Q: Browse Service for VPN clients of a b-node LAN?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Charles M Atkinson
  • Start date Start date
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Charles M Atkinson

"Bill Grant" <bill_grant at bigpond dot com> wrote in
message
[snip]
Remote clients (RAS or VPN) do not send or receive LAN
broadcasts.
Click to expand...

I was hoping that wasn't true! If it is, then the simple
picture of VPN as being "exactly as if you were on the LAN
but slower" is unobtainable for VPN clients of a b-node LAN?

KB article 97559 describes how an NT 4.0 RAS server can be
configured to pass broadcasts. Was that removed from W2K?

KB article 243188 describes how "Clients that dial in to a
Remote Access Services (RAS) server using only the
Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) do
not appear in the browse list on clients on the local area
network (LAN). Such a RAS client, assuming it is configured
properly to view the browse list in Network Neighborhood,
sees the LAN clients and also sees itself in the browse
list.". Sadly it does not say what "configured properly"
is.

I'd like to give VPN users something that is transparent, if
slow. That means populating network Neigbourhood (not
exactly the same thing as populating the browse list?).
Here's what we have now:

* Name resolution on the LAN is by b-node because it is a
small office so we cannot justify the cost of WINS or DNS.

* Packet sniffing on the LAN shows no broadcasts from a VPN
client.

* The VPN clients beome Master Browsers -- presumably
because they get no response when looking for a Master
Browser or initiating an election.

* LMHOSTS allow them to access shared resources by name but
do not populate Network Neighbourhood.

So -- is there any chance of propagating broadcasts between
VPN client and LAN? If not, is there any other way to
populate Network Neighbourhood without WINS -- for example
using "net view" on a pre-configured list of server names?
 
The best way to deal with this one is to invest just a bit of $$ in a linux
server, configure Samba to handle WINS and Poptop to handle the incoming VPN
(if you are happy with PPTP). As odd as it sounds, your Windows network
will work much better with the linux box than with a Windows box handling
the same functions.

The next best option is a WINS server on a Windows box, followed in the
distance by LMHOSTS. You mentioned that you have tried LMHOSTS, have you
tried using the #PRE directive there?

Charles M Atkinson said:
"Bill Grant" <bill_grant at bigpond dot com> wrote in
message
[snip]
Remote clients (RAS or VPN) do not send or receive LAN
broadcasts.
Click to expand...

I was hoping that wasn't true! If it is, then the simple
picture of VPN as being "exactly as if you were on the LAN
but slower" is unobtainable for VPN clients of a b-node LAN?

KB article 97559 describes how an NT 4.0 RAS server can be
configured to pass broadcasts. Was that removed from W2K?

KB article 243188 describes how "Clients that dial in to a
Remote Access Services (RAS) server using only the
Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) do
not appear in the browse list on clients on the local area
network (LAN). Such a RAS client, assuming it is configured
properly to view the browse list in Network Neighborhood,
sees the LAN clients and also sees itself in the browse
list.". Sadly it does not say what "configured properly"
is.

I'd like to give VPN users something that is transparent, if
slow. That means populating network Neigbourhood (not
exactly the same thing as populating the browse list?).
Here's what we have now:

* Name resolution on the LAN is by b-node because it is a
small office so we cannot justify the cost of WINS or DNS.

* Packet sniffing on the LAN shows no broadcasts from a VPN
client.

* The VPN clients beome Master Browsers -- presumably
because they get no response when looking for a Master
Browser or initiating an election.

* LMHOSTS allow them to access shared resources by name but
do not populate Network Neighbourhood.

So -- is there any chance of propagating broadcasts between
VPN client and LAN? If not, is there any other way to
populate Network Neighbourhood without WINS -- for example
using "net view" on a pre-configured list of server names?
Click to expand...
 
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