>>Two XPs can't see each other<<

[Wayne B.]

I'm trying to copy some files and folders from one XP to
another. (Pro and Home) I have them physically connected
by NIC cards, patch cords and a five port switch. I have
never had any problems like this within my LAN when I
want to connect other PCs to my XP Pro. (Win2ks and Win
98s)
This is my first time trying to get two XPs to
see each other and I cannot figure out how to do it. I've
been told and have read that XPs are virtually
effortless. So I figure that it must be something that
I'm doing (or not doing).

Could someone please tell me what needs to be done for
them to see each other. I can't even get them to ping
each other. Every reconfiguration I try does not
work. Appreciate ANY and ALL help!

THANX N ADVANCE The Rookie/Wayne B.

 

[Chuck]

I'm trying to copy some files and folders from one XP to
another. (Pro and Home) I have them physically connected
by NIC cards, patch cords and a five port switch. I have
never had any problems like this within my LAN when I
want to connect other PCs to my XP Pro. (Win2ks and Win
98s)
This is my first time trying to get two XPs to
see each other and I cannot figure out how to do it. I've
been told and have read that XPs are virtually
effortless. So I figure that it must be something that
I'm doing (or not doing).

Could someone please tell me what needs to be done for
them to see each other. I can't even get them to ping
each other. Every reconfiguration I try does not
work. Appreciate ANY and ALL help!

THANX N ADVANCE The Rookie/Wayne B.

Wayne,

Please start by pinging each computer from itself, by name, and by ip
address. Then ping each from each other by name, and by ip address.
Also ping each from your other computers, by name and again by ip
address. Report here what doesn't work.

BTW, Is that your actual email address in From:? Learn to munge
properly, to keep yourself a bit safer.
http://www.mailmsg.com/SPAM_munging.htm

Cheers,
Chuck
Paranoia comes from experience - and is not necessarily a bad thing.

 

[Wayne B.]

Hi Chuck. When I have my XP Pro to ping itself by IP
and name, it responds with it's own IP accordingly for
both times. (192.168.X.X) I also have a 2k connected
within my LAN, I get the same proper results with this
machine as well.(192.168.X.X) They can also ping each
other with no problem as well.
Now, When I have the XP Home to ping itself by
name AND IP, it replies with it's own IP for both.
(169.254.X.X) but requests are timed out when it tries to
ping out to either the Pro or 2k. And the same goes for
the Pro and 2k trying to ping the Home. (timed out)

In "View workgroup computers", Pro and 2k see each
other on both machines. On Home, I get a message that
states -->> Mshome is not accessible, You might not have
permision to use this network resource. Contact the
administrator of this server to find out if you have
access permissions. The list of serverrs for this
workgroup is not currently available. <<--

PS - That is not an accurate Email. Thanx

 

[Eric]

1) Make sure the worgroup name is correct on each machine.
2) Trying doing a Search on the Start menu (note the link
to search for computers) and search by IP address.
Eric

 

[Wayne B.]

That's a search that can only be done on a win2k system,
unless I'm missing something on the XPs. Nothing came up
for the Home Edition. It saw the Pro with no problem.

 

[Chuck]

Hi Chuck. When I have my XP Pro to ping itself by IP
and name, it responds with it's own IP accordingly for
both times. (192.168.X.X) I also have a 2k connected
within my LAN, I get the same proper results with this
machine as well.(192.168.X.X) They can also ping each
other with no problem as well.
Now, When I have the XP Home to ping itself by
name AND IP, it replies with it's own IP for both.
(169.254.X.X) but requests are timed out when it tries to
ping out to either the Pro or 2k. And the same goes for
the Pro and 2k trying to ping the Home. (timed out)

Wayne,

169.254.X.X is an APIPA address.
<http://compnetworking.about.com/cs/protocolsdhcp/g/bldef_apipa.htm>.
The XP Home is NOT connecting to the network. Since it will ping
itself by name, it sounds like the network is loaded (it's resolving
its own name successfully). Use another port in the switch. Use
another network cable. Finally, check or replace the network card.

PS - That is not an accurate Email. Thanx

Please read:
http://www.mailmsg.com/SPAM_munging.htm
http://members.aol.com/emailfaq/mungfaq.html#how-not-mung

Cheers,
Chuck
Paranoia comes from experience - and is not necessarily a bad thing.

 

[Wayne B.]

Hey Chuck, I was thinking along those same lines. I have
already changed the NIC and swapped the cables. The
cables and cards are in working order. I have manually
configured the IP thru the properties of the NIC that I
have connected to the existing LAN, --> Internet Protocol
(TCP/IP) | Properties It now shows (after reboot)
that's it's on the same subnet from within

ipconfig /all<, but still no luck. The workgroup is

named identical to the existing network.
What is it that I'm missing.

ALSO, just thought that I would mention this too. When I
try pinging my XP Pro and Win2k by name from the XP Home,
it times out BUT, it also gives the correct IP addresses
of the machines next to the names of the machines.
Meaning, when I type in Ping <computername>
the next line is, Pinging <computername>
[192.168.x.x] with 32 bytes of data:

Now I don't know Exactly how this works, but, I would
figure that if it can't ping the name OR the IP, then
that means that it can't see the computer. So how is it
giving the actual IP of the name that I type in???

 

[Chuck]

Hey Chuck, I was thinking along those same lines. I have
already changed the NIC and swapped the cables. The
cables and cards are in working order. I have manually
configured the IP thru the properties of the NIC that I
have connected to the existing LAN, --> Internet Protocol
(TCP/IP) | Properties It now shows (after reboot)
that's it's on the same subnet from within

ipconfig /all<, but still no luck. The workgroup is

named identical to the existing network.
What is it that I'm missing.

ALSO, just thought that I would mention this too. When I
try pinging my XP Pro and Win2k by name from the XP Home,
it times out BUT, it also gives the correct IP addresses
of the machines next to the names of the machines.
Meaning, when I type in Ping <computername>
the next line is, Pinging <computername>
[192.168.x.x] with 32 bytes of data:

Now I don't know Exactly how this works, but, I would
figure that if it can't ping the name OR the IP, then
that means that it can't see the computer. So how is it
giving the actual IP of the name that I type in???

Wayne,

Well, we're certainly narrowing down all the possibilities.

Did you try another port on the switch?

How about some history of this XP Home computer? Is it a new box, did
you buy it pre made or built from parts? Did you just install XP Home
on it, did it come pre-installed, was it ever used with another OS?

I'm assuming that normally all the addresses are DHCP assigned. Is
this correct? What's the DHCP server? How easily can you change the
subnet say 192.168.X..0 to 192.168.Y.0?

Any software firewalls (present or past) on XP Home, XP Pro, or Win2K?

Get Network Scanner (free - last item on the page) from
<http://www.softperfect.com/>. Run it from both the XP Home and XP
Pro computers. You can save its results as a text file, which makes
it useful for comparisons.

Cheers,
Chuck
Paranoia comes from experience - and is not necessarily a bad thing.

 

[Bob Willard]

Hey Chuck, I was thinking along those same lines. I have
already changed the NIC and swapped the cables. The
cables and cards are in working order. I have manually
configured the IP thru the properties of the NIC that I
have connected to the existing LAN, --> Internet Protocol
(TCP/IP) | Properties It now shows (after reboot)
that's it's on the same subnet from within

ipconfig /all<, but still no luck. The workgroup is

named identical to the existing network.
What is it that I'm missing.

ALSO, just thought that I would mention this too. When I
try pinging my XP Pro and Win2k by name from the XP Home,
it times out BUT, it also gives the correct IP addresses
of the machines next to the names of the machines.
Meaning, when I type in Ping <computername>
the next line is, Pinging <computername>
[192.168.x.x] with 32 bytes of data:

Now I don't know Exactly how this works, but, I would
figure that if it can't ping the name OR the IP, then
that means that it can't see the computer. So how is it
giving the actual IP of the name that I type in???

-----Original Message-----

IP

by

to

for


Wayne,

169.254.X.X is an APIPA address.
<http://compnetworking.about.com/cs/protocolsdhcp/g/bldef
_apipa.htm>.

The XP Home is NOT connecting to the network. Since it

will ping

itself by name, it sounds like the network is loaded

(it's resolving

its own name successfully). Use another port in the

switch. Use

another network cable. Finally, check or replace the

network card.

Please read:
http://www.mailmsg.com/SPAM_munging.htm
http://members.aol.com/emailfaq/mungfaq.html#how-not-mung

Cheers,
Chuck
Paranoia comes from experience - and is not necessarily

a bad thing.

.

The translation from name to number is done by a Domain Name Server,
not by either the source or target PC on your LAN. So getting the
right IPA for the target PC does not mean that your source PC can
talk to the target PC.

Check ICF on your XP HE PC -- if it is enabled, disable it forever.
ICF is not intended for use on a LAN.

 

[Chuck]

Hey Chuck, I was thinking along those same lines. I have
already changed the NIC and swapped the cables. The
cables and cards are in working order. I have manually
configured the IP thru the properties of the NIC that I
have connected to the existing LAN, --> Internet Protocol
(TCP/IP) | Properties It now shows (after reboot)
that's it's on the same subnet from within

ipconfig /all<, but still no luck. The workgroup is

named identical to the existing network.
What is it that I'm missing.

ALSO, just thought that I would mention this too. When I
try pinging my XP Pro and Win2k by name from the XP Home,
it times out BUT, it also gives the correct IP addresses
of the machines next to the names of the machines.
Meaning, when I type in Ping <computername>
the next line is, Pinging <computername>
[192.168.x.x] with 32 bytes of data:

Now I don't know Exactly how this works, but, I would
figure that if it can't ping the name OR the IP, then
that means that it can't see the computer. So how is it
giving the actual IP of the name that I type in???

Wayne,

I just saw the reply to your other query. Are you running IPV6
tunneling on one of your computers? That would be at the top of my
list for removal, if you want to solve this.

Cheers,
Chuck
Paranoia comes from experience - and is not necessarily a bad thing.

 

[Wayne B.]

Say Chuck, XP Home now shows up in Mshome workgroup but
when I double click on it I keep getting this message on
Pro and W2k --> (Mshome is not accessible. You might not
have permission to use this network resource.
etc,etc,etc......) This makes me believe that there is a
firewall somewhere that I missed, but IPv6 Internet
Connection Firewall has been disabled on both of the XPs
already.
On XP Home when I try to access >My network places< I
get "Mshome is not accessible. I have Mcafee loaded on
the Pro machine, but have it configured so that my
network can see each other w/o interference. The XP HE is
a friend's that was bought new (Emachine) about 3 yrs
ago. No alterations have been made to it.

Another point of interest. If APIPA deals with IPs
within the 169.254.x.x range, how did I get 192.168.x.x
IPs for my Pro and 2k. The Pro gets the internet thru a
dialup connection. But that's totally seperate from my
LAN setup. It's been like that for months.

This is the first time though, that I have gotten
169.254 IPs. (Since I wiped my Pro clean and reinstalled
it about 2 weeks ago.) I also did change the port
connection earlier, forgot to mention that. THANX
The Rookie/Wayne B.

-----Original Message-----

Hey Chuck, I was thinking along those same lines. I have
already changed the NIC and swapped the cables. The
cables and cards are in working order. I have manually
configured the IP thru the properties of the NIC that I
have connected to the existing LAN, --> Internet Protocol
(TCP/IP) | Properties It now shows (after reboot)
that's it's on the same subnet from within

ipconfig /all<, but still no luck. The workgroup is

named identical to the existing network.
What is it that I'm missing.

ALSO, just thought that I would mention this too. When I
try pinging my XP Pro and Win2k by name from the XP Home,
it times out BUT, it also gives the correct IP addresses
of the machines next to the names of the machines.
Meaning, when I type in Ping <computername>
the next line is, Pinging <computername>
[192.168.x.x] with 32 bytes of data:

Now I don't know Exactly how this works, but, I would
figure that if it can't ping the name OR the IP, then
that means that it can't see the computer. So how is it
giving the actual IP of the name that I type in???

Wayne,

I just saw the reply to your other query. Are you running IPV6
tunneling on one of your computers? That would be at the top of my
list for removal, if you want to solve this.

Cheers,
Chuck
Paranoia comes from experience - and is not necessarily a bad thing.
.

 

[Wayne B.]

Well Bob, I'm a little lost then. My LAN setup is
isolated to only these 3 PCs via a five port switch and
CAT5 cables. So how did my Pro machine get in touch with
a DNS server to come up with 192.168. for MY network?
Before you just enlightened me with your reply, I had
always thought that 192.168. was another grouping made
possible by APIPA. Since the Pro machine gets the
internet via dialup modem, did it happen that way
somehow?? any thoughts? Wayne B.

-----Original Message-----

Hey Chuck, I was thinking along those same lines. I have
already changed the NIC and swapped the cables. The
cables and cards are in working order. I have manually
configured the IP thru the properties of the NIC that I
have connected to the existing LAN, --> Internet Protocol
(TCP/IP) | Properties It now shows (after reboot)
that's it's on the same subnet from within


named identical to the existing network.
What is it that I'm missing.

ALSO, just thought that I would mention this too. When I
try pinging my XP Pro and Win2k by name from the XP Home,
it times out BUT, it also gives the correct IP addresses
of the machines next to the names of the machines.
Meaning, when I type in Ping

the next line is, Pinging <computername>
[192.168.x.x] with 32 bytes of data:

Now I don't know Exactly how this works, but, I would
figure that if it can't ping the name OR the IP, then
that means that it can't see the computer. So how is it
giving the actual IP of the name that I type in???

-----Original Message-----
Hi Chuck. When I have my XP Pro to ping itself by
IP

and name, it responds with it's own IP accordingly for
both times. (192.168.X.X) I also have a 2k connected
within my LAN, I get the same proper results with this
machine as well.(192.168.X.X) They can also ping each
other with no problem as well.
Now, When I have the XP Home to ping itself
by

name AND IP, it replies with it's own IP for both.
(169.254.X.X) but requests are timed out when it

tries

to

ping out to either the Pro or 2k. And the same goes
for

the Pro and 2k trying to ping the Home. (timed out)

Wayne,

169.254.X.X is an APIPA address.
<http://compnetworking.about.com/cs/protocolsdhcp/g/bld

ef

_apipa.htm>.

The XP Home is NOT connecting to the network. Since

it

will ping

itself by name, it sounds like the network is loaded

(it's resolving

its own name successfully). Use another port in the

switch. Use

another network cable. Finally, check or replace the

network card.

PS - That is not an accurate Email. Thanx

Please read:
http://www.mailmsg.com/SPAM_munging.htm
http://members.aol.com/emailfaq/mungfaq.html#how-not- mung

Cheers,
Chuck
Paranoia comes from experience - and is not

necessarily

a bad thing.

.

The translation from name to number is done by a Domain Name Server,
not by either the source or target PC on your LAN. So getting the
right IPA for the target PC does not mean that your source PC can
talk to the target PC.

Check ICF on your XP HE PC -- if it is enabled, disable it forever.
ICF is not intended for use on a LAN.

 

[Chuck]

Say Chuck, XP Home now shows up in Mshome workgroup but
when I double click on it I keep getting this message on
Pro and W2k --> (Mshome is not accessible. You might not
have permission to use this network resource.
etc,etc,etc......) This makes me believe that there is a
firewall somewhere that I missed, but IPv6 Internet
Connection Firewall has been disabled on both of the XPs
already.
On XP Home when I try to access >My network places< I
get "Mshome is not accessible. I have Mcafee loaded on
the Pro machine, but have it configured so that my
network can see each other w/o interference. The XP HE is
a friend's that was bought new (Emachine) about 3 yrs
ago. No alterations have been made to it.

Another point of interest. If APIPA deals with IPs
within the 169.254.x.x range, how did I get 192.168.x.x
IPs for my Pro and 2k. The Pro gets the internet thru a
dialup connection. But that's totally seperate from my
LAN setup. It's been like that for months.

APIPA provides for a dynamic ip address to be self-assigned to a
computer, when it specifies DHCP but there is no DHCP server
available. Your ISP, or your router, provides an ip address
dynamically when it is asked for one.

Obviously there is a DHCP server somewhere, assigning DHCP to XP Pro
and to 2K. "192.168.X.X" sounds like your DHCP server - that's a
private address range.

And obviously you either have a firewall running on XP Home, or it has
a network problem. Or what ever device is providing DHCP services to
the others has a problem. Maybe McAfee is still a problem - that
wouldn't be the first!

This is the first time though, that I have gotten
169.254 IPs. (Since I wiped my Pro clean and reinstalled
it about 2 weeks ago.) I also did change the port
connection earlier, forgot to mention that. THANX
The Rookie/Wayne B.

Wayne,

So we need to start over. Please describe your LAN in detail - what
computers are connected, with their names, and operating system name
and version. And how does each connect to your ISP. Try to match
each with its current ip address.

Then we need to figure out what software firewalls you have.
HijackThis will provide a nice list of all process running on a
computer - including any firewalls or maybe something else like
spyware. It's free from
<http://www.majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=3155>. Open HJT, Scan,
then Save log produces a nice text file listing everything running on
the computer.

Ipconfig data would help a lot too. "ipconfig /all >c:\ipconfig.txt"
provides a nice text based file that you can paste into your next post
too.

Whatever you're comfortable with.

Cheers,
Chuck
Paranoia comes from experience - and is not necessarily a bad thing.

 

[Bob Willard]

Well Bob, I'm a little lost then. My LAN setup is
isolated to only these 3 PCs via a five port switch and
CAT5 cables. So how did my Pro machine get in touch with
a DNS server to come up with 192.168. for MY network?
Before you just enlightened me with your reply, I had
always thought that 192.168. was another grouping made
possible by APIPA. Since the Pro machine gets the
internet via dialup modem, did it happen that way
somehow?? any thoughts? Wayne B.

-----Original Message-----

have

I

Protocol

When I

try pinging my XP Pro and Win2k by name from the XP

Home,

it times out BUT, it also gives the correct IP

addresses

of the machines next to the names of the machines.
Meaning, when I type in Ping

the next line is, Pinging <computername>
[192.168.x.x] with 32 bytes of data:

Now I don't know Exactly how this works, but, I would
figure that if it can't ping the name OR the IP, then
that means that it can't see the computer. So how is

it

giving the actual IP of the name that I type in???




-----Original Message-----
Hi Chuck. When I have my XP Pro to ping itself by

IP


and name, it responds with it's own IP accordingly

for

both times. (192.168.X.X) I also have a 2k

connected

within my LAN, I get the same proper results with

this

machine as well.(192.168.X.X) They can also ping

each

other with no problem as well.
Now, When I have the XP Home to ping itself

by


name AND IP, it replies with it's own IP for both.
(169.254.X.X) but requests are timed out when it

tries

to


ping out to either the Pro or 2k. And the same goes

for


the Pro and 2k trying to ping the Home. (timed out)

Wayne,

169.254.X.X is an APIPA address.
<http://compnetworking.about.com/cs/protocolsdhcp/g/bld

ef

_apipa.htm>.


The XP Home is NOT connecting to the network. Since

it

will ping


itself by name, it sounds like the network is loaded

(it's resolving


its own name successfully). Use another port in the

switch. Use


another network cable. Finally, check or replace the

network card.


PS - That is not an accurate Email. Thanx

Please read:
http://www.mailmsg.com/SPAM_munging.htm
http://members.aol.com/emailfaq/mungfaq.html#how-not-

mung

Cheers,
Chuck
Paranoia comes from experience - and is not

necessarily

a bad thing.


.

The translation from name to number is done by a Domain

Name Server,

not by either the source or target PC on your LAN. So

getting the

right IPA for the target PC does not mean that your

source PC can

talk to the target PC.

Check ICF on your XP HE PC -- if it is enabled, disable

it forever.

ICF is not intended for use on a LAN.

Here's what typically happens (simplified quite a bit):

First event: you (or somebody acting for you, such as the vendor who
installed XP) gave your PC a name. Second event: an IPA was given
to your PC, either by you assigning a static IPA, or by your PC's
asking and being given an IPA by a DHCP server, or by your PC's giving
itself an APIPA after a failed attempt to get an IPA from a DHCP
server. Third event: your PC registers itself with a DNS server by
announcing its name and IPA. Note that the DNS server and the DHCP
server are software entities which may or may not reside on the same
hunk of hardware. Also note that events 1-3 happen for each PC.

Fourth event: when you command your source PC to communicate with
a target PC (by, say, PING PC123) on your LAN, your source PC sends
a request to the DNS server to translate the target PC's name (PC123)
into the IPA for that PC; if translation succeeds, then the source PC
uses the IPA of the target PC as the target for packets sent over the
network (your LAN, in the case of interest).

I assume that your XP PRO PC is a gateway to the internet for your
other PCs, and that your LAN is controlled by ICS (with the XP PRO PC as
the ICS host and the other PCs as ICS clients). If that's true, then
that ICS host is the DHCP server and the (real or virtual) DNS server.
ICS is hard-wired to use 192.168.x.y for its LAN. Also, your XP PRO PC
has a separate IPA to use on its WAN-side, which it gets by a similar
process (usually DHCP) from your dial-up ISP.

Caveat: The details of address assignment and address translation
vary a lot, depending on the protocol(s) used. If you want to really
understand how it works, a good starting point is Cisco's handbook:
http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/cisintwk/ito_doc/index.htm

 

[Wayne B.]

I've been told that a router would be needed for ICS.
Since I have a switch linking these systems together, I
figured that I wouldn't be able to get that done until I
purchased one.
Everything that you detailed out for me is pretty much
how I had it understood. (Guess I didn't fall asleep as
much as I thought I did during classes)

I guess my only foggy point is, is >DNS< as well as
APIPA default services that run on 98, Win2k and XP? I
ask that because, lets say for instance, if you put a LAN
together without any of the machines touching the
internet, IPs are still distributed out (via APIPA) to
each machine that requests an IP. But, is name resolution
present from the beginning (which is what I believe) or
does it have to be installed and ran? I'm not sure on
that because there is not one time that I remember
installing DNS on my machines.
Thanx Again, Wayne B.

 

[Wayne B.]

Chuck, you're not going to believe this here. Then again
you probably will since you know how computers are. My
win2k HD went south on me. >>Non-System disk or disk
error, replace and strike any key when ready<< I'm too
swamped with other stuff to reinstall my own and the
reason that I had my friend's XP Home was to copy some
files and folders off of there and load XP Pro. So she
said don't worry about saving the stuff, they aren't that
important.
So I'm going to just load it up and return it. I
definitely appreciate the assistance and info. If any
thoughts come to mind on what went on with this LAN of
mine, by all means send me another reply,....for future
reference. Take care Chuck. The Rookie/Wayne B.

PS- That's a nice tool (Network Scanner) I could
definitely have some fun with that. Going to keep that in
my 'Installs and Setups' folder for future needs. THANX
AGAIN!

 

[Bob Willard]

I've been told that a router would be needed for ICS.
Since I have a switch linking these systems together, I
figured that I wouldn't be able to get that done until I
purchased one.
Everything that you detailed out for me is pretty much
how I had it understood. (Guess I didn't fall asleep as
much as I thought I did during classes)

I guess my only foggy point is, is >DNS< as well as
APIPA default services that run on 98, Win2k and XP? I
ask that because, lets say for instance, if you put a LAN
together without any of the machines touching the
internet, IPs are still distributed out (via APIPA) to
each machine that requests an IP. But, is name resolution
present from the beginning (which is what I believe) or
does it have to be installed and ran? I'm not sure on
that because there is not one time that I remember
installing DNS on my machines.
Thanx Again, Wayne B.



the vendor who


IPA was given


your PC's


your PC's giving


from a DHCP


DNS server by


and the DHCP


on the same


each PC.


communicate with


source PC sends


name (PC123)


the source PC


sent over the


internet for your


the XP PRO PC as


that's true, then


virtual) DNS server.


your XP PRO PC


by a similar


want to really


Cisco's handbook:

1. DHCP uses a central server to hand out IPAs; each DHCP client
asks the DHCP server for an IPA. OTOH, APIPA does not (I think)
use a central server; rather, each PC selects an IPA on its own,
in the APIPA (169.254.x.y) range. I don't know what algorithm the
APIPA code uses to avoid duplicate assignments on a LAN. APIPA
is independent of ICS.

2. The specific name resolution mechanism used depends on the network
protocols used. You'll need to do a lot of digging to find out how
it really works with the protocols you use, if you really care, and
I suggest starting with the Cisco handbook previously mentioned.
A key point I tried to make in my earlier reply was that DNS and
DHCP are totally separate and, in fact, need not be on the same
hardware; it is rather common to have DHCP in a (hardware or
software) router at your premises, while DNS begins in some box
at the ISP's premises.

3. There are two general types of routing: software routing, and
hardware routing. ICS is an example of software routing; routers
are, clearly, hardware routing. SOHOs almost never need both --
if you have a hardware router, you should in most cases turn off
ICS, since hardware routing is more reliable than ICS (because the
hardware used in a router is dedicated, while ICS shares its PC
with the OS and jillions of apps).