OK,
I have been working at a small company that uses Cisco Routers to connect a VPN of 4 offices (using 56K Circuit Relay lines).
One office recently decided to add an Internet connection, via a DSL line.
I connected the DSL modem (which works fine), I connected a DSL/Cable router (SMC-Barricade model). I edited the new DSL router's "Gateway" to "x.x.x.254", so it would not conflict with the existing CISCO VPN router IP (x.x.x.1).
On the hosts I edited the network configuration. Adding the new gateway (x.x.x.254"), and the appropriate DNS servers etc...
My problem:
Whenever the new DSL Router is the only gateway on the hosts, internet works fine on all computers.
When the DSL router (254) is the primary and the existing VPN Cisco router (1) is the secondary gateway. The internet works, but when I access the company programs (using the secondary gateway). The internet or the company programs (or both) lock up!
When the VPN Cisco router is primary and the DSL router (254) is secondary. The company programs work fine...until you try to access the internet. Again a problem with both working at the same time.
So to recap; When I only use one gateway, or use only programs which use the same single gateway things work fine.
Otherwise; While using both gateways, whichever program I start first (apparently regardless of which gateway is set to primary at the time), seems to work fine... Until I start a program that uses the other gateway. Then my previous program doesn't get any response from the initial gateway it was accessing.
Basically it appears that both routers want to be the primary and only "Router" gateway present on the hosts.
Note:
-I can ping all gateways manually fine during all this.
-Also my company uses "Static IP" for all computers (I don't know why).
-The OS the host PC's use is W98, the server accessed using the Cisco VPN router is an "Unix" server for company apps.
Anyways if anyone has any ideas, it would be greatly appreciated! I have never tried using multiple gateways, or routers on the same LAN before!
Thanks,
Beatlejuice
Where did you add the new settings?Originally Posted by beatlejuice321
That makes two of us. I have never done this either. Interesting problem though.I have never tried using multiple gateways, or routers on the same LAN before!
Anyway to configure the software to look for a specific gateway?
Post output of: /sbin/route -n
Jim H
Jim H,
I added the new client setting through the standard "Network-Neighborhood" TCP-IP properties dialog-box.
Through here you can add the "Default Gateway" (the first IP Gateway entered). And then the you can add additional Gateways (the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and so on Gateways).
I can't:
"Post output of: /sbin/route -n"
Because the Unix server is kept off-site at another remote VPN location (the reason for the first router x.x.x.1). And I don't have any Admin privileges on it.
You see, my company is a Doctors office in the Twin Cities, and there is a company here called "Vital Works" who bought a UNIX based medical software program called "DISC" (used in most Doctor offices and Hospitals in the Twin City area and perhaps abroad. It is text based, but can use a GUI emulation program for windows client machines (to make it look pretty) for medical scheduling and billing purposes.
Vital Works is like the Microsoft of the Medical world here and makes it a real pain to do anything without "there" permission and payment. For example with Linux you can open multiple shell session with the "F1-F7" keys. With the "DISC" system, even this is disabled unless you pay "Vital Works" additional fees for each user desiring each feature we take for granted with Linux. You don't even want to know what they charge just to run the "useradd" command when you want to add a new employee. Its very scary considering we bought and completely paid for our own in-house "DISC" server. Yet our software license restrictions makes Microsofts look like the GPL!
Ahem... Sorry about that, just had to vent for a bit. Anyways, thats about all I can think of for possible configuration options with the Gateway problem. I am limited to just working on the client machines in this situation. However if you think it may be the routing configuration of the VPN or with our UNIX server, I will certainly have to talk to the "Vital Works" people about looking into it.
Thanks again!
Beatlejuice
Now I'm really confused are these windows clients with the problem?
Could you give a little description of the network layout?
Jim H
The office is a small satellite office, connected to the main clinic computer system through VPN (mentioned above). The office LAN topology is:
3, Windows 98 PC's
1, 3-Com HUB
1, Cisco router (to connect to VPN using Gateway IP of x.x.x.1)
1, SMC-Cable/DSL router (new!) (connected to DSL modem, using Gateway IP of x.x.x.254)
Recap on problem:
New internet connection to this office works with all PC's on LAN fine WITHOUT the CISCO router plugged into network (and vice-versa, CISCO of course works without SMC router being used at same time, or whenever you disable/remove the listed Gateway from host PC).
Desired solution:
Get PC's on network to use both internet (the SMC-router) and the company scheduling program (through the CISCO router) to work together at same time, without program/network conflict which seem to cause the used applications to lockup.
Hope that clears it up!
Thanks,
Beatlejuice
eeeeeek! A windoze question.:P
I see your problem now. Win98 will use the first gateway in the list that is available. If the first gateway in the list is active it will use that one for everything. I'll have to find a windoze box to look at. I can't hardly do anything on windoze from memory anymore. I have to be sitting in front of it.
Jim H
LOL!!!
OK, any help you can provide would really be appreciated.
and:
"Win98 will use the first gateway in the list that is available. If the first gateway in the list is active it will use that one for everything."
Yep, that is exactly my problem, I just can't seem to figure out how to make Win98 us more than one "active" gateway, but I heard it should be possible to get it to work.
Thanks again,
Beatlejuice
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