XP networking question
Discussion
I have a desktop that is connected to the internet via a wireless card, and to a home network via ethernet. It is odd because after I turn it on/restart it, then it all works fine, but after a while the internet stops working. It seems to me that it is trying to use the ethernet connection for the internet, because to get it to work at all I had to put in the wireless router's IP as the DNS server in the ethernet connection [10.0.2.1], and if I disable the ethernet connection then the internet works fine. So what I want to do is specify to the computer that it should use the wireless connection as the default one for the internet, but I cannot find the setting for that. Can anyone help me?
basically because the broadband is coming from a computer upstairs, and is being shared over wireless to the computer downstairs that is on the network. This is all short term (hopefully) because our normal broadband is down (and Bulldog don't know ho w to fix it, but that's anotther story altogether). Ordinarily the broadband is shared over the network.
however, it has suddenly started working again now, I cannot understand why. It just comes and goes, without changing any of the settings... very odd
however, it has suddenly started working again now, I cannot understand why. It just comes and goes, without changing any of the settings... very odd
Unless your PC is acting as a router, there is no way for traffic on the ethernet with the address range 192.168.10.xxx to reach 10.0.2.1 ... I can therefore imagine that setting that address as a DNS on the ethernet card might lead to problems, but if I've understood what you've said, it was the only way to get this temporary connection to work at all? That seems odd, to a network numpty like me.
To Windows network bods ... All else equal, if an XP box has multiple network cards, if it fails to resolve a name or find a route to an IP address on one card, should it automatically then move on and repeat the requests on the second card and so on until it has exhausted all its network connections?
To Windows network bods ... All else equal, if an XP box has multiple network cards, if it fails to resolve a name or find a route to an IP address on one card, should it automatically then move on and repeat the requests on the second card and so on until it has exhausted all its network connections?
Yes, it is acting as a router, and I'm sure if traffic reaches it, then all is fine. But your workstation is the only machine linking the ethernet and the wireless networks.
My guess would be that if your PC tries to resolve a name via the etherner card, it is doomed to fail because that card can't reach 10.0.2.1 ... not unless that card is configured to use your workstation as a gateway, and your PC is acting as a gateway/router. Even if your workstation manages to resolve a name, does it then use the right gateway to get to the outside world ... e.g. might it then try the ethernet card which probably still points to the bulldog router which has no external connection.
When the connection is down, what do you get if you do a tracrt on www.google.co.uk?
My guess would be that if your PC tries to resolve a name via the etherner card, it is doomed to fail because that card can't reach 10.0.2.1 ... not unless that card is configured to use your workstation as a gateway, and your PC is acting as a gateway/router. Even if your workstation manages to resolve a name, does it then use the right gateway to get to the outside world ... e.g. might it then try the ethernet card which probably still points to the bulldog router which has no external connection.
When the connection is down, what do you get if you do a tracrt on www.google.co.uk?
Edited by ATG on Thursday 22 June 16:53
yes, all this is correct, but the fact remains that it works correctly (the other computers attached to the router can use the internet too, provided I set their default gateways and DNS servers to 192.168.10.4 which is the comp with the wireless card). My problem is that it then stops and starts working at random intervals
OK, that explains how the other networked machines are getting to the outside. I don't know to what extent that means that that PC is acting as a full blown router.
I would attribute the intermittent nature of the fault to the workstation randomly picking between the ethernet and the wireless card to try to resolve external names and/or find a gateway to the outside world.
My guess is that if it tries the ethernet card for either name resolution or to reach a gateway, it is doomed to failure and it seems that it doesn't automatically then go on to try the same requests via the wireless card.
I'd try removing any gateway information from the workstation's ethernet card. This might force all external IP Address requests on the workstation to go out via the wireless card.
I would attribute the intermittent nature of the fault to the workstation randomly picking between the ethernet and the wireless card to try to resolve external names and/or find a gateway to the outside world.
My guess is that if it tries the ethernet card for either name resolution or to reach a gateway, it is doomed to failure and it seems that it doesn't automatically then go on to try the same requests via the wireless card.
I'd try removing any gateway information from the workstation's ethernet card. This might force all external IP Address requests on the workstation to go out via the wireless card.
All very strange. You could try running "route print" and see whether it changes between the working and non-working cases?
Edited to add: the order of NICs can change if interfaces are removed and added, so it's possible that a temporary glitch in the wireless network is causing the order to change? Just guessing.
Edited to add: the order of NICs can change if interfaces are removed and added, so it's possible that a temporary glitch in the wireless network is causing the order to change? Just guessing.
Edited by GreenV8S on Thursday 22 June 17:40
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