I need some help.  I'm running the Basic version of 4.5.6 with unMenu installed.  I have no problems using //Tower on my GigE connected win7 box but for some reason I get errors using unMenu on my XP Pro laptop over 802.11g.  I can access the server from my laptop when I type in the IP address of the server.  So since unMenu uses the //Tower address it is not working on my laptop.  The FAQ page indicates that this occurs on MACs but I'm having trouble on my XP Pro laptop.  Not sure what I need to do.  My syslog is attached.  Any suggestions?

syslog-2010-09-20.txt

I has nothing to do with the unRAID server as much as it does the router and DNS server settings on your XP Pro PC.

 

The DNS server setting on the XP should be pointing to your router, not your ISP vendor.  The router DNS server setting should point to the ISP.

Right now XP is set to obtain the DNS server address automatically.  So I should select the other option to use a server address that I specify and use my router's address?

I set the DNS server address to the same address that was listed in unRAID on the Settings page.  The DNS server there was listed as 192.168.1.1 so I used the same address in my network settings on XP.  It made no difference.  I can connect using the IP address but not //Tower.

I set the DNS server address to the same address that was listed in unRAID on the Settings page.  The DNS server there was listed as 192.168.1.1 so I used the same address in my network settings on XP.  It made no difference.  I can connect using the IP address but not //Tower.

Actually, you needed to set the XP box's DNS server to the 192.168.1.1 address.  (It is the IP address of your router) 

 

Put the unRAID server back the way it was.  It should also use the router's IP address (192.168.1.1) for its DNS server.

 

Your router should be set to obtain a DNS server from your ISP.  It is the one that needs to be able to route to the outside world.

 

Right now, your XP box is asking your ISP where http://tower is, and your ISP does not know.

 

You want the XP box to use your router's IP as the DNS server.  It will query your router, and since it knows where //tower is, it will route the request.  For those requests outside of your subnet, it (your router) will route the request to your ISP's DNS server.

 

 

I guess I was not clear in my previous post but that is exactly what I did.  I didn't change anything in unRAID, I just looked there to get the address of my router.  I set the DNS server address to 192.168.1.1 in my XP box but the problem did not go away.

 

Does it make a difference if I have a GigE switch between my router and the unRAID server?

I guess I was not clear in my previous post but that is exactly what I did.  I didn't change anything in unRAID, I just looked there to get the address of my router.  I set the DNS server address to 192.168.1.1 in my XP box but the problem did not go away.

 

Does it make a difference if I have a GigE switch between my router and the unRAID server?

 

in XP, invoke a DOS window and type "ipconfig /all", post the output from this command in here.

and what is the default gateway setting in your XP? Usually it should be the IP address of your router

I don't know why, but I have 5 machines in my house with all pretty much the same setup and sometimes my laptop would argue with me and couldn't seem to find \\tower on its own so I just edited the hosts file on my laptop and its never had an issue since. Of course I don't know your underlying issue, but in the end if you can't figure it out after looking at every option you can always do this.

 

http://vlaurie.com/computers2/Articles/hosts.htm

I don't know why, but I have 5 machines in my house with all pretty much the same setup and sometimes my laptop would argue with me and couldn't seem to find \\tower on its own so I just edited the hosts file on my laptop and its never had an issue since. Of course I don't know your underlying issue, but in the end if you can't figure it out after looking at every option you can always do this.

 

http://vlaurie.com/computers2/Articles/hosts.htm

 

In Unix/Linux, and IMHO Windows just copy this same design, to resolve a host name.

 

(a) Look-up local /etc/hosts file for information (that is why if you are too lazy to update your own DNS server if you have one, then modify this file instead).

(b) If (a) generate no result then query known DNS servers for information. (DNS servers are organized in hierarchy).

 

Since in home network, most of users are using private IP address like 192.168.xxx.xxx. All packets carried private IP address will be discard by edge routers from service provider. so those packets will have no chance to go out to public network hence no chance reach DNS servers at public network. In the mean time, public DNS server from service provider will not host those mapping in each home network either because that is none of service provider's business.

 

That is to say, all those host name to private IP address association has to be resolved inside home network, it is either resolve locally in /etc/hosts (or equivalent file in different OS platform) in each machine or it has to be resolved by home network gateway (usually it is the ADSL/cable modem router) which should have a small database (maybe as simple as another hosts file at this gateway) to keep tracking of this mapping. or if you are really having luxury, build your own DNS server in your home network. 

 

 

I know people that have built their own DNS servers because they are speed junkies. I figure I'd just let my ISP deal with that mess LOL.

The results from the ipconfig /all command at the dos prompt are attached.

 

My default gateway setting is blank?  Image attached.  Do I need to put something in there?

The results from the ipconfig /all command at the dos prompt are attached.

 

My default gateway setting is blank?  Image attached.  Do I need to put something in there?

 

Your IPv4 stack from Windows shown your default gateway is blank, however your ipconfig reported it has been configured to 192.168.1.1

not sure why there is inconsistent. I knew some wireless card vendor like D-LINK has their own management tools that some times

bypass those network management tools provided by Windows.

 

(a) Try to manually add default gateway 192.168.1.1 in IPv4 stack, see how it goes.

(b) If it doesn't help and you are using tools provided by wireless card vendor then you need to look up their manuals.

I added a default gateway of 192.168.1.1 into the IPv4 stack and it made no difference and to my knowledge I am not using any vendor specific tools to manage my wireless network adapter.

 

Hmmm, now what?

I added a default gateway of 192.168.1.1 into the IPv4 stack and it made no difference and to my knowledge I am not using any vendor specific tools to manage my wireless network adapter.

 

Hmmm, now what?

 

Hmm... one thing looks fishy to me from your ipconfig output is node type, it set to peer-to-peer. it usually set to "broadcast" mode.

you might want to look into following MSFT article for information. meanwhile you mention about your Win7 machine doesn't have problem, you might want to cross reference IPv4 setting on both machines for difference.

 

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;903267

Maybe this response is too simple, but the first time I tried to access Tower from Firefox, it could not find it.  I manually typed in my unRAID's IP adress and it connected.  I also realized that if I changed unRAID's IP (so dynamically assigned by my router), that //Tower would not work in Firefox the next time my router changed the IP.

 

Or unRAID IP of 192.168.2.100, //Tower won't work in Firefox until I type 192.168.2.100.  //Tower works after that.  But then I power off and on power up, my router assigns 192.168.2.101 to unRAID.  //Tower no longer works in //Firefox until I type 192.168.2.101.  Then I power off again and get 192.168.2.100 for my next IP.  //Tower will not work on Firefox again.  

 

So ultimately I used the MAC address of my unRAID and setup a static IP address for unRAID.  Now //Tower works every time with Firefox because my IP isn't changing.  Maybe your problem is related to dynamic IP's?

Or unRAID IP of 192.168.2.100, //Tower won't work in Firefox until I type 192.168.2.100.  //Tower works after that.  But then I power off and on power up, my router assigns 192.168.2.101 to unRAID.  //Tower no longer works in //Firefox until I type 192.168.2.101.  Then I power off again and get 192.168.2.100 for my next IP.  //Tower will not work on Firefox again.  

 

Although it makes sense to use static IP for server (i am using static IP for my unRAID as well) but i am not sure why DHCP in your router behave like this way because usually DHCP server will remember MAC-IP association and try to re-assign same IP address for request from same MAC address even this machine has been power cycle.

 

Meanwhile it is a good practice to setup a range of IP adress as DHPC address pool, for example from 192.168.1.100 to 192.168.1.150. By doing this, DHCP server will only assign IP address from this range, then you can use any IP address outside of this range as static address. Nowadays those ADSL/cable router you use at home should allow you to do this kind of configuration.

 

Thanks GK20.  I followed the instructions provided in the MSFT article you cited and it fixed the problem.  Now unMenu works like it should on my laptop.

 

Thanks again for all the help.

Or unRAID IP of 192.168.2.100, //Tower won't work in Firefox until I type 192.168.2.100.  //Tower works after that.  But then I power off and on power up, my router assigns 192.168.2.101 to unRAID.  //Tower no longer works in //Firefox until I type 192.168.2.101.  Then I power off again and get 192.168.2.100 for my next IP.  //Tower will not work on Firefox again.  

 

Although it makes sense to use static IP for server (i am using static IP for my unRAID as well) but i am not sure why DHCP in your router behave like this way because usually DHCP server will remember MAC-IP association and try to re-assign same IP address for request from same MAC address even this machine has been power cycle.

 

Meanwhile it is a good practice to setup a range of IP adress as DHPC address pool, for example from 192.168.1.100 to 192.168.1.150. By doing this, DHCP server will only assign IP address from this range, then you can use any IP address outside of this range as static address. Nowadays those ADSL/cable router you use at home should allow you to do this kind of configuration.

 

 

Well, the above sequence may happen over the course of hours or days.  I can see where it reads like I am doing it in the course of minutes. 

 

I think maybe it is my network environment that effects DHCP.  I have many networked devices that are constantly getting powered on/off (Xbox's, wii's, BD players, Dish boxes, PC's, laptops, media streamers, networked printers, networked TV's, not to mention the handheld wi-fi devices).  Some of these devices auto release/renew as well (some as often as every four hours).

 

I think the problem with my unRAID is simply another device grabbing the IP while I happen to be power cycling.  Since there are many competing devices, the odds increase that I will loose a given IP on a power cycle.  So for something like an unRAID, I may get away with a dynamic address for a day or two, but ultimately the odds are against me, so I just make it static.

 

It makes matters worse when you have a family that turns everything on but never seems to turn anything off.    And it probably doesn't help that I'm anal and if something has an ethernet port, I'm going to see that it gets plugged in (I don't think we have once used the web apps on the TV in the bedroom, but I had to plug it in). 

 

I'm amazed at how many net enabled devices there are.  We even had a networked microwave until it died a few years ago.  You could look up your frozen diners in a database and it would automatically set the correct cooking time for that meal in that microwave.  Worked pretty good, often better than the instructions on the box.

I think maybe it is my network environment that effects DHCP.  I have many networked devices that are constantly getting powered on/off (Xbox's, wii's, BD players, Dish boxes, PC's, laptops, media streamers, networked printers, networked TV's, not to mention the handheld wi-fi devices).  Some of these devices auto release/renew as well (some as often as every four hours).

 

I think the problem with my unRAID is simply another device grabbing the IP while I happen to be power cycling.  Since there are many competing devices, the odds increase that I will loose a given IP on a power cycle.  So for something like an unRAID, I may get away with a dynamic address for a day or two, but ultimately the odds are against me, so I just make it static.

 

I have all my devices set up for fixed ip in the DHCP server (ip bound to mac address).  The only use of dynamic addresses are for visiting devices.  This way I know how to address each one of my networked devices.  Oh, and my dns server requires me to access local devices as .local domain (eg. tower.local).