[Solved] Can connect to all network drives but cannot ping server from client

[highland hippie]

Hello all

 

I am running a flight sim setup on a network using a Vista machine as my sim host and an older XP machine to run a moving map program. I have recently started to experience a drop out of the map program on the xp machine and eventually it stopped working with the flight sim altogether and I thought it was something I had added that had caused the issue.

After extensive conversations with the software owner (the software used to get both programs to communicate, Fsuipc) and many trial and error changes I have now narrowed the issue down to what I think is the problem.

 

I can Ping my client machine(xp) from the server (Vista) and I get no loss of data but if I ping the vista machine from the xp machine it fails to connect and no data is transmitted. I can access all of the drives and files on the whole network, where permissions for sharing have been set and I can tranfer files between both machines as well as any other data I wish.

 

What I want to know is why it will allow me to access any area of the network without issue but it will not allow the xp machine to ping the server. I would have thought that the pinged data was much less of an issue than any access issue from windows explorer and I would have had less of a job working out a permission or sharing issue.

 

If anyone has experienced this issue themselves or has knowledge of how to rectify it I would be very grateful for the help.

 

Regards

 

HH

[seedy21]

Hello highland hippie and Welcome to FPCH

 

The reason why you are unable to ping the Vista machine is that the Firewall by default blocks the Ping Request's

 

If you want to be able to ping it here is how.

 

 

Click Start and type “Windows Firewall with Advanced Security”

Click on Inbound Rules on the left-hand pane and Find this rule

Networking – Echo Request (ICMPv4-In)

Right-click on the rule, and choose “Enable Rule” from the menuThen try and ping the vista machine from the XP machine.

[highland hippie]

Hello Seedy 21 and thanks for the reply.

I tried to do as suggested but I appear not to have Networking – Echo Request (ICMPv4-In) in my inbound or outbound list I have checked through both lists thoroughly and find nothing similar.

I have puzzled over this for a while now and still can't understand how things can have changed. It was working fine until about a week ago the client worked with the server software fine and then it became intermittant. I can get onto the server from the client but it is the data exchange that seems to be stopping the information being transmitted to the client program (it indicates the AI aircraft flying in the simulator program on the server) or it used to.

Why would this stop working when I am still able to use all parts of the network from any machine?

It appears from the Ping info that the request timed out and it sent 4 packets but none were returned. Could it be something to do with the network card in the XP machine or is it still more likely to be the Vista machine end?

 

Thanks for the help

Regards

 

HH

[seedy21]

Hello highland hippie

 

I quick way to test it is to drop your firewall on the Vista machine and then attempted to ping the machine from there.

 

Would be interesting to see if the Software works with the firewall dropped.

 

 

I WOULD NOT RECOMMENDING DOING THIS FOR LONG PEROID OF TIME. Firewalls are there to stop Intruders from getting inside your machine we are just wanting to see if its the firewall system that is blocking the machine from talking.

[highland hippie]

Hi Seedy 21

 

I tried it with and without the firewall but it did not work. Next I went into the config setup for each machine and found something wierd. The server is called Vista machine and the client is XP machine but on closer inspection it seems that the xp machine was trying to ping the vista machine with a different last three numbers on the IPV4 address. After I changed this it worked fine. I am still a bit confused as to why it should try to ping a machine with a different end number as it has not changed since I set it up over two years ago.

 

Weird indeed. I will try it again late today to see if it still works.

 

Thanks for the help anyway.

Regards

 

HH

[seedy21]

Hello HH

 

Glad you spotted that .

 

The answer is if DHCP is turned on (this is by default) It will always ask the routor what IP address it can have. So it is possible to get a different number.

 

If it asked what IP address your other machine is on it maybe a good idea to make the IP Addresses Static.

 

 

Tell me how you get on.

[highland hippie]

Hi again Seedy 21

How do you make the IP addresses static, I have vista and XP systems running.

 

Regards

 

HH

[seedy21]

Here you go.

 

I would use the same settings as the machines are on but this will lock it to theses from now on.

 

To set up your static IP address:

1. Click the Start button.
   
2. Select Control Panel.
   
3. View your Internet and network connections.
   
   • In Windows XP:
     
   1. 
      
   2. Click the Network and Internet Connections link.
      
   3. Click the Network Connections link.
      

    

   [*]In Windows Vista/7:

   1. Click the Network and Internet link.
      
   2. Click the Network and Sharing Center link.
      
   3. View your network connections.
      
      • In Vista, click the Manage network connections link.
        
      • In 7, click the Change adapter settings link.
        

    

    

    

   [*]Right-click the Local Area Connection icon. Note: If your local area connection is not listed, you need to configure your Ethernet card. For assistance, refer to your computer's documentation or contact your computer's vendor for instructions.

   [*]From the drop-down list, select Properties.

   [*]In Vista, click the Continue button.

   [*]Select your Internet protocol.

• In XP, select Internet Protocol TCP/IP.
   
  
• In Vista/7, select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4).
  

 

[*]Click the Properties button.

[*]Select the Use the following IP address: radio button.

[*]In the IP address: text box, type your IP address.

[*]In the Subnet mask: text box, type your subnet mask.

[*]In the Default gateway: text box, type your default gateway.

[*]Click Apply and Restart your machine

[highland hippie]

Hi Seedy 21

 

many thanks for that, I will givi it a go this weekend.

 

Regards

HH

[highland hippie]

Hi again Seedy21

 

I set up all as shown and the connection has now stayed on, only thing now is that my other netword drives are all disconnected and cannot communicate with each other ?

 

Any suggestions, Please.???

 

HH

[seedy21]

Hi HH

 

HOw to you normally connect to the drives??

 

Is this a shared folder fro the vista server?

 

If you have just put the IPS to static i would restart both machines and then try again

Edited March 16, 2013 by seedy21

[highland hippie]

Hi Seedy21

My vista machine acts as server to the xp machine so that the navigation software communicates with the flight sim program running on the Vista machine. I have shered access to the other drives from either machine. The error I got was that the network could not connect to the internet as there was not a valid IP address. I have reverted back to auto selecting the address,s but I am going to try to use names instead of IP numbers. I did this in the past but for some reason it went to pot over the last month. This is what has caused me so much agro. I will re investigate later, for now it is working as it should but I will wait to see.

Thanks again for the response.

 

Regards

 

HH

[seedy21]

Hi HH

 

What was the IP that you put in both machines???

 

 

Are you now able to connect to the shared drives????

[highland hippie]

Hi Seedy 21

 

Apologies for the late response. I eventually settled on naming the server and the client and ensuring the software knew which was which. This seems to have resolved the issue of random IP address numbers each time I start the system.

Many thanks for your help.

On a slightly different topic I was wondering if you are able to advise me on an issue of changing my notebook hard drive for something larger. I am planning to clone the drive in my notebook and place the clone onto a seperate external drive. I was then going to replace the notebook drive with something larger. I was then going to install the clone onto that drive. What I am not sure of is if this is possible by just copying the external drive content onto the new hard drive once it is in the notebook, presumably this will then add the OS as well as everything else I had on the original drive?

Hope that you can understand what I am asking and if you are able to offer any sage advice I would be very grateful

 

regards

 

HH

[KenB]

Hi highland hippie

 

Good to hear that your original problem has been resolved :)

I was wondering if you are able to advise me on an issue of changing my notebook hard drive for something larger

The answer - simply - is yes.

Could I ask you to post this in the appropriate forum please as it is not a networking issue and members with a similar problem will not be able to find it here.

 

We can advise further from there.

[highland hippie]

Hi Ken B

 

Will do, sorry about that.

 

HH

[KenB]

sorry about that.

Not a problem at all :)