Using 2 Nics + win2k server as a router gives problems **FIXED**

[sohcrates]

thanks everyone...i ended up swapping out the second NIC in the primary machine with a quality adaptec nic, and surprise surprise, ICS and NAT work beautifully now


Howdy,

so i built an extra system out of spare parts for my friend. he already has a nice 900 mghz tbird setup running win2k server. this new box is just a 233 PII, that he wants internet access on to devote to aol, icq, e-mail, etc...he would keep his faster box just to play games (and be able to message people WHILE playing a game on the main box)

anyway, he has a cable modem, and we installed 2 NICs in the main machine. The first NIC connects to the cable modem, and runs DHCP (it's @home service)

the second NIC connects via a crossover cable to the second (client) machine.

I configured the second NIC in the main machine manually. i gave it the IP address 192.168.0.1 and subnet mask 255.255.255.0

next, i enabled ICS on the main NIC (under the sharing tab)

finally, on the client machine, i gave it the IP address 192.168.0.2 , subnet mask 255.255.255.0 and a gateway and DNS server of 192.168.0.1

so , as i expected, everything worked great. net access on both machines.

BUT, if he loads a game on the main machine (a game that uses the internet), and receives any packets at all on the box that's routing through the main machine, the games freeze up.

i know it's the routing problem, because as soon as we disable ICS or unplug the crossover cable, games run just fine

SOOOOOO, i said "screw ICS" and enabled NAT. i added our WAN and our LAN to the NAT configuration, enabling public access on the WAN and private access on the LAN..... this worked effectively the same as ICS, and didn't crash the games AS MUCH, but still gives him problems.

so does anyone have any ideas? seen this before? have a better method of routing?

sorry this is sooooo long. thanks!

 

[Rifter]

try sygate, its another routing program.

 

[sohcrates]

well, other than ICS and NAT, i've tried a couple freeware proxy programs (which work fine), and his games still crash when the second computer recieves packets.

since sygate costs money, i really don't feel like trying it, especially because win2k server has sooo much built in routing capability

i guess i'm just hoping someone would have another way of configuring NAT or something, but thanks for the reply Rifter!

 

[Rifter]

have you considered setting up a 486 Freesco box? if you dont know what that is its a form of linux that is only used for routing.

 

[Woodie]

Freesco? Sounds interesting..I'll have to do some research.

I use an old 486, up to 486DX4, 32MB ram, installed OS/2 on it: It does dial-on-demand, and NAT for all 4 internal machines on the LAN, so anybody can use the internet, regardless of what other traffic is running.

Doesn't crash, since it only runs three applications: RC5, RC5 proxy, and the dial-up software.

no reason why you can't set something up that's pretty similar. If you're short hardware/cash, PM me, I have some stuff FS/T.

--Woodie

 

[CTR]

1. What does the event log say?
2. Maybe this a driver issue or a hardware problem. Make sure you have the latest NIC drivers. BTW, what brand are these NIC's?

 

[sohcrates]

woodie: hmmm..maybe i should switch up machines here...make the older 233 the NAT box...i just might try that. thanks

ctr: since it's my friends computer, i can't look at the event manager till later tonight when i go over there, but thanks for the event log tip..i'll definitely check it out...great idea. also, the main WAN nic is a nice 3com 3c905b, but the other nics's are VERY cheesy generic ones that came with @home's cable modem...so i might look for new drivers as well.

thanks for the input everyone, i'll get back to ya'll within 24 hours with some results!

 

[sohcrates]

OK

event log gave these warnings right before games crashed:

The browser service has failed to retrieve the backup list too many times on transport \Device\NetBT_Tcpip_{E6527CE0-9D06-4AE4-8C99-2DD633420321}. The backup browser is stopping.

also

The Network Address Translator (NAT) was unable to request an operation of the kernel-mode translation module. This may indicate misconfiguration, insufficient resources, or an internal error. The data is the error code.

and there's TONS of "remote access warnings" which say

Unable to contact a DHCP server. The Automatic Private IP Address 169.254.83.21 will be assigned to dial-in clients. Clients may be unable to access resources on the network.

these have a different IP listed everytime.

the 2 nics in the main machine are 1) 3com 3c905b and 2)winbond w89c940
the nic in the second box is an asix ax8814x

 

[DarkenRahl]

I'm the guy he's helping. Any guesses would be much appreciated. Thx.

 

[Wintal]

Is price an issue?

The home router market is falling. You can get a Linksys 4 port DSL/Cable router for 55 dollars after rebate. Linkage

Theres also the Netgear routers Linkage.

They are 4 port switches which act as a gateway for your PCs to your broadband connection. I don't know if you have considered this.

Ive been running a linky for almost a year, no problems.