Need some specific help with Win98 ICS, please . . .

[absinthe]

I'm hooking up two Win 98se boxes at home and sharing a DSL modem. (The DSL modem connects to the USB port, so I only have one NIC in each computer). In fact, I had already done this and it was working like a charm.

BUT -- I switched out some hardware and swapped the two computers (so that the "2nd" computer is now the "gateway" computer), and I'm trying to get everything back like it was. I'm experiencing some of the same darn pains I had last time getting this set up. I'm not sure whether I'm retarded and not doing something right, or if something just isn't working correctly. Here's exactly what I do:

--Since ICS requires that your computers already be set up on a network, I do that first.

--To accomplish this, I set the IP addresses for the "TCP/IP->MyNicCard" in both computers to 192.168.0.1 and 192.168.0.2. At that point, I can PING each computer from the other. After enabling file and print sharing, with share-level access control, and sharing each individual resource on each computer, the network worked.

--PROBLEMS seem to arise when I go to install ICS on the gateway. Now, I know that ICS AUTOMATICALLY sets the IP addresses of your computers to 192.168.0.1, etc. What I did BEFORE (AFTER installing ICS) was to go back into ControlPanel->Network and CHANGE the TCP/IP settings on each computer to "automatically obtain IP address." After that, I guess ICS handled both Internet sharing AND the network, because the network worked fine even without IP addresses specified (BTW, I was still able to PING specifically 192.168.0.1, etc. -- confirming that ICS does indeed use those addresses).

--ANYWAY, the PROBLEM: After installing ICS and running the little setup disc on the second computer, everything goes haywire. ICS does NOT share the connection, and the network itself doesn't work, either. Although I AM still able to ping each computer from the other, the computers do NOT show up in Network Neighborhood. I've uninstalled ICS, and the basic network problem persists.

So what I just don't get is: If my computers --
1. Each have a NIC card properly installed, with correct IP addresses set (confirmed by being able to "ping" each other;
2. Each have unique names and the SAME workgroup name;
3. Each use "Client for Microsoft Networks" as primary logon;
4. Each have share-level access enabled;
5. Each have their resources (drives and printer) set as fully shared, not password protected)--

Then why in the heck would a network not work!?

Ah, the frustration of it all. Why did I have to swap machines out? Why didn't I just leave well enough alone?

Anyway, enough whining. What my past experience has taught me is to set up the network, THEN install ICS, and THEN go back and change the TCP/IP for the NIC cards to "automatically obtain address." I swear, I think I'm doing the right things, but in the wrong order. Can anyone help me here?

Thanks,

abs

 

[ffwd]

The best thing you could do for yourself is go download winroute lite. I have never been able to get ICS to work on all my machines. Winroute is stable and just about the easiet thing to install. It actually has the setup info right in the user interface. It has never crashed, plus it has it's own firewall which along with zone alarm keeps us pretty safe. It will take less then 10 minutes and both machines will working.


http://www.winroute.com

 

[absinthe]

ffwd,

Thanks! I was going to give WinProxy a try, but it sounds a bit more complex. As soon as I get the network in general figured out, I'll definitely give Winroute Lite a try.

Aaron

 

[Wik]

Oh why go install proxy software? First make sure the you are setting the DSL connection to share not the LAN NIC. Go ahead and set your client to IP 192.168.0.2 and 255.255.255.0
Set it's gateway to 192.168.0.1 I have set up windows ICS on many systems for friends and it always works great. You did not say if the server was able to use the net before and after turning ICS on. Also you did not say which computer you set for which IP. You did not set the client to 192.168.0.1 did you? When you turn ICS on it will set the LAN NIC to 192.168.0.1 so the client needs to be either set for automatic or to use 192.168.0.2 Don't set the servers NIC to auto keep it at 192.168.0.1 And you don't need to use the setup floppy on the other machine just set it yourself.

 

[absinthe]

Wik

Thanks for the input. Here are my settings:

Box 1 (local "gateway" machine with DSL connection): TCP/IP attached to the NIC card is manually set to 192.168.0.1/255.255.255.0.

Box 2 (client): TCP/IP attached to the NIC card is manually set to 192.168.0.2/same subnet.

I'm not sure what your sentence "make sure the you are setting the DSL connection to share not the LAN NIC" means. My DSL modem connects via the USB port and uses the dial-up adaptor as its interface, so there aren't many settings there I can control. And there is only, of course, one NIC in the gateway machine.

As to whether I could surf on the gateway machine before and after installing ICS -- I have had problems in the past with that. Some time ago, after my first ICS install, I was not able to surf locally or on the client. Sometimes I could surf locally, but NOT on the client. Finally, I got it to work and it worked great for several months until my recent hardware swap & re-formatting. This time around, I have ALWAYS been able to surf on the local gateway machine -- but when ICS did not work on the first time around on the client I just threw up my hands in disgust. But thanks for letting me know that I can set the settings on the client machine myself without the silly floppy disk thing. I didn't know I could do that (though that certainly makes sense).

The problem recently started when I installed ICS. General networking and file/print sharing was working just fine until I installed ICS. Now, even though I can still PING each machine from the other, each machine only shows itself in Network Neighborhood and I cannot share files -- which I find bizarre!

UPDATE -- I have installed WinProxy, and voilà, I can now surf the 'Net on the client machine . . . but the machines STILL aren't showing up in Network Neighborhood. It's like ICS totally trashes my file & print sharing -- and I am just about a hunnert percent sure I've got all the settings right. I don't know what in the world is going on, but I sure do need to share files (all the backed up software for my client machine, which I re-formatted, is on the gateway machine -- and I don't much fancy burning it all to CD just to re-install it).

ICS is funny. When it works, it works great! When it doesn't it takes everything down with it. I would actually prefer to use it to a proxy since it runs in the background like a good little program, but thus far my experience with WinProxy has been good. What I don't understand about ICS is this:

I know that it automatically sets the IP addresses to 192.168.0.1 and .2 (for two computers, as in my case) -- and that it does so even if I set up TCP/IP to automatically obtain an address (rather than specifying the same address myself). But you're saying it should work just as well even if I set it to those addresses myself? That has not been my experience, but hey, if you say so

I think my problem arises because I initially set up the IP addresses manually so that I can set up the file & print sharing network, THEN I install ICS, and THEN I go back and CHANGE the IP settings to "obtain address automatically." (sometimes it works, sometimes it dasn't). I can see nothing I'm doing differently among the times it works and the times it doesn't (if that sentence makes any sense).

Anyway, if you have any suggestions on how I can get the computers to show up in Network Neighborhood -- I'm all ears!

Thanks again,

abs

 

[Wik]

It has been awhile since I did a Win98 machine but if I thought when you go to Install ICS on the server, you have to choose what adapter is sharing the connection. You did tell it to share your dial up, not the NIC correct? What I was wondering is if you set it up backwards.

 

[absinthe]

Ya know, now that you mention it, that is perhaps what I have been doing wrong (possibly). I guess since the xDSL modem uses the dial-up adapter, I should choose to "share" the dial-up adapter. I'm thinking that's what I did.

I believe the question asked by the ICS "Wizard" (damn all Wizards!) is something like "How do you connect to the Internet?" Given a choice between connecting via dial-up or via a LAN, I think I might've chosen LAN. Perhaps that set my NIC card to be the shared resource, which is perhaps screwing this up.

I guess that's what I don't like about ICS. It has no interface. Just a setup wizard, and you either turn it on or turn it off. Or does it have some interface you can access through the Run menu?

I wonder if that error, if I indeed made it, is to blame for why I still can't see the other computers in Network Neighborhood ? ? ?

Thoughts? Comments? I appreciate all the advice thus far

 

[Wik]

Well as long as you have the ICS off you should be able to set it back the way you had.

 

[Tharsis]

Absinthe:
I have a MegaBit DSL from US West ( now Qwest ). I tried originally to set up ICS on my 5 node peer-to-peer home LAN but I could never get my gateway node to display TCP/IP(Home)->Network Adaptor. So I tossed in the towel on Win98 ICS. It turns out that my Cisco 675 using PPP
and configured with the CBOS ( Cisco Broadband Operating System ) for DHCP Enabled and NAT Enabled
gives me DSL sharing across the LAN. It was so easy to set up it was a joke.

Here's the set up:
--Cable from wall jack to WALL connector ( RJ-11 ADSL ) of Cisco 675.
--UTP Cat 5 from ENET connector of 675 to any port on Linksys 10/100 5 Port Fast Ethernet Hub.
--UTP Cat 5 cable from Hub to NIC ( Linksys 10/100 ) of each node.
--Each NIC configured as follows ( Control Panel/Network/Properties ):

-Obtain IP Adress Automatically
-Use DHCP for WINS Resolution
-Gateway...(leave blank)
-Enable DNS
Host: Qwest
Domain: Qwest.net
DNS Server Search Order
204.147.80.1
204.147.80.5

That's it...works perfectly. My LAN is set up using NetBEUI and it works A-OK with the DSL sharing
configuration.
Bottom line: Cisco 675 ADSL Router great for ICS...maybe your telco/ISP has it available?
Tharsis

 

[Wik]

Damn they provide Cisco routers? nice. No DSL option here just @home cable. Usually works ok buty the cap on uploads puts a damper on my ftp server.