[jhb] Re: Network Mystery

  • From: Gerry Winskill <gwinsk@xxxxxxx>
  • To: jhb@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Mon, 05 Apr 2010 11:11:29 +0100

Paul,

If you have an idiot's guide to mapping, I'm definitely qualified to Beta test it!

Gerry Winskill

Paul Reynolds wrote:
What’s going on? Network security. When there is no network activity for a while either the router of any of the PC’s may disconnect the network resources in line with its own network security policies – it’s a bit like saying ‘The XP user isn’t doing anything and it seems they forgot to disconnect so just to be on the safe side I’ll disconnect them’. Consequently, when you go to check your network places on the Vista machine it only sees the active links - its own shared resources and the router. As soon as you go to the Network and Sharing Centre you are then asking Vista to check the network for any connections this sends a signal to the router asking for the info on which connections are active, so both Vista and the router check each link against its security settings and re-establishes contact with those that meet its approval hence they show up in My Network Places again.

One solution is to map to a shared folder on your Athlon from your vista machine. This will create a virtual drive on the Vista machine which Vista should try to keep active so it never disappears.

Paul

*From:* jhb-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:jhb-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] *On Behalf Of *Frank Turley
*Sent:* 04 April 2010 19:57
*To:* JHB List
*Subject:* [jhb] Network Mystery

I thought I would consult the gurus on this list to explain something that has me baffled.

I run a small network here, connected via a Netgear router which connects all machines to each other and to the internet. I use my old Athlon machine running XP Home for e-mail and downloads, and my Vista 32 bit machine for FSX.

When I download a file for FSX I save it on my Athlon machine, to a shared directory. From my Vista machine I access the appropriate folder on the Athlon and copy the file across to the Vista machine. All makes sense so far.

Now for the mystery. Normally, when I select Network from my Vista menu, it brings up a folder, and listed in the folder are my machines plus the router. Sometimes, however, it doesn't seem to find the other machines, I just see the router listed. What makes it more mysterious, is that if I then select Network and Sharing Centre form the network screen, and then click on View Full Map, I can then see the other machines, so Vista is obviously detecting their existence. Anyone seen anything like this? Is there a cure?

Frank T.


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