Networking W98SE & XP Pro - expert advise required!

[Mark Schneider]

My environment:
I have 2 XP Pro machines and 2 W98SE machines on a home
network, running ZoneAlarm on each W98SE and ICF on each
XP Pro. I have TCP/IP enabled for internet connection
sharing only (not ICS on the XP's) and
NWLink/IPX/SPX/Netbios sharing to ensure local file/print
sharing is enabled and file/print sharing is disabled
across TCP/IP(for security reasons) as recommended by
Microsoft for this type of environment. By home network I
mean single internet cable modem connected into 4-port
hub with all PC's connected via the hub - hence the
IPX/SPX/IP scenario above. On the W98SE machines I have
my Primary Network Logon set to Microsoft Family Logon.

My problems:
I have been having problems connecting and sharing
printers/folders between W98SE and XP Pro - i.e. one
W98SE machine can see XP2 and its printers/shares but the
other W98SE machine could not. The XPs are fine but for
some reason the W98SE's sometimes are unable to "see" one
of the XP machines for no apparent reason.

So I've decided the best thing might be to turn off
Simple File Sharing and use Domains/Passwords instead.

Help required:
Am I on the right track? Should Simple File Sharing and
Workgroups allow me to share this network or should I
switch to domains/passwords?
What do I need to do to allow them to share
files/printers across the entire home network if I switch
to domain/passwords in this environment?

Appreciate any and all help and references.
Mark

 

[Hans-Georg Michna]

Mark,

please have a look at http://www.michna.com/kb/WxNetwork.htm.

Hans-Georg

 

[Bob Willard]

My environment:
I have 2 XP Pro machines and 2 W98SE machines on a home
network, running ZoneAlarm on each W98SE and ICF on each
XP Pro. I have TCP/IP enabled for internet connection
sharing only (not ICS on the XP's) and
NWLink/IPX/SPX/Netbios sharing to ensure local file/print
sharing is enabled and file/print sharing is disabled
across TCP/IP(for security reasons) as recommended by
Microsoft for this type of environment. By home network I
mean single internet cable modem connected into 4-port
hub with all PC's connected via the hub - hence the
IPX/SPX/IP scenario above. On the W98SE machines I have
my Primary Network Logon set to Microsoft Family Logon.

My problems:
I have been having problems connecting and sharing
printers/folders between W98SE and XP Pro - i.e. one
W98SE machine can see XP2 and its printers/shares but the
other W98SE machine could not. The XPs are fine but for
some reason the W98SE's sometimes are unable to "see" one
of the XP machines for no apparent reason.

So I've decided the best thing might be to turn off
Simple File Sharing and use Domains/Passwords instead.

Help required:
Am I on the right track? Should Simple File Sharing and
Workgroups allow me to share this network or should I
switch to domains/passwords?
What do I need to do to allow them to share
files/printers across the entire home network if I switch
to domain/passwords in this environment?

Appreciate any and all help and references.
Mark

First, you can't switch from a workgroup to a domain unless you have
a server OS; XP isn't.

Second, if you want to share stuff on your LAN, you must permanently
disable ICF on all XP PCs. You can use ZA on all PCs, by creating a
Trusted Zone on each ZA incarnation, and adding the range of IPAs that
will cover all PCs on that LAN.

 

[Mark]

Thanks Hans. Seems like no one supports IPX/SPX in the
manner I am using it - even though it's recommended by
microsoft!

 

[Hans-Georg Michna]

Thanks Hans. Seems like no one supports IPX/SPX in the
manner I am using it - even though it's recommended by
microsoft!

Mark,

actually I even recommend it for certain cable modem Internet
connections with fixed IP addresses that don't form a subnet
(see http://www.michna.com/kb/WxCable.htm if you're interested).

Have you looked at the bindings? Windows appears to show
problems when it has to use two different transport protocols
for the same purpose, like file and folder sharing. So if you
really have to use both transports, make sure they are not both
bound to the file and printer sharing server and client.

But if you have no overriding reason it is easier to dispense
with IPX and use only IP.

Hans-Georg

 

[CheshireCat]

Microsoft for this type of environment. By home network I

mean single internet cable modem connected into 4-port
hub with all PC's connected via the hub - hence the

Hi Mark
I think maybe using a hub rather than a router may cause you some problems.
Most of us only have a single IP address from our ISPs, is yours allocating
you four addresses knowingly/willingly?
Using a hub puts all pcs in direct contact with the www and they'll maybe
each get an external IP address on different subnets. A router/firewall gets
a single IP address from your isp and will use NAT to control traffic
to/from your network - it's also inherently more secure and would remove the
requirement for different protocols.
Which IP addresses does each pc have? Don't post the real one, mask out the
digits after the 3rd dot.

 

[Mark]

Sorry Bob. By switching to domain/passwords I mean to
turn OFF Simple File Sharing and establish user-based
security.

I do have ICF on both XPs and local file/print sharing
seems to work fine - but just sometimes from the W98SE's
and not consistently. I appreciate this may create
problems but I would figure they would be consistent.

Thanks for your feedback. Appreciate any and all guidance.
Mark

 

[Mark]

CC,

I am using a Netgear RT314 gateway/router with a 4-port
10/100 switch and all IPs are under same subnet
192.168.0.0-99. Works fine for internet and file/print
sharing. So I don't think this is my problem.

Perhaps I should consider enabling the firewall on the
router and turning off ICF and then use ZoneAlarm to
protect the Trusted Zone as suggested by others.

My other option would be to use ICS and disable ICF
except on the "host" ICS XP Pro.

Your thoughts?

Thanks
Mark

 

[CheshireCat]

Ahhhh.
You've provided a much more accurate description of your network in your
reply - never describe a router/firewall as a hub as they're different
animals..
Disable ICF on all LAN pcs. It prevents sharing/file viewing.
Yes turn on the firewall on the router, although a router protects your lan
by just being there anyway. Don't install ZA until you've finished
troubleshooting. You use ZA to protect your internal lan from viruses that
may be present on infected lan pcs or outgoing spyware/virus traffic on
individual pcs.
Don't use ICS, that's what your router is there for.
Enable Simple file sharing on each pc.
Make sure all machines are in the same workgroup.
You don't need to use IPX at all.

 

[Mark]

Thanks heaps. I'm getting there but still learning!

Cheers
Mark

 

[JasonA]

ICS won't actually work unless you have the internet connection off a
different network card or modem. ICS requires two different adaptors to
work.

Yes enable firewall on router - this is your first line of defense agains
hackers and spyware.

Installing ZA on XP PC's also (after trouble shooting - also turn off on 98
PC's also while trouble shooting) is a good idea as this stops
spyware/adware to a certain extent also. I used ZA for a short time - I now
use full NIS which adds virus protection and parental control - set the IP
range 192.168.0.0-192.168.0.255, netmask 255.255.255.0 as trusted for all
traffic. Since you are using the same network card for both internet and LAN
traffic you can't specify the network card to be trusted as it will then
allow all traffic over the internet which is what you are trying to prevent
(applies to NIS but can't remember if ZA has this feature).

 

[Mark]

Thanks Jason. Lots of info.

Essentially I alsmost had what I wanted but one Win98 PC
wouldn't do what it was told. And I've found Simple File
Sharing in this environment won't allow me to have some
folders on the network to be shared and another to allow
limited access to 3 out of 4 users. Will switching from a
workgroup to a domain allow me to do what I want in this
environment? What must I do to provide variable folder
access to profiles on the W98SE machines?

Appreciate your help.
Cheers
Mark