W2k Pro : direct connection / LAN , not routing

[Ninho]

Begging for help from the Gurus before I've pulled all my hair out !

Brief description : - "Main" is a Win 2k Pro station connected to a ethernet LAN and part of a domain.

- "Aux" is a standalone old comp running Windows 95 B.

I have Aux & Main connected & networked point to point thru the Parallel Cable, thus making a 2 stations mini-net.

The parallel connexion uses TCP/IP as well as NetBEUI. I'll be concerned with TCP/IP only however. For reference, "Main" is assigned IP 192.168.55.1 while "Aux" has 192.168.55.2

The local "mini net (over parallel cable)" works as intended. Main is pingable from Aux and vice-versa, TCP and UDP between them work as well, for instance I can browse the Internet from Aux thru a local HTTP proxy running on Main (privoxy).

But what I can't achieve is any IP connectivity from/to Aux to/from LAN THROUGH the Main station ! IOW, "Main" doesn't accept to be routing IP between the parallel cable interface (IP adresses 192.168.55.*) and the larger LAN (IP adresses 10.*.*.*).

From Aux, the one address in the 10.* range that answers "pings" is "Main" itself. No IP traffic goes further AFAICT :=(

Now wait before jumping to conclusions : I do know Win 2k Pro is not supposed to do routing, *except* there is a certain registry setting in :

HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\TCPIP\Parameters

namely, IPEnableRouter , which I set to (DW) = 1 and that, according to what is found at different places on the net - and at Microsoft's own technet - should make the Win2Pro route between all its interfaces.

Unfortunately even with that setting, the observed behaviour is as described above :=(

So, MM. Gurus, what is going wrong ? Of course Windows is flaky when compared to say, Linux, as far as networking is concerned. Is Win 2k incapable of routing between the Direct Parallel and Ethernet adapters ?

Please tell me if it's a no-no, as I've spent so much time on this apparently simple thing without a hint what's going wrong.

--

Ninho

[Ctrl-X]

Have you added a route to the 10.0.0.0/8 network on Aux? Do the computers in the 10.0.0.0/8 network have a route back to the 192.168.55.0/24 network?

[uid0]

Hmmm, not used serial or parallel cable for networking in about ten years...

I'd get a network card, kit is cheap now.

[Ninho]

Have you added a route to the 10.0.0.0/8 network on Aux? Do the computers in the 10.0.0.0/8 network have a route back to the 192.168.55.0/24 network?

An excellent question, Ctrl-X! I would post the output of a "route print" from Aux and from Main - but I am not @ that location any more. Whatever, the routes table on Aux is set up automagically by the Windows 95 "direct parallel connection" launcher. It doesn't have a specific route to the 10.* network, but then the default route (0.0.0.0) which has Main as the gateway should cover the case anyway.

As for return routes to my /24 (could even be /31 !), nope, routers/computers on the 10.* network do not know of their existence, and I do not have the authority/possibility to modify this state of affairs; however it was my understanding that - assuming my Main station itself were routing correctly - return routes to the 192.168.55.* would be automatically and dynamically recorded by the routers involved as these would see outgoing traffic sourced from my Main's MAC address and a yet unknown IP. Isn't this how internetworking with IP works ? Realising I may well be making a fool of myself :-)

Since AFAIK it is not possible to persuade the Windows parallel networking module to use IP addresses from the 10/8 space (nor any IPs other than 192.168.55.x) then I guess it will be very complicated at best to achieve what I was dreaming of aloud.

Thank you very much for your help. And I must add it is not important if the above cannot be done... as long as I have learnt something new.

--

Ninho