Network Comm. Across Router Using PC-TCP and LAN Manager (87667)
This article was previously published under Q87667
SYMPTOMS
When FTP Software's PC-TCP stack is used with Microsoft LAN
Manager, the network traffic will not go across a router.
Net Sends, Net Views, and Net Uses to workstations across the
router will not work.
CAUSE
The NetBIOS uses broadcasts for name claims, name resolution, and
nondirected datagrams. The RFCs 1001 and 1002 define three ways in
which broadcast traffic can be handled by a NetBIOS over TCP/IP
implementation. These are B-Node (Broadcast), P-Node (Point-to-
Point), and M-Node (Mixed). B-Node uses broadcasts for name
contention and resolution. B-Node broadcasts for name contention
and name resolution do not go through a router. A router will not
allow a broadcast message to pass through to other networks.
FTP Software's implementation of NetBIOS over TCP/IP is purely
B-Node based. Therefore, the B-node broadcasts will not go across a
router and network communications will not take place across the
router.
On the other hand, Microsoft's implementation of NetBIOS is also
B-node based. However, the MS TCP/IP stack uses the LMHOSTS file in
LAN Manager to provide the NetBIOS-name-to-IP-address mapping. The
LMHOSTS file is located in the <LANROOT>\ETC directory. By entering
the NetBIOS name to IP address mapping in the LMHOSTS file, the RFC
NetBIOS name query request frames for those names will not be sent
to the local network. Instead, the cache containing the entries in
LMHOSTS file will be used to resolve the NetBIOS-name-to-IP-address
mapping. Therefore, broadcasts will not be generated and the
machines will be able to communicate across a router.
RESOLUTION
FTP Software is aware of this situation and according to their
technical support department the new release of the software
(version 2.1) will have a feature similar to Microsoft's
implementation. The new release is scheduled to come out in summer
of 1992. For now, the workaround is either to use Microsoft's
TCP/IP stack or to configure the router to bridge the network
traffic.
Reference(s):
For more information regarding B-Node, P-Node, and M-Node
communications, please refer to RFCs 1001, 1002, TCP/IP technical
notes written by Margaret Johnson, or the April 1992 issue of
"NetNews."
Modification Type: |
Major |
Last Reviewed: |
7/30/2001 |
Keywords: |
KB87667 |
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