TCP/IP or NETBEUI?

[Jakki0]

Can someone set me straight here. Over and over I read "you don't need NETBEUI only TCP/IP in a small network." How is it that in my small network when I use TCP/IP alone my network does not work. Yet when I use both TCP/IP and NETBEUI every thing is fine. Doing some research on the protocols I found it is said that NETBEUI is ideal for a small LAN while TCP/IP is the protocol for the internet. I have ICS running on my machines and therefore need and use TCP/IP. I just brought a print server and it recommends that I use NETBEUI as the protocol for printing.

Let us set matters straight. What is the lowdown?

 

[warlord]

forget it, I have no idea what Im saying today.

 

[Workin']

If it doesn't work when you use TCP/IP alone, then you don't have it configured correctly.

There's no reason you can't use both netbeui and TCP/IP, each for different network functions. For example, if you use netbeui for file and printer sharing on your little network, then you can be sure that stuff is not accessible from a machine outside your network (i.e., on the internet). Then you can use TCP/IP for your internet connection sharing only. Just make sure you bind netbeui to file and printer sharing, and unbind TCP/IP from file and printer sharing.

That's a quick take on it. OF course there are more details but really it's fairly simple to figure out, especially if you are using Win 98. Or even Win 2k.

 

[davisdog]

I've got about the same question...We are running a package in the office that recommends Netbeui and have configured as such (for file and print sharing w/the application I would assume) ...Now we are adding DSL access and will be sharing that via a Flowpoint 2200 router so I will have to enable TCP/IP for that...Since the Flowpoint has a VPN option, I'd like to turn that on so we can have remote access to the office apps, but have no idea if we will be able to come in the VPN via TCP/IP and get at the app on the file server (via Netbeui)... If anybody has ideas or info on Netbeui & TCP/IP on the network let us know...

...everything is Win98 btw

thanks,
Steve

 

[networkprofiler]

Jakki0, the question depends on the applications being run.

If it is only file sharing between Windows PCs using MS File Sharing and Print Sharing Services with NO routing (using Cisco or any type of routers)and is a very small network (less than 100) and performance is not a top priority, then Netbeui is the way to go. Netbeui is a broadcast based protocol, and will have a lot of overhead on the network as a whole. The advantage is that there is
nothing extra to configure when using it. Just turn it on. It will propagate the PC name into the network and file sharing is easy.

TCP/IP is connection oriented and doesn't use broadcasts as a means for communications. It does however require configurations. If this is a Windows environment, then there will need to be an NT machine running WINS in order to communicate the NetBios name of the PC. TCP/IP can be routed and can be used for larger networks.

The print server type needs to be more specific for me to help. HP Jetdirect servers can use all of the above.

Hope this helps.

 

[Scarpozzi]

Just wanted to add something. NetBEUI is a nonroutable protocol, but NetBIOS is a routable protocol. So be sure that you do not have it enabled on any of the computers on your network unless you know what you're doing. It can open very large security holes on a network...

 

[jmcoreymv]

I thought NetBEUI had less overhead then TCP/IP....

 

[reality bites]

NetBeui -
1. designed for small networks that were flat (flat means no routing)

2. It is optimized for 25 machines or less.

3. Was Microsoft's way to show impressive network benchmarks against Novell in a lab situation.

4. has LESS overhead than TCP/IP for small quantites of machines.

5. is one of the simplest network protocols ever made.

TCP/IP

1. designed for larger networks, easily routable (duh)

2. Was originally designed by DARPA

3. Has plenty of overhead, but is still amazingly efficient

4. Can be used on networks of ANY number of machines if setup properly (duh, look at the internet)



I would use Netbeui for ANY less than 25 machine network that did not require routing of packets, in other words your entire network in on ONE hub or a few uplinked hubs and that is it.

TCP/IP DOES broadcast (not sure who said otherwise) when you are subnetting, you must leave an IP address open for the broadcast to use. This address is the last VALID IP number on the subnet.

The ONLY drawback to using Netbeui and TCP/IP on the same network is the total volume of network traffic created by having both protocols loaded. In small networks this is not an issue, in large networks it can kill your speed to have Netbeui loaded.

 

[BCYL]

For information on how to seperate TCP/IP for the Internet and NetBeui for files sharing, go to http://www.grc.com. It has step-by-step instructions on how to do it both on Win9x and WinNT.

 

[Spiff]

NetBios is NOT routable by itself. It must piggyback a routable protocol like TCP/IP or IPX/SPX.

NetBios is more of an interface rather than a protocol as such. So when you attach NetBios to TCP/IP, you are providing a means for applications to talk to ech other.

that's the simplified version

To the original poster. If you are running TCP/IP and your two or three or whatever meachines are not talking to each, it is beacuse TCP/IP was not correctly configured.

Period