Re: MS networking, static links

[flash flash@xxxxxxxx]

Patricia,
≪Does it have to be the IP address, or will a UNC name (e.g.,
\\Anna\annadat) do? ≫

Either will do.

If your machine is not able to resolve names, you must either
1) turn on the appropriate service in the Windows start>Admin
tool>component services applet. This is turned on by default in any new
Windows installation.

or 2) lay in a manual host file. The path is laborious:
boot partition/winnt/sys32/drivers/etc/host
Open this "host" file (it typically has no file extension) in your
favorite text editor and manually add any names and IP addresses you
want. Example syntax:

192.168.0.1 router
192.168.0.2 dell
192.168.0.3 starbase
192.168.0.4 printer
192.168.0.6 mac
192.168.0.254 switch
Then you can "ping router", for example, and Windows will resolve the
name locally, instead of "ping 192.168.0.1".
Similarly, any mapped drive or desktop link will function with \\name,
rather than \\IP address, provided the machine can resolve the name
automagically using WINS or a local host file (as explained above).
≪the logical MB, the newest XP box, is often not on at all when I want
to access one of the older machines from another. Or it's on and busy as
all get out, with the editor using PhotoShop LE and PageMaker (vers.
5.1! miracle it runs) and WordPerfect.≫
If the MB logs off, it sends a graceful exit message to the LAN and a
backup MB should take over (or be elected) immediately. If the MB is
unceremoniously disconnected from the LAN or AC power outlet (or
crashes) so that it cannot send a graceful exit message, then the LAN
must wait for a timer to expire (13 minutes, if memory serves) before
the Indians start chattering, 'da chief, he gone! who da new chief??'
and hold another election.
If the MB is too busy to reply to a browser request, or if either the
client request or the MB reply should get lost on the LAN due to heavy
traffic (collisions etc.), Mr. Flashlight may have to wait for the next
scheduled update, 13 minutes. Sometimes you don't want the newest
machine to be the MB, for example if it is chronically busy or
underpowered for the number of clients on the LAN, but I doubt whether
this function can be manually assigned to any arbitrary machine. That's
probably the worst case: the MB won't relinquish the function, but
cannot service the clients in a timely manner either. So the clients
just grope about in the dark with their flashlights waving futilely.
Two common phenomena in MS networks are ghosts and MIAs. Ghosts are
stations which logged off and are no longer reachable, but which still
appear in the MB's list. Therefore they appear in your network
neighborhood applet, but when you click on their icons, Mr. Flashlight
searches and strains and some time reports that the station cannot be
located. Your client is suffering from outdated information either
because of having missed an update from the MB, or the MB is suffering
from outdated information because of having missed another client's
graceful exit. You can artificially create a ghost and watch this
phenomenon in action: rename your pc and reboot it. You will notice on
other MS stations in the LAN that the network neighborhood shows both
the old name and the new one associated with different icons. The
protocol is not intelligent enough to figure out that the machine which
just left is the same as the machine which just booted, even though they
have the same MAC address and IP address! The MB will eventually delete
the old name from the list and update the rest of LAN; could take
several (13-minute) update cycles however.
MIAs are missing in action: stations which are online but not visible in
the browser list. There are dozens of possible causes of this, the most
common being: MB list not current, missing client has not shared any
folder, missing client has a firewall activated and is blocking his own
 browser announce or is not responding to MB queries, missing client
has some vital MS service deactivated, missing client has no user
rights/privileges on the LAN in question or has granted no other LAN
members viewing privileges on _his_ machine ("guest" account deactivated
etc.).
Moral of the story: do static links (mapped drives, desktop icons, etc).
Saves a lot of futile Mr. Flashlighting, and for a home network not
difficult to set up. Of course, for a corporate LAN with hundreds or
thousands of resources, not scalable.

More than you ever wanted to know about MS networking., so I'll sign off.