I'm trying to set up a usable topology for my home VM server.  It is kind of weird:

 

The office has the following:

1) Cable modem to internet

2) Asus wifi router/ethernet switch

3) MinasTirith, my current media server (Windows 8.1 machine)

4) HDHR : A networked cable tuner

 

My living room has the following:

1) MinasTirith, my current TV computer (Windows 10 machine)

2) Yggdrasil, my new VM server (Unraid server)

 

 

The two rooms are connected together via a PowerLine adapter, as well as wifi.  When I put the Yggrasil in, I took over the PowerLine adapter, and left MinasMorgul to connect via WiFi.  I have a couple of problems with the current setup:

1)  I can never lookup Yggrasil to get the IP address (it is static), but I can connect just fine with full IP address

2)  Same goes for VMs I create--static or dynamic IP

 

There are a couple of improvements I will be adding:

1) A newer 2-port TPLink connection

2) A gigabit Ethernet connection between Yggdrasil and MinasMorgul for streaming

 

Right now, I use MinasMorgul for most of my control over the VMs.  However, the connection is pretty flaky.  The WiFi occasionally drops out, and so does the PowerLine adapter.  I'd like to have a hard-wire connection between the two computers.  But that makes my complicated IP space even more complicated.  If MinasMorgul wants to contact Yggdrasil, it currently has to go to the Asus router, then back over the power line.  When I add in the 2-port power line, I expect it will probably route to the router and back, which is still not ideal because PowerLine adapter is occasionally flaky.  So I'm adding yet a third method of using the ethernet cross-over cable as a direct connect.

 

How do I untangle this mess so that MinasMorgul and Yggdrasil look for each other on the local interfaces, but go to the PowerLine or Wifi for internet access?

 

--Harper

 

Good lord this is overly complex.

 

1. Get a small switch to connect MinasMorgul and Yggdrasil. Then run a cable from that switch to your office and connect it to your Asus router. This will allow you to do away with the powerline. 

Running an ethernet cable from the office to the living room is problematic for reasons I won't go into.  This is why I've been stuck with wifi and the power line.  Neither is 100% reliable, but between the two of them they are "reliable enough."  

 

How problematic can it be? I know what your talking about but honestly you'll never achieve any degree of reliability unless you run a cable. I've been there, done that and its really not worth it, you will forever be pulling your hair out and going nuts. Whatever it takes, run the cable.

I have a couple gigabit power line adapters....

 

 

 

... in a shoe box in my closet.

 

 

 

 

 

Run a cable, it's worth it.

 

 

What he said

I managed to get this to work without the crossover cable.  The 2-port Power-line acts as a local switch.  I changed the public policy on my VMs to be discoverable, and after that I was able to ping them by name.  I still can't resolve Yggdrasil's name into an IP.  I'm not sure why, since the router lists it by name on its client list.

 

--Harper