Remote access issue... Unusual request/issue?

[cortexodus]

Here's the breakdown:

There is a notebook machine attached to a domain that is currently sitting in a docking station. That docking station is wired up with physical LAN. Also, the notebook is connected to a WiFi AP that reaches the same network. Basically, one machine, two network devices, both connecting to the same domain with a different IP for each device. Everything is peachy for that notebook as far as network/internet access goes.

I'm at a workstation also attached to the same domain. I can reach the admin share of the notebook system's HDD. I can remotely reach its registry as well.

I would like to RDP to that machine but, I am unable to. I also cannot ping it. The DNS only seems to want to resolve the physical LAN IP but, it acts like it's not "there". If I flush my local DNS cache and attempt to ping again, it pulls the same IP as before (the physical LAN link) and never responds.

Terminal services are enabled on the notebook and I have no issue at all reaching it for remote desktop if one or the other network connections is disabled. If both the LAN and the WiFi are active at the same time, I cannot RDP.

I would really like a way to RDP to that notebook with it remaining in that configuration and/or determine what the IP is for that machine for BOTH network links.

Theories?

 

[/usr/home]

Try turning off the firewall of the desktop. May want to check with your IT first though. Unless you are IT...

 

[Eickst]

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555382

 

[Exavior]

having two interfaces on the same network can cause issues. when you resolve the name you will only get one of them.

I wonder if maybe the problem is that your physical nic which is what you resolve to, isn't what the devices default network card is. I know that with my laptop if I am wired and wireless it wants to default to the wireless. Which would explain some why you aren't seeing pings or getting stuff to work. you send the request to a.b.c.d for the wired nic but w.x.y.z for the wireless responds. Your computer assumes it is the wrong device sending it stuff and ignores it.

Try to set the metric for the NICs so that the wired card has the lowest one (1 for wired and 2 for wireless would be fine). that way if you are connected via the wired and wireless it will default to the wired for all its traffic. then when you undock it, it will switch over to the wireless.

 

[DeChache]

If you turn off the wireless I bet it will work. I have a similar issues with some of my labs except for I can not access them at all if they are connected to the wireless and wired network.

I'm guessing DNS is returning the wired nic IP while the computer is actually listening on the wireless port

 

[RocketTech]

You can try changing the interface metric for each interface, lowest number = highest priority. I set my primary GbE to 1 and my WiFi to 10 or 100.
Adapter Settings->Adapter Properties->IPv4 Properties->Advanced->Interface metric
Un-check 'Automatic metric' and enter the desired value in the box.
Also prevents the D'oh!! moment when you are in the middle of a huge transfer and realize it is using WiFi instead of GbE...
Also handy to manage interfaces for VirtualMachines when you use multiple NICs.

 

[Eickst]

You really shouldn't have two network adapters (wired or wireless) on the same subnet without using some kind of teaming software. It's not intended to be set up that way. The wireless connection should be disabled when the machine is docked, there's a reason Intel, Lenovo, Dell, etc include this option in their software (disconnect from wifi when LAN connection is present).

The machine will use whichever adapter has the default gateway specified, and since only one nic can have a default gateway, your machine will only use one adapter anyway, so having both turned on is pointless.

Change the wireless card settings to disconnect from wifi when a LAN connection is present, and most of your 'problems' will go away.

 

[cortexodus]

Try turning off the firewall of the desktop. May want to check with your IT first though. Unless you are IT...

The Windows firewall is disabled via group policy and no other firewall application is installed on the deployment image... This isn't the problem unfortunately.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555382

This isn't bad info but isn't relevant to the issue described. The machine I'm attempting to access is not a server and, the machine I'm attempting to access from is not a server either. TSCC.MSC is not present on our client deployment.

I wonder if maybe the problem is that your physical nic which is what you resolve to, isn't what the devices default network card is.

This is basically what I described as being the issue. I'll look into your suggestion about defining which NIC is supposed to be "numero uno" as it were.

If you turn off the wireless I bet it will work.

I already said this. It also works if I physically unplug the LAN cable. Basically, it's either or for the RDP to work.

You can try changing the interface metric for each interface, lowest number = highest priority. I set my primary GbE to 1 and my WiFi to 10 or 100.
Adapter Settings->Adapter Properties->IPv4 Properties->Advanced->Interface metric
Un-check 'Automatic metric' and enter the desired value in the box.
Also prevents the D'oh!! moment when you are in the middle of a huge transfer and realize it is using WiFi instead of GbE...
Also handy to manage interfaces for VirtualMachines when you use multiple NICs.

This is Exavior's suggestion as well. I appreciate your elaboration on the topic!

Change the wireless card settings to disconnect from wifi when a LAN connection is present, and most of your 'problems' will go away.

I understand your point but, based on the situation I'm dealing with, that is not an option.


Thank you for your help folks, I'm looking forward to testing the suggestion to alter interface metrics. Hopefully that helps. I'll post results when I get a chance.

 

[cortexodus]

Manually reassigning interface metrics to prioritize the physical LAN interface over the WiFi LAN interface has made it possible to access the system via RDP while both network interfaces are active and talking to the domain.

However, that access is only possible if the physical LAN IP of the notebook is known. Attempting to use the system's name to RDP is still not possible.

Our DNS still resolves the system's name to the wireless LAN IP address when attempting to ping the system and pinging that IP doesn't get responses for some insane reason.

I've got one of our network admins helping me out with this too and he's flabbergasted. He seems to think this may apparently have something to do with our usage of IPv6

However, one step closer to a solution is better than no change at all! At least now if I've got a notebook user that I need to remote to I can get them to read me off the physical LAN IP address and reach their machine.

 

[Exavior]

why do you need to have both active on the same network?

 

[Eickst]

Manually reassigning interface metrics to prioritize the physical LAN interface over the WiFi LAN interface has made it possible to access the system via RDP while both network interfaces are active and talking to the domain.

However, that access is only possible if the physical LAN IP of the notebook is known. Attempting to use the system's name to RDP is still not possible.

Our DNS still resolves the system's name to the wireless LAN IP address when attempting to ping the system and pinging that IP doesn't get responses for some insane reason.

I've got one of our network admins helping me out with this too and he's flabbergasted. He seems to think this may apparently have something to do with our usage of IPv6

However, one step closer to a solution is better than no change at all! At least now if I've got a notebook user that I need to remote to I can get them to read me off the physical LAN IP address and reach their machine.

Change the network interface binding order in the advanced settings.

Go to control panel, network etc, then go to change adapter settings, hit the alt key, go to the file menu and go to advanced>advanced settings. Move the LAN adapter to the top over the wireless adapter. Hit OK. See if that fixes it.

 

[Eickst]

why do you need to have both active on the same network?

Yea I asked the same thing because there is really no reason or even benefit of doing so other than the person with the laptop doesn't have to wait to connect to wifi when he undocks. But since all of his connections will be disconnected anyway when he undocks from the LAN, so I just don't get why either.

But it's his equipment so whatever.

 

[Exavior]

Manually reassigning interface metrics to prioritize the physical LAN interface over the WiFi LAN interface has made it possible to access the system via RDP while both network interfaces are active and talking to the domain.

However, that access is only possible if the physical LAN IP of the notebook is known. Attempting to use the system's name to RDP is still not possible.

Our DNS still resolves the system's name to the wireless LAN IP address when attempting to ping the system and pinging that IP doesn't get responses for some insane reason.

I've got one of our network admins helping me out with this too and he's flabbergasted. He seems to think this may apparently have something to do with our usage of IPv6

However, one step closer to a solution is better than no change at all! At least now if I've got a notebook user that I need to remote to I can get them to read me off the physical LAN IP address and reach their machine.

Change the network interface binding order in the advanced settings.

Go to control panel, network etc, then go to change adapter settings, hit the alt key, go to the file menu and go to advanced>advanced settings. Move the LAN adapter to the top over the wireless adapter. Hit OK. See if that fixes it.

Going to depend on which one registered first. I had my DNS jump around as I was adding a second and third nic to a computer as testing. DNS started off resolving to my main nic, added the second interface and then that changed to resolve to that second IP, added the third and it resolved to that one. as I started to remove interfaces it went back to that previous one. So with both registering again the same DNS depending on which one registers first and which one last will determine which interface a DNS lookup resolves to.

Yea I asked the same thing because there is really no reason or even benefit of doing so other than the person with the laptop doesn't have to wait to connect to wifi when he undocks. But since all of his connections will be disconnected anyway when he undocks from the LAN, so I just don't get why either.

But it's his equipment so whatever.

nope, either way you are limited to only one connection actually being usable so either you scrap the lan all together and just use wireless or you use the lan and have the wireless disconnect for awhile while on the lan. or you deal with headaches like this.

 

[RocketTech]

If this is Vista/Win7, make sure the Network Location type is set to 'Work' or 'Domain'. If I remember correctly, in Windows Server if you set a reservation in DHCP, it uses the hostname entered there in DNS... might be worth a shot.

 

[athlon1.2]

If it's an HP business class machine there's an option in the BIOS "LAN/WLAN switching" which will automatically disable the WiFi when the ethernet becomes connected and likewise re-enable it when the ethernet becomes disconnected.

 

[Exavior]

If it's an HP business class machine there's an option in the BIOS "LAN/WLAN switching" which will automatically disable the WiFi when the ethernet becomes connected and likewise re-enable it when the ethernet becomes disconnected.

That was already brought up but he said that he can't do that for some reason that both have to be active.

 

[cortexodus]

I'll respond with a little more elaboration about it when I have a bit more time.

At the moment, you'll just have to understand that the person using the laptop is completely clueless and shouldn't be entrusted with play-doh let alone a laptop and that people like me have to be able to quickly and easily "reach out" to their machine no matter how it's hooked up or where it is in order to fix things.

 

[dashpuppy]

I'll respond with a little more elaboration about it when I have a bit more time.

At the moment, you'll just have to understand that the person using the laptop is completely clueless and shouldn't be entrusted with play-doh let alone a laptop and that people like me have to be able to quickly and easily "reach out" to their machine no matter how it's hooked up or where it is in order to fix things.

So you want to be able to see what they see at any time ? With / with out them knowing your watching ?

 

[cortexodus]

So you want to be able to see what they see at any time ? With / with out them knowing your watching ?

I don't know where you got that impression. I don't need the functionality of something like VNC. I need to be able to use RDP while the system is configured in a rather specific way that I outlined in the original post.

Basically, Windows Remote Assistance needs to work no matter what LAN connection they're sitting on.

I'm sorry. I'm sure I sound very obtuse and I wouldn't want anyone that's offered suggestions here to think I don't appreciate every angle that's offered... I have to work within restrictions that sometimes cause grievous headaches.

 

[RocketTech]

Sounds like you work for the guvmint

 

[Eickst]

Going to depend on which one registered first. I had my DNS jump around as I was adding a second and third nic to a computer as testing. DNS started off resolving to my main nic, added the second interface and then that changed to resolve to that second IP, added the third and it resolved to that one. as I started to remove interfaces it went back to that previous one. So with both registering again the same DNS depending on which one registers first and which one last will determine which interface a DNS lookup resolves to.

That's why you change the order of network service binding.

 

[cortexodus]

Sounds like you work for the guvmint

Not quite so terrible as that. A University. It's actually really nice but, this issue I'm having needs to have every avenue of attack on the client side attacked before I even consider making suggestions about things like changes to the DNS.

 

[DeChache]

Not quite so terrible as that. A University. It's actually really nice but, this issue I'm having needs to have every avenue of attack on the client side attacked before I even consider making suggestions about things like changes to the DNS.

Ah let me guess a faculty member. (Another university tech here) I just hope your IT policies still don't date back to mainframes like ours do.