Selecting the Correct NIC for Remote Desktop Connection

[nevica]

Hello,

Before I ask the question I need to describe the system I have in place.

I have a PC running Windows 7. It has a motherboard Ethernet connector and also an card added for ethernet connection.

From the card ethernet connection I am running a local network through a router which runs two pieces of equipment identified by MAC address and IP address. One of the pieces of equipment can only run when it has a specific IP address specified by the manufacturer and this means that the router and the PC have to be in the same domain as the equipment.

Ie. Equipment - 192.168.1.101
Router - 192.168.1.1
PC card ethernet port - 192.168.1.100


I want to be able to connect the motherboard ethernet port to the WAN so that I can remote log into the computer and control the PC that way.

But when I set up the MOBO ethernet port with a static IP address with the domain of the equipment I find that I cannot have both ethernet ports running at the same time and loose communication with the equipment.

There must be a way around this. Any ideas?

Thanks,

Nevica

 

[Megahertz07]

Don't understand why you need 2 PC ethernet ports

Is the Router set as HDCP server?
Does the router has a WAN connection?
How do you get conneted to the WAN?

 

[nevica]

Hello,

The PC can communicate with the hardware when only one NIC is connected. But when the second ethernet port is connected to the WAN (for remote desktop connection) then it cannot communicate with the equipment.

Yes, router is set up as HDCP server.

 

[Tranquil Hegemo]

Just trying to get me head around this....

The PC is connected to the router and that is connected to these two pieces of kit that have to be in the subnet specified to work and the router is also set up as an HDCP server (should this be DHCP as it makes more sense if it is).

First question is are these pieces of kit in a separate LAN all on their own that is not routeable to from the WAN?

 

[nevica]

Sorry, the router is set up as a DHCP server.

yes, the two pieces of kit are on their own LAN (as they are connected to the router which in turn is connected to the Card ethernet port.)

The WAN (for remote desktop connection) is on a separate ethernet port (the motherboard port of the PC).

 

[Tranquil Hegemo]

OK so the most obvious way of getting traffic from the WAN to the LAN this would be to put in a static route on the WAN router to direct any traffic for the 192.168.1.x subnet to the LAN router or you could actually replace the LAN router with a switch.

Doing it the way that you are suggesting should work in theory though - what IP address are you putting on the mobo NIC?

But when I set up the MOBO ethernet port with a static IP address with the domain of the equipment.

My reading of the above is that you are trying to use an IP address in the 192.168.1.x subnet which is not going to work. You would need a static IP address in the WAN subnet.

 

[Megahertz07]

You didn't answer how do you get connected to the WAN, but I suppose it is by a cable modem or ADSL modem.
Why don't you connect the output of the modem to the WAN input of your router?
On the router you can make it assign a fix IP to the device (Ie. Equipment - 192.168.1.101)
Then the router will act as a DHCP server to all devices on the LAN.

 

[nevica]

Answer to Tranquil.

We have tried using a static ID address for the WAN for remote desktop connection. But it did not work.

Answer to Megahertz

It is not a modem or ADSL modem. Just a connection to our company network which provides the internet. It will be some sort of modem at the back end but I don't know what it is short of asking our IT dept..

Yes, this may be a way forward which, as you said, is to make the router of the LAN assign a fixed IP address to Equipment - 192.168.1.101. I will let you know how it goes but it could be some time before I am able to test it out.

 

[Tranquil Hegemo]

but I don't know what it is short of asking our IT dept..

It might be simpler just to ask the IT Dept. They are likely to have more idea what is going on and also be able to advise on how to proceed with this in a manner that is consistent with your companies IT policy. Not wishing to come across as being negative here but if this were my network I wouldn't be too happy to find someone had rigged up a machine that is potentially insecure on it and given it access to the company LAN.

 

[nevica]

Tranquil

IT dept know about it.

They haven't got to the bottom of it yet.

I'm hoping that someone on Seven Forums might shed some light on it!

 

[Tranquil Hegemo]

If the IT dept know about then the best method would be to proceed down the route I outlined in my post yesterday at 16.40 but failing that you mentioned that it "didn't work" when you assigned a WAN IP Address. How exactly did it not work? Could you ping from the workstation in question to another workstation and vice versa? Did you have access to other functions that would need network access such as internet access from the remote workstation? Was it only RDC that wouldn't work?