Troubleshooting Q&A - December 23, 2003

Function getCurrentSectionName(strFullPath) Dim iLocation Dim strTemp iLocation = InStr(2, strFullPath, "/", 1) If iLocation = 0 Then strTemp = "" Else strTemp = Mid(strFullPath, 2, iLocation - 2) End If getCurrentSectionName = LCase(strTemp) End Function %> <% Dim strCurrentFilePath Dim strCurrentSectionName strCurrentFilePath = Request.ServerVariables("URL") strCurrentSectionName = mainGetCurrentSectionName(strCurrentFilePath) %> <% ' Sets JavaScript to show INTM banners: ' Handles sectional targetting for home page within. ' strBanner is the position indicator (ie. 468x60-1). ' Hotwired strBanner="javascript" to insert the call to the appropriate javascript file. ' Don't forget to modify JS file as well when modifying ad positions! Sub mainShowOASBanner(strBannerPosition) Dim strPositionsRequired If Request.QueryString("ads") = "none" Then Exit Sub If LCase(strBannerPosition) = "javascript" Then ' Spit out JavaScript line: Select Case LCase(strCurrentFilePath) Case "/index.asp" Response.Write "" Case Else Response.Write "" End Select Else ' Process standard banner call: ' Determine banners needed strPositionsRequired = "468x60-1,120x60-1,125x800,flex,336x280-2,house_ribbon,ciu,cp1,cp2,cp3,cp4,cp5,cp6,cp7,cp8,cp9,cp10,cp11,cp12,cp13,cp14,marketplace01,marketplace02,marketplace03,marketplace04,marketplace05,marketplace06,marketplace07,marketplace08,marketplace09,marketplace10,send,accessunit_one,accessunit_two,accessunit_three!marketplace10,marketplace11,marketplace12,interstitial,68x60-1,125x125-1,125x125-2" 'Homepage targetting Select Case LCase(strCurrentFilePath) Case "/index.asp" strPositionsRequired = strPositionsRequired & ",accessunit_one,accessunit_two,accessunit_three" Case Else strPositionsRequired = strPositionsRequired & ",accessunit" End Select 'If Request.ServerVariables("REMOTE_HOST") <> "216.15.51.195" Then ' Spit out banner text 'Response.Write "" & vbCrLf Response.Write "" '& vbCrLf Response.Write "

" & vbCrLf Response.Write "" & vbCrLf 'Response.Write "" & vbCrLf 'End If End If End Sub %> <% Sub mainShowQUADBanner(strBannerPosition) Dim positionkey If letter_mappings.Exists(strBannerPosition) then positionkey = letter_mappings.Item(strBannerPosition) Else Exit Sub End if If (strCurrentSectionName <> "home" and strCurrentSectionName <> "") Then urlkey = "www.practicallynetworked.com"& "/" & strCurrentSectionName Else urlkey = "www.practicallynetworked.com" End if Dim lstIndxOf,lstPeNm lstIndxOf=InStrRev(currentFilePath,"/")+1 If lstIndxOf <> 0 Then lstPeNm=LCase(Mid(currentFilePath ,lstIndxOf,Len(currentFilePath))) end if If (indexPages.Exists(lstPeNm)) then pagekey = "index" else pagekey = "other" End if Response.write("") if(StrComp(strBannerPosition,"interstitial")=0) then GetQUADScriptforInterstitialAd urlkey, pagekey, positionkey Else GetQUADScript urlkey, pagekey, positionkey End If 'GetQUADScript urlkey, pagekey, positionkey End Sub Sub GetQUADScriptforInterstitialAd (urlkey, pagekey, positionkey) Dim strquad_position, strquad_type, stroas, strzflag_nid, strzflag_cid, strzflag_sid, strzflag_sz, strzflag_width, strzflag_height,strzflag_x 'checks whether the current URL is present into the QUAD_ads from the config If (QUAD_ads.Exists(urlkey)=false) then call keyExistsLikeAd(QUAD_ads,urlkey) end if 'if ad not found for suitable look for default values On Error Resume Next Dim page_data page_data=QUAD_ads(urlkey)(pagekey)(positionkey)("zflag_cid") If Err.Number > 0 OR page_data="" Then 'set the default values If (adExists=false) then Dim URLS,PAGES URLS = QUAD_ads.Keys urlkey=URLS(0) ' current URL PAGES =QUAD_ads.Item(URLS(0)).Keys pagekey=PAGES(0) ' current page 'If the current page accessed is or page If Len(lastPageName & "") <> 0 and indexPages.Exists(lastPageName)=false Then pagekey=PAGES(1) ' page end if end if End If On Error GoTo 0 ' turn error handling off again If (QUAD_ads(urlkey)(pagekey).Exists(positionkey)) then strquad_position = QUAD_ads(urlkey)(pagekey)(positionkey)("quad_position") strquad_type = QUAD_ads(urlkey)(pagekey)(positionkey)("quad_type") stroas = QUAD_ads(urlkey)(pagekey)(positionkey)("oas") 'strpage_channel = QUAD_ads(urlkey)(pagekey)(positionkey)("page_channel") strzflag_nid = QUAD_ads(urlkey)(pagekey)(positionkey)("zflag_nid") strzflag_cid = QUAD_ads(urlkey)(pagekey)(positionkey)("zflag_cid") strzflag_sid = QUAD_ads(urlkey)(pagekey)(positionkey)("zflag_sid") strzflag_sz = QUAD_ads(urlkey)(pagekey)(positionkey)("zflag_sz") strzflag_width = QUAD_ads(urlkey)(pagekey)(positionkey)("zflag_width") strzflag_height = QUAD_ads(urlkey)(pagekey)(positionkey)("zflag_height") strzflag_x = QUAD_ads(urlkey)(pagekey)(positionkey)("zflag_x") Response.write("") End If End Sub Function keyExistsLikeAd(QUAD_ads,urlkey) Dim keys,i,configURLpatern 'Create some variables keys = QUAD_ads.keys 'Get the keys For i = 0 To QUAD_ads.Count -1 'Iterate the array configURLpatern=keys(i) if(InStr(configURLpatern, urlkey)>0)then 'we have such URL pattern then set taht as urlkey urlkey=configURLpatern exit for end if Next End Function Function mainGetCurrentSectionName(strFullPath) Dim iLocation Dim strTemp iLocation = InStr(2, strFullPath, "/", 1) If iLocation = 0 Then strTemp = "home" Else strTemp = Mid(strFullPath, 2, iLocation - 2) End If mainGetCurrentSectionName = LCase(strTemp) End Function %> <%GetQuadJavaScripts() %> <% If (Not IsQUADEnabled) Then %>

<% Else %> <% End If %> <% If (Not IsQUADEnabled) Then %>

<% Else %> <%mainShowBanner("interstitial") %> <%mainShowBanner("send") %> <% End If %>

<% If (Not IsQUADEnabled) Then %>

<% Else %> <%mainShowBanner("468x60-1") %> <% End If %>

Product Reviews

• Routers
• Hubs/Switches
• Wireless Gateway
• Wireless AP
• Wireless NIC
• Network Storage
• Print Servers
• Bluetooth Adapters

Troubleshooting
& Tutorials

• Networking
• Internet Sharing
• Security
• Backgrounders
• Troubleshooting
Guides
• PracNet How To's

User Opinions

Practicallynetworked Glossary

Find a Network Term

<% If (Not IsQUADEnabled) Then %>

<%Else %> <% If LCase(strCurrentFilePath) = "/index.asp" Then %> <% mainShowBanner("336x280") %> <%else %> <%mainShowBanner("336x280") %> <%End If %> <% End If %>

<% If (Not IsQUADEnabled) Then %>

<% Else %> <%mainShowBanner("accessunit") %> <% End If %>

Find a Hotspot...

Add this search code to your site!
Copyright 2003Jupitermedia


	Most Popular Tutorials

• Microsoft Vista Home Networking Setup and Options
The most daunting part of upgrading to Windows Vista may be trying to figure out where in the layers of menus the networking and file-sharing options are hidden.

• Do It Yourself: Roll Your Own Network Cables
It may not be something you do everyday, but having the supplies and know-how to whip up a network cable on the spot can be very handy.

• Tips for Securing Your Home Router
Seemingly minor and easily overlooked settings can still have profound security implications. Here are some steps you can take to make sure your wired or wireless home router � and by extension, your network � is as secure as possible.


	Most Popular Reviews

• Microsoft Windows Home Server
If you have a home network, you'll welcome the easy file sharing, remote access and the image-based backup features of Windows Home Server.

• Iomega StorCenter Network Hard Drive
Iomega's fourth generation StorCenter Network Hard Drive brings many of the features found in higher-end storage devices down to an attractive price.

• MikroTik's The Dude
This free tool delivers many of the same capabilities that you'd find in pricey network monitoring tools. As long as you don't mind tinkering, The Dude is a decent network utility that should be worth the download.

<% If (Not IsQUADEnabled) Then %>

<% Else %>

<%mainShowBanner("ciu") %>

<%mainShowBanner("CIU-FLEX(CIU-2)") %>

<% End If %>

Troubleshooting Q&A - December 23, 2003

Wired Networking, Step One – Choosing Your Connection

The first step in networking two or more computers is to determine how best to connect them. This week's Q&A looks at the pros and cons of networking via direct cable connections, hubs, switches, or routers.

By Ron Pacchiano

Q. I’m having a great deal of trouble getting my computers to network correctly and share an Internet connection. I have one desktop computer and one Laptop, both of which are running Windows XP Professional. My Internet access is being supplied by a Time Warner cable modem.

I tried connecting the computers together via an Ethernet cable, but they can’t seem to communicate with each other. I heard that it was possible to connect two PCs together in this fashion, but I can’t even get them to ping each other.

A friend of mine told me that I couldn’t network Windows XP PCs together like this and said that I should purchase a hub to solve my problem. I think this would work, but before I go out and buy one I just wanted to ask what you thought and find out if you have any suggestions for me. Thanks!

A. Well for starters, your friend is correct when he indicated that the hub would solve your problem. However, he was mistaken when he suggested that you couldn’t network two Windows XP PCs directly to each other.

I'm guessing the reason that you couldn’t ping between the two computers when you connected them via Ethernet cable is because you were not using a crossover cable. When you’re trying to network two similar devices, such as two PCs or two hubs or two switches, you need to use a crossover cable to connect them. The only exception to this would be if one of the products (like a hub or switch) has what's called an uplink port, or an auto-sensing port, on it. In that scenario, a standard Ethernet cable would work fine.

Crossover cables don’t look much different from normal (also known as straight-through) Ethernet cables, but they’re wired differently so that the transmit pin on one end of the cable matches the receive pin on the other. Incidentally, you can tell a crossover cable from a straight-through by holding the two connectors side by side with the tabs facing down. Look at the colors of the individual wires inside the connectors. If they don’t match, it’s not a straight-through.

That being said, you basically have two choices available to you for networking your computers. You can connect the two via a crossover cable, or you can use a hub and connect each computer to it with straight-through cables. If you think you might want to add additional systems to your network (or just for simplicity’s sake), stick with the hub.

If you decide that you want to stick with your original plan, connecting two PCs directly to each other is a relatively simple and straightforward process. For starters, you’ll need to purchase a crossover cable and connect it to the Ethernet port of each PC. Next, each PC’s Ethernet adaptor needs to be configured with a static IP address and a common Subnet mask. For our example, we’ll assign the first PC an IP address of 192.168.0.1 and the second PC an address of 192.168.0.2. Both machines should use the Subnet 255.255.255.0.

Also, you’ll want to make sure that both machines have been configured as members of the same workgroup. Any name will work for the workgroup name as long as it doesn’t exceed 15 characters (ex.WORKGROUP). All that’s left to do now is reboot the system. Upon reboot, go to a DOS prompt and try to Ping the other PC. To do this, just type PING and the IP address of the system you’re trying to reach (ex. C:\>PING 192.168.0.2). You should get 5 replies.

If for some reason your Ping returns a timeout message, you might have another problem. The most common issue has to do with Windows XP and the Internet Connection Firewall (ICF). The Windows XP Network Setup Wizard will sometimes enable ICF on your Ethernet adapter. ICF is designed to protect you from threats outside of your network by blocking unauthorized traffic from reaching your PC.

ICF is supposed to be used only on the interface that directly connects to your Internet connection; however, if ICF is being used on an interface that is being used to connect to another PC, it will block all the transmissions being sent to it. It will not even respond to pings. As a result, ICF must be disabled in order for this to work.

To disable ICF, simply right-click on “My Network Places” and select Properties. Right-click on your LAN connection and then select Properties again. Go to the Advanced tab and uncheck the box that reads “Protect my computer and network by limiting or preventing access to this computer from the Internet.” Click OK. Now try to ping the other PC again. It should work fine.

Now that your PCs can see each other, they need to be configured to share your Internet connection. This is done using Windows XP’s Internet Connection Sharing (ICS). Configuring ICS is a simple process, with detailed instructions available at http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;306126. This article explains how to configure both the host and client sides of ICS.

My advice, forget about the hub and consider purchasing a Cable/DSL Router instead. There are a number of advantages in going this route. Most routers today are available with built-in switches that typically range from 4 to 8-ports, and they often include an integrated firewall. This integration allows you to get your PCs online quickly and saves you the headache involved in setting up Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) on the host and client PCs. Not to mention the fact that a switch performs much better then a hub.

Another benefit of using a router is that almost all routers give you the option of using DHCP for managing IP address assignments. This would simplify matters greatly because you wouldn’t need to bother with the network configuration we had to do when setting up the PCs with the crossover cable. And best of all, good routers that would meet your needs are available from D-Link, NETGEAR, and Linksys for only around $50-$100. Good Luck!

Use our feedback form to submit your questions on home or SOHO networking issues. We cannot guarantee to answer every question we get, but we’ll consider them all.

<%If (Not IsQUADEnabled) Then %>

<%Else %> <%mainShowBanner("fl1") %> <% End If %>
<%If (Not IsQUADEnabled) Then %>

<%Else %> <%mainShowBanner("fl2") %> <% End If %>
<%If (Not IsQUADEnabled) Then %>

<%Else %> <%mainShowBanner("fl3") %> <% End If %>
<%If (Not IsQUADEnabled) Then %>

<%Else %> <%mainShowBanner("fl4") %> <% End If %>
<%If (Not IsQUADEnabled) Then %>

<%Else %> <%mainShowBanner("fl5") %> <% End If %>
<% If (Not IsQUADEnabled) Then %>

<% Else %> <%mainShowBanner("336x280-2") %> <% End If %>