file sharing over internet

Turning on file sharing when connected to the internet is
supposed to be like leaving the bank door open -- i.e. it
should be very simple for someone to look in. ... So why
does it not work for me?

Here's what I have:

Internet cable goes to cable modem. Cable modem goes to 5-
port hub. Hub connects to my 2 computers. Each is set to
get IP address from DHCP server (my Comcast, I guess).
They each show an IP in winipcfg, and they both see the
internet fine. (The IP addresses change occasionally -
that's ok. I check that every time.)

On one of the machines (Win98SE) I have file and print
sharing turned on. (Network properties show 'Client for MS
Networks', and 'File and printer sharing for MS Networks')

On that same machine, I have one folder is Shared, read-
only. No password.

On my firewall, all incoming is blocked, except to allow
all services from my other computer IP address.

The shared folder ought to be visible, somewhere, but I
don't know where to look for it. If I try to Map Network
Drive, nothing I enter seems to get me there. Am I even
close?

Albus wrote:

> Turning on file sharing when connected to the internet is
> supposed to be like leaving the bank door open -- i.e. it
> should be very simple for someone to look in. ... So why
> does it not work for me?
>
> Here's what I have:
>
> Internet cable goes to cable modem. Cable modem goes to 5-
> port hub. Hub connects to my 2 computers. Each is set to
> get IP address from DHCP server (my Comcast, I guess).
> They each show an IP in winipcfg, and they both see the
> internet fine. (The IP addresses change occasionally -
> that's ok. I check that every time.)
>
> On one of the machines (Win98SE) I have file and print
> sharing turned on. (Network properties show 'Client for MS
> Networks', and 'File and printer sharing for MS Networks')
>
> On that same machine, I have one folder is Shared, read-
> only. No password.
>
> On my firewall, all incoming is blocked, except to allow
> all services from my other computer IP address.
>
> The shared folder ought to be visible, somewhere, but I
> don't know where to look for it. If I try to Map Network
> Drive, nothing I enter seems to get me there. Am I even
> close?

Post that you've done so without using hotmail (so that your
IP address is exposed) and see how long it takes for you to
be hacked.


--
After being targeted with gigabytes of trash by the
"SWEN" worm, I have concluded we must conceal our
e-mail address. Our true address is the mirror image
of what you see before the "@" symbol. It's a shame
such steps are necessary.

Charlie

In article <004c01c38eda$ae6cb380$(E-Mail Removed)>, "Albus"
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>Turning on file sharing when connected to the internet is
>supposed to be like leaving the bank door open -- i.e. it
>should be very simple for someone to look in. ... So why
>does it not work for me?
>
>Here's what I have:
>
>Internet cable goes to cable modem. Cable modem goes to 5-
>port hub. Hub connects to my 2 computers. Each is set to
>get IP address from DHCP server (my Comcast, I guess).
>They each show an IP in winipcfg, and they both see the
>internet fine. (The IP addresses change occasionally -
>that's ok. I check that every time.)
>
>On one of the machines (Win98SE) I have file and print
>sharing turned on. (Network properties show 'Client for MS
>Networks', and 'File and printer sharing for MS Networks')
>
>On that same machine, I have one folder is Shared, read-
>only. No password.
>
>On my firewall, all incoming is blocked, except to allow
>all services from my other computer IP address.
>
>The shared folder ought to be visible, somewhere, but I
>don't know where to look for it. If I try to Map Network
>Drive, nothing I enter seems to get me there. Am I even
>close?

If your computers have IP addresses in different subnets, they can't
communicate with each other using the TCP/IP protocol.

It's possible that Comcast blocks file and printer sharing over its
Internet connections. I think that's a good thing for an ISP to do,
since what you want to do is so dangerous for a typical cable modem
user who doesn't know anything about security.

One solution is to choose a different protocol (NetBEUI or IPX/SPX)
for file and printer sharing, install that protocol, and un-bind
sharing from the TCP/IP protocol. That will let you share files
between your computers while blocking access by other Internet users.

Another solution is to replace the hub with a broadband router, which
will act as a firewall and assign compatible private IP addresses to
your computers so that they can share files safely using only TCP/IP.
--
Best Wishes,
Steve Winograd, MS-MVP (Windows Networking)

Please post any reply as a follow-up message in the news group
for everyone to see. I'm sorry, but I don't answer questions
addressed directly to me in E-mail or news groups.

Microsoft Most Valuable Professional - Windows Networking
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com

Steve Winograd's Networking FAQ
http://www.bcmaven.com/networking/faq.htm

It sounds like the answer is to break down and buy a
router.

I'd imagined firewalls would be sufficient, given that I
would only turn on file sharing for very brief periods.
But maybe it's not.

Comcast apparently does allow sharing -- a few months ago,
I managed to get the laptop to print to the shared printer
on the other machine after turning on print sharing, then
sharing the printer. Somehow, when adding a printer (on
laptop), I saw the other machine and its shared printer.
After installing the driver, test page printed fine! Not
sure what's different now.

The subnet theory is good. But I don't know how to tell
if they're on the same subnet or not! (I know so little
about networking that I don't even know enough to look
sheepish when I say that.) When I look, the IP addresses
match up to the first 2 sets of numbers (xxx.xxx.---.---)

Subnets? Open winipcfg and look at the subnet mask. If they are the same,
you're on the same.
Maybe get a router, routers have good firewalls and forwarding options, plus
you can set your own network IP and use file and print sharing. If you do
wired I'd suggest the LinkSys BEFSR11. The BEFSR11 (I think) has one port
on the back where you can connect your hub. If you do wireless, get the
LinkSys BEFW11S4 and one or two wireless cards. Going wired is less
expensive wireless. Ecen though wireless connections are encrypted,
consider wired more secure.
Network hubs are "dumb" routers, basically a splitter. With a hub, you're
getting two IPs from your ISP. Some charge extra for this. With a router,
you take 1 IP from your ISP. They're good for expanding too, just put hub
connected to the router.
"Albus" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:01e501c38f4d$765c4c80$(E-Mail Removed)...
> It sounds like the answer is to break down and buy a
> router.
>
> I'd imagined firewalls would be sufficient, given that I
> would only turn on file sharing for very brief periods.
> But maybe it's not.
>
> Comcast apparently does allow sharing -- a few months ago,
> I managed to get the laptop to print to the shared printer
> on the other machine after turning on print sharing, then
> sharing the printer. Somehow, when adding a printer (on
> laptop), I saw the other machine and its shared printer.
> After installing the driver, test page printed fine! Not
> sure what's different now.
>
> The subnet theory is good. But I don't know how to tell
> if they're on the same subnet or not! (I know so little
> about networking that I don't even know enough to look
> sheepish when I say that.) When I look, the IP addresses
> match up to the first 2 sets of numbers (xxx.xxx.---.---)

In article <O$a0Nb#(E-Mail Removed)>, "Jordan Freeland"
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>> The subnet theory is good. But I don't know how to tell
>> if they're on the same subnet or not! (I know so little
>> about networking that I don't even know enough to look
>> sheepish when I say that.) When I look, the IP addresses
>> match up to the first 2 sets of numbers (xxx.xxx.---.---)
>
>Subnets? Open winipcfg and look at the subnet mask. If they are the same,
>you're on the same.

The subnet mask, by itself, doesn't tell you anything. You need to
look at the IP address and the subnet mask.

Two IP addresses are in the same subnet if, and only if, they're
identical in each bit position where the subnet mask has a 1-bit.

IP addresses and subnet masks are 32-bit binary numbers. Winipcfg
shows them as four 8-bit numbers, since 32-bit strings of 1's and 0's
are hard for people to read.

The most common subnet masks consist of only 255 and 0. For them, two
IP addresses are in the same subnet if, and only if, the IP addresses
are identical in each position where the subnet mask is 255.

For example, in each of these cases, the two IP addresses are in the
same subnet:

192.168.0.1 and 192.168.0.100, subnet mask 255.255.255.0
192.168.100.114 and 192.168.100.222, subnet mask 255.255.255.0
10.1.15.233 and 10.47.111.2, subnet mask 255.0.0.0

In each of these cases, the two IP addresses are in different subnets:

192.168.0.1 and 192.168.100.100, subnet mask 255.255.255.0
10.1.15.233 and 20.47.11.2, subnet mask 255.0.0.0
--
Best Wishes,
Steve Winograd, MS-MVP (Windows Networking)

Please post any reply as a follow-up message in the news group
for everyone to see. I'm sorry, but I don't answer questions
addressed directly to me in E-mail or news groups.

Microsoft Most Valuable Professional - Windows Networking
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com

Steve Winograd's Networking FAQ
http://www.bcmaven.com/networking/faq.htm

In article <01e501c38f4d$765c4c80$(E-Mail Removed)>, "Albus"
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>The subnet theory is good. But I don't know how to tell
>if they're on the same subnet or not! (I know so little
>about networking that I don't even know enough to look
>sheepish when I say that.) When I look, the IP addresses
>match up to the first 2 sets of numbers (xxx.xxx.---.---)

The answer depends on the subnet mask.

If the subnet mask is 255.255.0.0, then IP addresses that match in
only the first 2 sets of numbers are in the same subnet.

If the subnet mask is 255.255.255.0, then they aren't.
--
Best Wishes,
Steve Winograd, MS-MVP (Windows Networking)

Please post any reply as a follow-up message in the news group
for everyone to see. I'm sorry, but I don't answer questions
addressed directly to me in E-mail or news groups.

Microsoft Most Valuable Professional - Windows Networking
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com

Steve Winograd's Networking FAQ
http://www.bcmaven.com/networking/faq.htm