Networking Bridge Help required please

[DaitoTsu]

Network Config:

Buffalo Wireless Router (cable): Internal IP : 192.168.11.1
PC1 - Wired to Router (LAN) : Static IP : 192.168.11.2 : OS = XP SP2
PC2 - Wireless (WiFi): Static IP : 192.168.11.4 : OS = XP SP2
PC3 - Wired to PC2 (LAN) : Static IP : 1.1.1.1 : OS = Win2003 Enterprise
(Working as internal Domain Controller for My MCSE / Study Machine)

What i have been trying to do is connect pc3 to pc2, so both connect and both can talk to each other, and pc2 can use the internet via the wireless.

what's happening is if the wireless connection is enabled i cannot connect to pc3, and if the lan connection to pc3 is enabled i loose internet.

I have been trying to get a network bridge enabled but if i do run both on a bridge then neither connection will work.

Any thoughts on how to get this bizzare network configuration running?

[DimaYasny]

http://www.itsyourip.com/networking/howto-add-persistent-static-routes-in-windows/

[DaitoTsu]

Thanks for that, what seems to have helped is changing the IP of pc3 and default gateway to that in use on the network and it seems to be working now. *crosses fingers it stays this way*

I think having the 2 different network ip's was just causing a conflict somewhere, still not entirely sure why it prefers this way over the other but hey as long as it works ;)

Have to test the domain build to see if i can replicate this but i have a feeling thats helped me solve it.

Many thanks

[DimaYasny]

if you are studying for MCSE, maybe knowing what routing tables are for, and how IP works might help as well. this here is a pure networking issue derived from lack of knowledge, and the solution you provided is workable, but not in a real world environment. I'm saying that as an ex newhire trainer and IT manager

[DaitoTsu]

I am but a padawan on the MCSE front at the moment just started 70-290 Managing and Maintaining server 2003. Am hoping to get into some of the more technical avenues soon.

Am sure that in the future i will be able to have my PDC on its own IP Range and bridged into my home network without having to make it part of my existing network, to get things like RDC and Telnet services working as intended in a real world situation.

Can you remember what module of the mcse covers routing tables? i know i dont need it right now, but i would like to make sure i don't learn any bad habits on the way.

Thanks in advance

[DimaYasny]

no idea, my mcse happened almost 3 years ago, and I didn't really attend lessons.

for a moment, forget the term "bridge", this is not the case here.

now what you have here is a case of two NICs not working on one machine for different networks. that can be solved by either just bringing everything to a common IP range/subnet, and creating possible confusion and dissaray on the network, resulting in who-knows-what in a real world environment, or you can set hard routing rules on the machine.
routing rules, or the routing table, are a basic set of instructions for the IP packets.
so if you have a network of 192.168.0.0/24 on one nic, and 192.168.1.0/24 on another, what the routing table will contain, are the directions for IP packets on where to go and go to go there.
with only two NICs on one machine this is automatically done usually, and can be viewed by typing "route print" in cmd. in order for packets to come from the .0.0 side and cross over to .1.0 side the machine needs to be set up as a router, running NAT (network address translation). it is called ICS (internet connection sharing) in windows XP.
and again - no bridging.

btw, why don't you just connect your server to the router directly?

[DaitoTsu]

My network is a little tricky here, downstairs i have my gf's pc (which is pc1 and has my xbox media center on another nic wired directly to pc1) which is hardwired to the router, my computer and my server2003 box are upstairs with me, as i use my pc for gaming and surfing and things i have the server hardwired into a nic on this machine and it talks to the router via wireless, its a very bad setup but sadly until i move its all i can do and to make sure i am not burning power when not needed i had to have the server connect to my work machine else i would have to have both machines on to get online.

As the server box is my test rig for practising the mcse labs its better for me to have it close so if i frak anything up i can do it from my office without having to boot my gf off her pc to work on the server.If i had enough space downstairs i would just plug it into the router and have done with it.

I used to use a much different network config when i had space, i did in fact have 1 dedicated server directly connected to the internet and shared, then all other machines would connect directly to that one since it only did Apache and sql host for local website test server i just ran about 4 nic's into it to connect everything in a nice and ordered way (could have used a router but seemed a waste with half a dozen nic's lying around the house anyways).

Its a very very messy system i have to be the first to say this its not how i want it ;) lol. I think over the xmas break i will have to reconfig the network might help stop these silly little errors.