign up with mywanip.

If you find that your ISP rarely changes your IP then it may not be a big problem. But if it changes every day it will not be convienient.

Find out how often the IP changes and let me know if you understand all of what I said to this point.

Mike

 

Oh man that sucked! I just went to preview my post and got a could not display page, hit the back button and got page expired! Lost my whole reply! Dang! Here goes again.
Mike, thanks for the help, I really appreciate it. Do you charge a consulting fee?? How much is all this help gonna cost me?
Anyway, I'll see if I can describe the situation a little better. I am trying to connect to an XP Pro PC inside my office network from my home. This PC is enabled to allow remote connections. ICF is disabled. It receives it's IP automatically from my router. The Lynksys router is routing a DSL connection that has had the same IP since I started the thread: 151.203.182.254. In the router I forwarded port 3389 for the IP (192.168.1.101) of the PC I'm trying to connect to. I pretty much understand all the concepts that have been discussed thus far on the thread with the exception of what Newt said: "you can never get directly to a 192.168.x.x address from anywhere other than the network it is on. Those are "private" addresses and will not work over the internet or over most wide area networks (routers won't pass stuff to and from them)." Does this mean I'm hopeless? Mike, you said you did something similar all the time? Any idea what I'm doing wrong? When at home I bring up the RD client connect to window and type the IP 192.168.1.101 for the computer line, the user name and password for that PC, and in the domain line I type the IP that my ISP has assigned: 151.203.182.254. I have tried typing :3389 after both IP's, one then the other, I tried reversing it, 192.168.1.101 in the domain and the IP 151.203.182.254 in the computer and still no luck. I'm not sure what else to do. My DSL connection is PPPoE and in the router config it is set up to keep the connection alive and redial every 30 seconds. In the port forwarding tab of the router I have the 3389 port for IP 192.168.1.101 forwarded. I am trying to do this to be able to run maintenance on the server remotely and to access information on the road or from home. Any suggestions on what I might be doing wrong?

 

I am at my office so limited time.

If I were charging you it would be at 85-100.00 per hr. So be glad!

FIRST YOU DO NOT NEED TO DO ANYTHING ON THE ROUTER AT YOUR HOME!!!!!!!!! This would only be needed if you were coming in to this home computer from elsewhere.

Clear all forwarding etc on the home router. Not needed on this end.

The forwarding is only needed on the called end. The Office!

You see the home router is letting you out. It is the office router that is blocking you so that is why the port forward at the office end.

The IP2 program needs to be run on the Office PC that you are trying to connect. You will need the WAN IP from this to use at home.

So if I understand, at the office you have forwarded port 3389 to the LAN IP of the actual computer you want to contact, 192.168.1.101. That is correct. Is that in fact what you are saying?

And on this office PC it is set to accept incoming Remote desktop? Have you done this? You could get all the way thru the router to this PC but if it does not answer you are still dead in the water.

If so then at home use Remote desktop to connect to the WAN IP that you got from IP2 at your office. You will need to log in as a known user on the office PC. I would reccomend logging in as Administrator.

Try that and let me know!

 

Okay, here's the deal. From the command prompt at home, I ping the WAN IP of my office (151.203.182.254) and I get 0% loss 4 packet sent, 4 rec'd. I try and use the RD client and get no response. I type in the computer name line the following: 151.203.182.254 and also with a suffix of :3389. Still nothing. I try leaving the user name and password blank and have windows prompt me, but that doesn't work either. How can I ping the WAN IP and get replies from within the CMD and not from within windows? What am I missing? Is it the office router? Will it not let me through? How do I get through it? Man, windows help makes it sound like remote desktop is so easy.... I know I'm missing something.

 

Is the IP you are using from IP2?

If not get it from IP2 on the computer at the office.

Then if you trust me sent me that IP and the user name and password that that computer is currently using. I will be able to try to log on and tell you if the office end is configured properly. Later you can change the password.

Do not post it here but send it to mflynn@lexcominc.net

Mike

 

Forget my last post.

I can get your Windows XP logon screen.


Recognize this PLM-P3120 (this computer)


If I had the username and password I would have been on your computer.


I do not need nor want the username or password now.


This tells me that your problem is at home. THERE IS NO PROBLEM AT THE OFFICE. Change nothing else there.


Get rid of all the port mapping you did at home.

I am now at one of my remote offices and have access to only win98.

I connected using terminal services. When I return to my office in an hour or two I will look at the XP remote steps to connect on a actual XP.

Mike

 

Mike, thanks for everything. I'm not sure what led you to believe that I did any mapping on my router at home, I didn't. I did however figure out what the problem was. I went home for lunch, and pinged my WAN IP, which returned good and prompted my last post. When I got back to my office, I double checked some things. I noticed that the IP2 software infact reported a different IP address this time for my local PC. Why was this? I also realized that my mother was not here today and that her PC was turned off. I fugured out that the DHCP server in the router changed my IP to 192.168.1.100 instead of 192.168.1.101! I had all the router configurations pointing to the 101, which did not exist! I changed to a manual configuration instead of the automatic and entered my ISP's DNS servers and viola! you connected and I tried from one of the 2000 Pro PC's on my network and got in using the WAN IP! Doh! I guess this is why my experience is still intermediate. Then again, it's a small family business and I'm the IT guy, Outside Sale Manager, Vice President, Customer Service, and when my warehouse staff is sick, I package and ship everything. Gotta love working for yourself though... Thanks again to all , especially you Mike, that aided me in this unnecessarily elusive problem. See, I KNEW I was missing something... like a brain!

 

Great!

Mike