VPN and Broadcast Name Resolution

I've got two Windows Server 2003 boxes installed at my colocation facility.
One of them is running RAS to allow VPN (PPTP) connections so we can login
and remotely administer the boxes. One of the machines in named Shinzon and
the other is Picard. On the IP tab of RAS I have the "Enable Broadcast Name
Resolution" option checked.

If a client connects via VPN they can resolve the name of the machine
running RAS (Shinzon) but if they ping or try and view Picard it does not
resolve the name. But you can access it via IP address.

What do I need to do to enable the name resolution to happen? Also can is
there a way to let one of those machines be able to resolve the of a
connected VPN client?
Thanks for any help!

Name resolution or browsing across WAN links including VPN connections is
often problematic. The conventional solution is WINS. However, if you are
only concerned about one or two machines, the easiest solution is probably
an lmhosts file. On the client:

1. Use Notepad to open Windows\system32\drivers\etc\lmhosts.sam

2. Edit the file by adding this entry:

<IPaddress> picard #PRE

3. Save the file as lmhosts with no extension. Probably the file will wind
up being saved as lmhosts.txt - use Windows Explorer to rename it without
the extension.

4. Reboot; establish the VPN connection; and try \\picard.

You can also create an lmhosts file on the server to resolve the client's
name, but the client will need a persistent IP address.

Doug Sherman
MCSE, MCSA, MCP+I, MVP


"Scott H." <Scott H.@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:03A864EF-727A-41B8-8526-(E-Mail Removed)...
> I've got two Windows Server 2003 boxes installed at my colocation
facility.
> One of them is running RAS to allow VPN (PPTP) connections so we can login
> and remotely administer the boxes. One of the machines in named Shinzon
and
> the other is Picard. On the IP tab of RAS I have the "Enable Broadcast
Name
> Resolution" option checked.
>
> If a client connects via VPN they can resolve the name of the machine
> running RAS (Shinzon) but if they ping or try and view Picard it does not
> resolve the name. But you can access it via IP address.
>
> What do I need to do to enable the name resolution to happen? Also can is
> there a way to let one of those machines be able to resolve the of a
> connected VPN client?
> Thanks for any help!

You can use DNS. If the LAN is running DNS, all you need to remember is
to specify the domain suffix in the connection properties of the client.

I have never used the "Enable Broadcast Name Resolution" option in
Server 2003. It wasn't there in W2k so I learned to live without it. It
didn't seem a good idea, so I avoided it. WINS or LMHOSTS seems a better
option to me.

Scott H. wrote:
> I've got two Windows Server 2003 boxes installed at my colocation
> facility. One of them is running RAS to allow VPN (PPTP) connections
> so we can login and remotely administer the boxes. One of the
> machines in named Shinzon and the other is Picard. On the IP tab of
> RAS I have the "Enable Broadcast Name Resolution" option checked.
>
> If a client connects via VPN they can resolve the name of the machine
> running RAS (Shinzon) but if they ping or try and view Picard it does
> not resolve the name. But you can access it via IP address.
>
> What do I need to do to enable the name resolution to happen? Also
> can is there a way to let one of those machines be able to resolve
> the of a connected VPN client?
> Thanks for any help!