Ping, ping, ping!

After you configure the Network software and set the IP addresses,  use the ping command on the Sharing Computer to make sure all of the computers are “alive” (at least in the TCP/IP sense).

attentionsml-5411879NOTE! You will not be able to ping your ISP or any Internet address from your Sharing Clients until you install your Sharing software. This is because they are on separate subnets and require the Sharing software to route (or move) data between the subnets.

To do this, go to the Windows Start button, choose Programs, then MSDOS Prompt.
When you get the C: prompt, type ping 127.0.0.1
If everything is ok, you should get the following response (or something similar):

Pinging 127.0.0.1 with 32 bytes of data

Reply from 127.0.0.1: bytes=32 time<10ms TTL=32
Reply from 127.0.0.1: bytes=32 time<10ms TTL=32
Reply from 127.0.0.1: bytes=32 time<10ms TTL=32
Reply from 127.0.0.1: bytes=32 time<10ms TTL=32


This means that TCP/IP is working on the machine that you are typing on.  127.0.0.1 is a special address that “loops back” to the machine you are pinging from.   You can also type ping localhost and receive a similar response, since localhost and 127.0.0.1 mean the same thing.

If things aren’t ok, you’ll get something like:

Pinging 127.0.0.1 with 32 bytes of data

Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Request timed out.
Request timed out.

Better try the troubleshooting tips.

If the above “pinged” ok, next you should ping your cable modem NIC IP.   This is the second network that connects to your soon-to-be shared computer, and is a subnet of your cable provider.

Type ping [yourISPIP] where [yourISPIP] is the IP address temporarily assigned to you by your ISP.  You should get the proper “Reply from…” response.

If you don’t know your cable modem NIC IP address, use the winipcfg command to find out.  An example winipcfg screen is shown below (you’ll have to click on the “More Info” button on the opening Control Panel to get this view).  Your temporary IP address is next to IP Address in the Ethernet Adapter Information section.

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If all of that is ok, then you’re on a roll, so you might as well ping your sharing Clients!  They will have IP addresses of 192.168.0.X, so go ahead and ping ’em.

You can also try pinging the second NIC on the Sharing computer from your Client computer(s).  Also try Client to Client if you have more than one.  Just don’t try to ping your ISP or anything other than the computers on the LAN.  That won’t work until after you set up Sharing.

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