Question: SMB through ICS?

nervestaple — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 18:10:12 -0800

Windows File Sharing through Internet Connection Sharing: There are a few computers on my home wireless network, connected to a belkin wireless router. All of these computers can see all the others using Windows SMB file sharing - so far so good. Here's where it gets tricky:

My new computer without wireless (let's call it PC-B) now shares the wireless connection of the computer next to it with ICS (PC-A) through a wired switch. Both of the computers have net access now, but file sharing seems to be broken for both of them. PC-A shows up in the shares list from other computers, but seems to refuse all connections (it was accessible before). PC-B can not even be seen in the shares list through ICS. Ideally, I'd like to have both PC-A and PC-B be file-sharing-accessible from all the other computers on the network.

WIRELESS ROUTER => PC-A => WIRED SWITCH => PC-B

I've tried playing around with firewall exceptions and opening all the SMB ports in the ICS settings to no avail. Getting wireless to PC-B is not possible as PC-A is far from the router and has a special parabolic dish long-range link set up, so only one computer can be wirelessly connected.

So: How do I get to PC-B's file shares through ICS? Is "Network Bridge" what I want? I've never quite understood what that did. Thanks!

By: wsp

wsp — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 18:43:57 -0800

"Network Bridge" sounds like what you want. It basically creates a "bridge" between two different network segments of the same network but not necessarily of the same physical link type (e.g. wireless and ethernet).

I'm not sure exactly how ICS works on Windows, having never had to use it, so I'm not sure if this will fix the file sharing problem. In theory it should work, but...

By: nervestaple

nervestaple — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 20:24:23 -0800

Network Bridge works perfectly. I can't believe I answered my own question without trying it. Whoops.

Comments on: SMB through ICS?

Question: SMB through ICS?

By: wsp

By: nervestaple