Ignatius

Yes, I figured it should be necessary to take the SNM down from /24 to /23. I'll tinker with the test switch that I have. As a matter of interest, it is similar to the Cisco syntax: config vlan 10 no ip address ip address 192.168.3.254 255.255.254.0 exit exit

Hmm, that's interesting. All the client devices have 192.168.3.254 set as their DG. The 192.168.3.1 that you noted in the first config is the address of the SonicWall. Ultimately, we'd like to extend our data network from 192.168.3.0 / 24 to 192.168.2.0 / 23. The IP Phones are on 192.168.4.0 / 24 so we can't extend upwards.

A colleague and I look after a business network. The switching infrastructure was installed and configured quite some time ago by an external company. That company is long gone and the documentation they provided isn't available. We need to reconfigure our network to accommodate a wider DHCP range. There are 5 data and 5 voice switches and another which is the default gateway. All switches are HP Procurve 2610-24. The running config of the default gateway is: ; J9085A Configuration Editor; Created on release #R.11.107 hostname "HOSTNAME-REMOVED" ip default-gateway 192.168.3.1 ip routing snmp-server community "public" Unrestricted vlan 1 name "DEFAULT_VLAN" ip address dhcp-bootp tagged 14-28 no untagged 1-13 exit vlan 10 name "DATA" untagged 1-13 ip address 192.168.3.254 255.255.255.0 tagged 14-28 exit vlan 20 name "VOICE" ip address 192.168.4.254 255.255.255.0 tagged 14-28 exit vlan 100 name "MANAGEMENT" ip address 192.168.5.254 255.255.255.0 tagged 14-28 exit vlan 2 name "GUEST-WIFI" exit fault-finder bad-driver sensitivity high fault-finder bad-transceiver sensitivity high fault-finder bad-cable sensitivity high fault-finder too-long-cable sensitivity high fault-finder over-bandwidth sensitivity high fault-finder broadcast-storm sensitivity high fault-finder loss-of-link sensitivity high fault-finder duplex-mismatch-HDx sensitivity high fault-finder duplex-mismatch-FDx sensitivity high ip route 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 192.168.3.1 snmp-server host 192.168.3.133 community "public" snmp-server host 192.168.3.16 community "public" snmp-server host 192.168.3.177 community "public" spanning-tree spanning-tree priority 0 password manager password operator This has connections from the other data and voice switches into ports 14 upwards from their individual port 26. The running configuration of one of the data switches is: ; J9085A Configuration Editor; Created on release #R.11.107 hostname "HOSTNAME-REMOVED" ip default-gateway 192.168.5.254 snmp-server community "public" Unrestricted vlan 1 name "DEFAULT_VLAN" ip address dhcp-bootp tagged 25-28 no untagged 1-24 exit vlan 10 name "DATA" untagged 1-24 tagged 25-28 exit vlan 20 name "VOICE" tagged 25-28 exit vlan 100 name "MANAGEMENT" ip address 192.168.5.9 255.255.255.0 tagged 25-28 exit vlan 2 name "GUEST-WIFI" exit snmp-server host 192.168.3.133 community "public" snmp-server host 192.168.3.16 community "public" snmp-server host 192.168.3.177 community "public" spanning-tree spanning-tree priority 15 password manager password operator I have a TFTP server set up and have a separate switch for testing purposes. I have uploaded the Default Gateway startup-config and changed the ip address of this test switch to 192.168.3.253, 192.168.4.253 and 192.168.5.253 in the hope that I could plug a laptop and live network into the test switch then be able to ping out to 8.8.8.8 but this only works if I use a port in the range 1 to 13 for the laptop and live network. This does not simulate the ethernet connections to the default gateway (1 - 13 are empty and 14+ are all connected to other switches). May I have some guidance about what I'll need to do? I thought it would be a matter of changing the DHCP scope in our DHCP server and changing the IP Address of the default gateway to 192.168.3 254 / 23 (from 192.168.3.254 / 24) but, needless to say, it's not working as I expected. It's ages since I did my CCNA and haven't played seriously with switch configuration since then. Thanks in advance.

Yes, I guess VLANs are the way to go but, as I said, it was all set up by an external organisation and the configuration paperwork isn't available so I'd be flying by the seat of my pants. I might just have to grit my teeth and do some tweaking ... hoping that I don't make some foul up that takes a while to resolve!

I work with a non-educational organisation and we have a Ruckus ZoneDirector 1000. The management IP address is on the 192.168.2.0 network and it works with several Ruckus Access Points (also on the 192.168.2.0 network). Together, they hand out addresses on the main network (192.168.3.0 / 24) from DHCP on our domain controller and these wireless devices can be accessed from our workstations on the main network. Increasingly, we run out of IP addresses so have to disable guest WiFi and we're looking into ways of getting around this. Ideally, we'd like to have a separate DHCP server handing out addresses to WiFi clients but it doesn't look like this is a possibility. I realise the ultimate solution is to revamp the entire network address scheme but that's something that my colleague and I would like to avoid as it was set up some time ago by an external organisation (no longer involved) and some parts are quite difficult to understand. Does anyone have any recommendations? I'd add that some staff use mobile devices and need access to resources on the main network (192.168.3.0 / 24) but the majority of staff and all visitors only require access to the internet. Thanks for your time!

Sorry about the delay in responding - I've had my head down doing something else! As far as the reason for the VPN is concerned, it's primarily to access network resources. I guess if users needed to access their own PC, they could do so by RDP once the VPN tunnel had been established. In addition to the variety of suggestions here, I've been looking into an SSTP VPN directly to Server 2008 R2 or, eventually, to Server 2012. I've seen several great detailed videos about setting it up in a lab with a self-signed certificate but this won't stop my investigating the other options proposed in this thread.

I'm very grateful for the suggestions. I'll start tinkering and see where I get. I'm sure I'll be back if I get into bother!

Hi everyone I work with a non-educational Charitable Organisation of around 100 clients (Windows 7) and a Server 2008 R2 domain behind 2 Draytek routers. My colleague (the IT Director) has asked me to investigate a VPN solution. Currently, we have a number of RDP connections set up with appropriate port forwarding in the routers so key personnel can access their desktops or other internal systems whilst working remotely. We used to make farily liberal use of LogMeIn until they tightened up and now we have a licence with 10 computers associated with it. We are considering upgrading to Server 2012 within the next 6 months. Several years ago, a colleague showed me CMAK and the creation of a VPN in a lab situation. That might have been Server 2000 or 2003 but, as I was new to the field, I didn't really take much in about the process or what it all meant. I don't know if this is a viable option for us. Obviously, I don't want a detailed walk through of what to do and how to configure the VPNs but I would value suggestions about which direction to aim so I can do some research. I suppose the main requirements are: 1. Cheap(!). 2. Secure (I suppose VPN is, by it's very nature, secure but we don't want to inadvertently expose the internal network to accidental or intentional threats). 3. Easy to configure and maintain at both the server and client end. 4. I suspect that we might roll this out to 20 users initially but, as it becomes established, we'll face the inevitable "me too" so it will have to be easily expandable. 5. I have a little experience with Linux but we are, essentially, a "Windows shop". 6. I guess someone might suggest Smoothwall and that could be a steep learning curve! Thanks in advance.

I work with a company that has two ADSL lines, each coming into a Draytek 2820 router then into a load balancing Vigor 3300. The LAN address is 192.168.3.0 / 24. There's also VOIP on a separate 192.168.4.0 / 24 network and this network does not touch any of the Draytek/Vigor hardware as it doesn't need access to the internet. There's a subsidiary office that has 3 phones and we'd like to extend the VOIP network from the main office to the remote office for convenience and to reduce costs. The remote office has a LAN address 192.168.5.0 / 24. We don't need to share files, printers etc. between the main and remote offices at present but that might become necessary in due course. I had hoped to connect the main and remote Draytek 2820s via a VPN then have the VOIP traffic connected to a separate VLAN which passes down the VPN but it seems that this isn't possible with the Draytek 2820s that we have. Does anyone have experience of any other Draytek models that could do what I need? Will the idea work or are there any other solutions? If we are going to set something up and save costs at the remote office (by cancelling renewal of the phone system), we could buy some new kit for both main and remote offices, if necessary. I hope I've given enough information for some suitable solutions to be presented. If additional information is required, I'll happily provide it. Thanks for your time.

A colleague and I have been looking into virtualisation recently and we seem to have settled on free ESXi (vSphere 5.1). The host server is up and running and I copied a physical server yesterday onto the ESXi host using the standalone converter installed on the physical server. The server that I copied wasn't a vital server (it has some printers but isn't a DC, file server etc.) just in case something went wrong! The process went smoothly - I assigned a static IP address and set the server name as quite distinct from the physical server. Both the physical and virtual server have been running overnight. This morning, users who use the printers associated with the physical server couldn't do so, so the physical server has been unplugged from the network and the virtual server name changed to that of the physical server and everything's working fine again. Obviously, this is what we planned to do eventually, but we wanted to go at our pace with this new experience, rather than be forced do do so in an emergency by the situation that we faced. Eventually, we'll need to migrate more critical physical servers, such as Exchange, Web, DC and File Server so we need to get everything completely clear. I realise that there will be an automatic entry in DNS for the newly created virtual servers but, as the names will be quite distinct (initially) from the physical servers, will it be possible to have the physical and virtual servers all up and running simultaneously? We'd like to implement the physical to virtual in stages, rather than have to pull the plug on everything and then (potentially) have to run around like headless chickens sorting out any mess that might ensue. Finally, I posted here because I know there are several who use ESXi or other virtualisation platforms and this is the most active IT-related forum that I visit. Thanks for your time and patience!

I have configured an Ubuntu Server with Samba in a workgroup. When I opened Computer on a Windows 7 Pro client, I saw the Ubuntu server listed under "Network". I accessed the Ubuntu share by typing \\UbuntuServer\share in the location bar and it asked me for the user credentials on the Ubuntu server as it should. I connected successfully. I did not create a mapped drive via "net use ..." etc. I closed the share then opened Computer again and the Ubuntu server and it's share were visible. The server and share details were cached, along with the username and password. How do I remove them from the Windows 7 client? I've tried: 1. Credential Manager in Control Panel, but nothing was listed there 2. run rundll32.exe keymgr.dll, KRShowKeyMgr showed nothing stored 3. net use * /delete returned "There are no entries in the list" (I know I didn't map a drive but some sites suggested trying this) 4. net session returned "There are no entries in the list" 5. I've disabled Network Discovery then re-enabled it but the Ubuntu server and it's shared folder popped up again Surely this is a security flaw? If I go to someone's PC and access the share by entering my credentials, there must be a way of purging them, otherwise the user would be able to access everything in the share to which I had access from their PC.

I've launched into a project that requires users to upload videos to a server (via PHP) on the LAN and this server will not have access to the internet. The videos are .mts and I will use ffmpeg.exe (or similar) to convert them automatically to another format such as .mov, .mp4, .flv etc. There is a requirement at this stage to prevent users from downloading the videos to their local devices (though I realise the more adventurous will probably find a way to download them!) but they should be able to play them via a web browser. I have little experience of web design so this is a steep learning curve for me. As far as I know, if I convert to a .mov, the client will have to have Quicktime installed and if I convert to a .swf or .flv, they will have to have Flash player installed. Ideally, I would like to have the video play without any specific software being installed on the client device. I've looked into this and think that a .flv file can be played if an FLV Player is installed on the web server. I've seen several free players via google but don't know if I'm going about this in the right way. Should I have one of these installed on the web server and, if so, may I have recommendations? Is .flv the best format to use? The web package that I'm using is xampp which has Apache (with PHP, MySQL etc.) on Windows. Does anyone have much experience of this sort of thing? The organisation is strapped for cash (who isn't?) and isn't an educational establishment. Ideally, I'd like to use reputable free software although there could be some cash available if a particularly useful licenced software package were available. Thanks in advance.

I'm working on a project that involves a small group uploading .mts files (AVCHD Video Files) to a server and have some sort of conversion to allow the files to be played across the LAN embedded in the client web browser. I don't want users to be able to download the videos to their local PC/laptop (though I suspect the more adventurous will find a way to do so if they are determined!). I know little about this whole process at present but think that an embedded Quicktime movie might be the way to go. The problem that I see initially is converting the .mts file to a .mov file. I've seen a link here on Edugeek about Any Video Converter but that seems to require that the software be launched, the video(s) selected and processed to the correct output format. I'd like to have a process that works in the background: 1. a .mts video is uploaded to the server 2. the converter launches immediately (probably triggered by the php web page when the upload has completed) and makes the conversion 3. the converted .mts -> .mov file is saved to the server and is available via Apache/IIS to serve to clients Is this feasible? Do any of the converters have an automatic convert feature, possibly via a .config file (or similar)? I want the upload and conversion process to be as seamless and transparent to the uploaders as possible. I don't want to have them (or me!) required to open the conversion software and perform the conversion "manually". I hope that I've explained the situation enough to generate helpful responses.

I thought about an SSD but will look at the prices. I suppose another possibility is a 7200rpm rather than 5400rpm SATA II though I don't know how much difference that will really make. I understand that the 7200rpm takes more juice and runs hotter than a 5400rpm.

Thank you for the comments. I just need to decide which laptop to buy now! I have it narrowed down to four.

I'm thinking about getting a new laptop for home, probably a Toshiba, with Windows 7 Pro 64bit. I dislike all the extras that come bundled with laptops so would like to remove the hard drive (even before turning it on) and replace it with a comparable SATA II then do a clean installation of the same version of the OS from an OEM installation disk, using the key that will be stuck to the underside of the laptop. I have three questions: 1. Will this contravene any licencing or other regulations? 2. Will the installation accept the 25-character key during the installation? 3. Will the online activation process work as normal? I have heard of this all working without any problems with Windows XP but don't know if any of the procedures have changed with Windows 7. I know that I could go through the laborious process of uninstalling all the trial versions of the various software packages but I feel that my approach would be more straightforward. Finally, I would keep the original hard drive safe, just in case the laptop had to go back to the manufacturer under warranty. Thanks in advance.

@isrc - Thank you for the recommendation.

@plexer - I've never played around with any media server so didn't know what facilities to expect (other than the obvious in that it serves media files, doh!) @mossj88 - yes, I suppose a bit of trial and error. Maybe I'll try a few simple experiments, earlier rather than later, just in case I want to see if I can code something myself. At present though, it looks like I *might* be able to find something off the shelf.

I find it difficult to believe that someone has such severe cramp but hardly moves throughout the clip that lasts 1:23. Could it be a spoof in some way? Like bossman (and probably others), I've suffered cramp and it's agony. I was writhing around for several minutes yelling at people to grab my leg and stretch the muscle!

@plexer: Thank you. I thought about a media server, but the users need to search based upon keyword(s) rather than by filename. I don't know if this is possible with many media servers, unless you know of any (I'll get to glennda's suggestion shortly!). I mentioned the DPA merely because I felt sure that someone would raise it in a response. As I said, it doesn't concern me and the IT manager is responsible for such legal matters. My involvement is doing the research and, if necessary, developing working code. @danbuntu: Thank you - a negative comment in this scenario is just as valuable as a positive one. It guides me away from something that I should avoid! @glennda: That looks like it's exactly what I need! If anything, it seems to provide some unnecessary facilities and you imply that I can disable them in some way. It'll be a little while before I can get it downloaded and set up on a test system. As a matter of interest, is it something that you've used or is it something that you found by researching this topic for me? @mossj88: Yes, a shared folder with appropriate permissions would be a solution but, as I mentioned above, I need to be able to have users search by keywords, rather than by filename. Eventually, this *might* be moved to a WAN scenario and I realise that bandwidth could be a problem. Addressing this is also in the realm of the IT manager. I mentioned the default upload limit of 2MB and the time-out for PHP. I know they can be increased but is there an ABSOLUTE maximum file size and ABSOLUTE maximum time-out? Some of the files may be >200MB in size.

I have been asked to look into a way of allowing a small number of users to upload videos (taken within the organisation with the consent of the subject(s) of the videos) to a server and allow many users to download them to their own PC. This isn't in an educational setting so I won't have to consider any DPA or other legal matters, indeed the IT manager will be responsible for any legal considerations. I have been asked to investigate the options. I have a few general questions that can be divided into two sections: First: My "gut" feeling is to have some web pages for the upload and download facilities behind a login page. PHP will interact with a MySQL database so the files can be uploaded and the path, along with other data about the files, stored in the database. When downloading, the user interrogates the database via a web page in order to provide a link to the file on the server. The files may be very large (500MB) and I understand that there's a file upload limit of 2MB in PHP. This can be increased, but is there an ABSOLUTE limit? This is planned to work on a LAN, rather than a WAN, so moving such large files shouldn't be such a problem. I recall that there is a time-out when PHP scripts are running. Will that be relevant? If so, can it be increased and is there an ABSOLUTE maximum that can be set? Second: I know there are many excellent PHP tutorials out there, including playlists on YouTube so I think I should be able to create something (assuming the questions I have above can be overcome), but are there any pre-built solutions? I've heard of Sharepoint but have no experience of using it. I have some experience of Linux and xampp (it has Apache, PHP and MySQL) so MY preference, as a Yorkshireman, would be to go with that! However, there could be a preference for using a MS solution (Server 2008, IIS and MS SQL) so, if I develop everything at home using Linux and xampp, how easy would it be to transfer everything to a Windows environment? I don't want to waste time developing this if there is an easy, cheap solution available or if I get to the final stages of the project, only to find that there's a massive hurdle that I can't overcome and I have to start from scratch. Thanks for your time.

Did you make any progress with this? I stumbled upon this thread because I'm facing a similar situation and plan to post a question about this and some related general questions shortly. I'm using xampp which, as you may be aware, has Apache, PHP and MySQL. The project that I'm investigating will involve uploading files (LAN, rather than WAN!) that may be 100MB, 500MB or more.

As a slight sideline, I saw an article last week which said that the police in one of the states in Australia were to start wardriving, looking for non-secured networks in residential areas then finding the owner (presumably by connecting to the AP, checking the public IP address then contacting the ISP) and advise them accordingly.

There was a comment on the news that the hazard lights were very faint, as were the ordinary rear lights (implying that the rear fog light(s) weren't on). I do not know if it's relevant, but they also said that the coach was not fitted with seatbelts. I do not know the law regarding this or if the driver is responsible. I, too, was surprised that the coach driver had been arrested as I thought it would be the lorry driver who would be responsible for avoiding the collision. I can't recall how many times I've seen a massive lorry driving down a motorway at maybe 50mph but sitting less than a few car lengths behind another lorry or vehicle. I think that their argument might relate to aerodynamics and fuel economy. I was told by a police (advanced) driver that there are always at least two people involved in a collision: one who causes it and the other who fails to avoid it.

I see what my problem was - I logged in to my XP system as a limited user and installed the certificate (by right-clicking) but I had to configure the wirelesss NIC as an administrator. I did this via then which opened an administrator-privilege Explorer then access to Control Panel with admin rights. That trick prevents a lot of switching logins!