Computer Help! - RC-Monster Forums

BrianG · **Computer Help! -** 11.22.2009, 02:31 AM

Argg!

Ok, deep breath.

I just finished putting together a spare computer from spare parts and am trying to set up a home web server. Running WinXP Pro with SP3 and IIS 5.1. Created a test ASP page and it works, but only on this computer, sort of. If I type http://192.168.1.100 (my webserver IP at the moment) from any computer on my network, it works, but since its IP address is assigned via DHCP, I know the IP adress will change at some point and it won't work anymore.

Generally, you set a static IP address for the webserver so that it doesn't change. However, my Linksys router is set for DHCP. So, if I set a static IP on the webserver (choosing the last octet to be high enough that the DHCP router will never choose it), it loses all connectivity. So, a static IP scheme is out unless I go around and set static IPs for all the computers in the house (ugg).

So, does anyone know how I can set up IIS on a server with an IP assigned by DHCP?

Gee · 11.22.2009, 02:36 AM

Did you log into your linksys router and tell it you were assigning a static IP and what it was? There usually is a section for doing that when you log into the router.

BrianG · 11.22.2009, 03:42 AM

Yeah, I can do that easily enough, but what I'm trying to do is keep the DHCP scheme because it is easier if people bring their PCs here. What I'm trying to do now is set the webserver to have a static IP, but set the IP in a range where I know the router's DHCP won't ever reach. Having limited success.

BrianG · 11.22.2009, 04:28 AM

Weird. With the static IP set on the webserver and the rest of the PCs still set to DHCP, I can remote desktop into the webserver from any other PC in the house, but cannot ping it from those same PCs. But, I can ping those PCs from the webserver. They are all hooked to the same router. I can ping the router from each PC and the webserver. I even added the ping program to the firewall exceptions.

Gee · 11.22.2009, 04:43 AM

Some routers have a sections for static IP exceptions to the DHCP you are running. It will allow the communication to those static IP and continue to provide IP to the rest of the LAN using the DHCP rules you set. You shouldn't need go that route though. If you assing the static IP to the web and IP address that is inside the DHCP range or your LAN range of IPs it should work fine. The router should accept it as an good IP. The router will know the IP is in use and will not assign it elsewhere. The workstation knows it is static and does not ask the DHCP for a new IP like the others will when the lease is up.
The static IP may need to be inside the DHCP range you have setup.

Gee · 04:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrianG

Weird. With the static IP set on the webserver and the rest of the PCs still set to DHCP, I can remote desktop into the webserver from any other PC in the house, but cannot ping it from those same PCs. But, I can ping those PCs from the webserver. They are all hooked to the same router. I can ping the router from each PC and the webserver. I even added the ping program to the firewall exceptions.

THat could be the DNS or WINS ip setting.

It's been a while but if the workstations have a LMHOST lookup box checked. I think you'll want that unchecked unless you have one on the workstations.

11.22.2009, 04:50 AM

You can just statically set the IP address in Windows to something in the subnet range and the Linksys will know that one is not available, even with DHCP turned on. I've done it plenty of times in the past with no issues, most home routers are smart enough to figure out what IP addresses are being used and not available

BrianG · 11.22.2009, 07:14 PM

Well, everything works fine now. The solution was.... drumroll please... reboot of the computers. I guess after all the network changes, Windows got "confused". Gotta love Windows!

Just finished installing MS SQL Express and the management console, created a test database/table, and ran a test ASP page using database query and it works!

kraegar · 11.22.2009, 07:52 PM

Rebooting cleared your dns cache. running

ipconfig /flushdns

would have resolved the issue too. The PCs were remembering what the server used to have for an IP. They would have "forgotten" after a while as well. I forget what the default is.

Setting a static inside the DHCP scope won't hurt anything, either, so you're good there (the dhcp server... in this case your firewall... will ping an IP before assigning it, so it won't assign your webserver's IP to something else by mistake since it can ping it).

As for the IP changing if it's set to DHCP... maybe, depends what you set your lease to, and how often you shut your PC down, and for how long. If your dhcp lease is a couple of days, and you never shut your PC down for that long, it will always keep the same IP. If the lease time is just a couple hours, and you shut your PC down longer then that, you could change IPs.

Probably more info then you wanted on all of this, lol. Glad it's all working.

Tony

BrianG · 11:11 PM

I did try flushing the DNS, but that didn't work. Even tried disabling/re-enabling the network adaptors to "refresh" them, but no go there either. I just thought it was odd that I could remote desktop between boxes, but pinging and/or network browsing was touch and go.

IIRC, the router's lease is set to one day. Normally, I shut down my main box every day to save power since I won't use it all night and the next day at work. My laptop I leave on pretty much all the time, but it goes into standby. The webserver will be up all the time. The iMac (my g/f's) I'm not sure about. The kids computer is mostly shut off because my son uses it the most and I only get him on the weekends.

What's nice about a static webserver IP is that I can edit the hosts file on all the boxes so that I can use a "www.domain.com" name instead of having to remember an IP address.

kraegar · 11.23.2009, 08:49 PM

Sounds like WINS then, yeah. Damned WINS, who ever thought that was a good idea I don't know.

And yeah, static with a simple host entry is the way to go in the long run. (Or, what I do is dhcp with a reservation, and have my router acting as a local name server)

eovnu87435ds · 11.25.2009, 12:59 AM

I'm a little late in this thread here, but what do you plan on doing with the webserver, if you don't mind me asking.

BrianG · 11.25.2009, 02:02 AM

lol, not much. Just playing around really and making some various web-enabled apps for the house. For example, I want to make a recipe database application for my g/f (she's always writing them down). The existing stuff out there works, but I want more features and just a better interface.

I also do freelance development, so this is nice if people want an ASP solution.

Originally, I was going to install Apache/PHP, but decided to start with something I know. Maybe later I can build another box for that as well.

BrianG · 11.25.2009, 02:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kraegar

Sounds like WINS then, yeah. Damned WINS, who ever thought that was a good idea I don't know.

And yeah, static with a simple host entry is the way to go in the long run. (Or, what I do is dhcp with a reservation, and have my router acting as a local name server)

I'm not a network guy, so just this basic stuff was giving me a headache. About WINS; all I know is that I've heard of it.

Your solution for having the router act as a name server is ideal as I don't need to go around editing hosts files, but I don't believe my router has that ability.

Actually, my router solution consists of two routers. Router 1 is a wired router with 4 port switch. I like the router function of that one better, so it serves as the DHCP server/router. The other router is a wireless one also with a 4 port switch. I simply disabled DHCP in that one, uplinked it to the wired router. So, it's really just an access point/daisy-chained switch. Plus, 4 ports wasn't enough, so it gives me 7 total (one is being used on the uplink). Yeah, I could have just gotten a single wireless router with more wired ports, but I already had the wired one, so it was cheaper to do it this way.

kraegar · 11.25.2009, 03:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrianG

I'm not a network guy, so just this basic stuff was giving me a headache. About WINS; all I know is that I've heard of it.

Your solution for having the router act as a name server is ideal as I don't need to go around editing hosts files, but I don't believe my router has that ability.

Actually, my router solution consists of two routers. Router 1 is a wired router with 4 port switch. I like the router function of that one better, so it serves as the DHCP server/router. The other router is a wireless one also with a 4 port switch. I simply disabled DHCP in that one, uplinked it to the wired router. So, it's really just an access point/daisy-chained switch. Plus, 4 ports wasn't enough, so it gives me 7 total (one is being used on the uplink). Yeah, I could have just gotten a single wireless router with more wired ports, but I already had the wired one, so it was cheaper to do it this way.

That works. As for having a nameserver, I don't know if any of the off the shelf routers do that, I'm using modified software on mine. (DD-Wrt)

I also have an old one daisy-chained off my newer one, but it's for ssh services... and then I have another I converted into a wireless bridge.