[pptp-server] another browsing problem

robert berzerke at swbell.net
Mon Mar 12 11:27:40 CST 2001


On Monday 12 March 2001 09:43, Jean-Serge Gagnon wrote:
> We've researched a lot of this stuff and if I'm not mistaking, the problem
> is that Windows browsing will only work in this scenario with a WINS
> server. NetBIOS browsing works with broadcast on the local LAN, so the
> 10.100.100.x machines broadcast their existence to each other, but the
> 192.168.1.x machines can't receive those broadcasts because of the
> firewall. An other problem is that machines on the remote end of a ppp
> connection can not broadcast between each other so your NetBIOS broadcast
> looks like this (resize to view):
>
>                                                  -----
>
>                                                 | PC |
>
>                                          -bcast-|  1 |
>  ------         ------         ------  /   ok    ----
>
> |vpn   |- no - |vpn   | - no -| fw   |/
> |client| bcast |server| bcast |      |\          ----
>
>  ------         ------         ------  \  bcast | PC |
>                                         -- ok --| 2  |
>                                                  ----
>
> So, PC1, PC2 and fw can all see each other (if fw has NetBIOS), but they
> can't see vpn server or vpn client and vise-versa. There are two ways to
> solve this:
>
> 1- Add a WINS server to the network (can be on vpn server, fw, one of the
> PCs or a new machine) and set up all clients to point to the wins server.
> Entire network browsing will only work for all machines if they use the
> same workgroup, otherwise, you need to use the machine's name directly
> (\\pc1)
>
> 2- Find a way of forwarding broadcast packets across all subnets. We have
> not found any public domains tools for this.
>
> Hope this helps a bit...
<snip>

There is a third option: the lmhosts file.  However, the Wins server is by 
far the easiest and least troublesome option.

As for option 2 above, although I've never had the need or urge to try, I've 
seen another system where the routing tables (and firewall) were adjusted to 
allow broadcasts to pass.  Don't remember how he did it though, but it is 
possible.



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