NETGEAR is aware of a growing number of phone and online scams. To learn how to stay safe click here.
Forum Discussion
Solved
WNDR4500 / Windows + Linux + NAS / cannot always reach by hostname
My network generally works well. I've got DHCP handing out IP addresses and a few fixed IP's for printers and NAS devices. I've got the following devices on my network all managed through wired and...
What happens if you try nbtstat -a <hostname> from your work laptop to one of your machines? Check nbtstat -r afterwards to see if the counters increase.
Can you look at the advanced adapter settings on your laptop and see whether a WINS server address is configured? You probably also want to make sure that NetBIOS over TCP/IP is enabled.
You may also want to look at the Windows registry for the NetBIOS node type. I believe the key is HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\NetBT\Parameters\NodeType. The values are explained at this link.
Does this only happen with your work laptop, or do other machines experience this symptom, too?
AFAIK, the WNDR4500 is not a WINS server, nor does it participate in Windows name resolution. In a home setting, Windows name resolution is serverless and is handled through the use of broadcasts. If you have multiple IP subnets, then name resolution will not work. Most home networks are a single subnet. I assume yours is, too.
In a work setting, Windows name resolution is often handled by an Active Directory or a WINS server. I kinda wonder if, perhaps, your work laptop is trying to contact a work server for name resolution? You can try using nbtstat at the Command Prompt to troubleshoot name resolution problems. Wikipedia has a page on it (link). nbtstat -a <hostname> will attempt a name resolution. It's equivalent of nslookup for Windows names. nbtstat -r will give you stats on resolution requests performed by broadcast and by server. If the server count is non-zero, then your laptop is probably trying to contact a server. nbtstat -c will display the local name cache.
This article is helpful for understanding Windows name resolution (link).
Hmmm... makes sense...
I got this...
>nbtstat -r
NetBIOS Names Resolution and Registration Statistics
----------------------------------------------------
Resolved By Broadcast = 0
Resolved By Name Server = 0
Registered By Broadcast = 0
Registered By Name Server = 0and
>nbtstat -R Failed to Purge the NBT Remote Cache Table.
Seems like this PC is living in a lonely world. It cannot find anything and I cannot purge the table. I would hope that a purge would force it to await broadcasts and rebuild the table. Any ideas?
Try replacing the switch!
Replacing the switch is probably not the answer... all other PC's are OK.
CFE wrote:Replacing the switch is probably not the answer... all other PC's are OK.
I only suggested it because, I also had issues trying to reach network devices when going gigi years ago and randomly not able reach NAS folders. Problem was 3 netgear switches (those white plastic POS) replaced with blue metal GS108 and never a had another problem.
Try power cycling the switch next time.
What happens if you try nbtstat -a <hostname> from your work laptop to one of your machines? Check nbtstat -r afterwards to see if the counters increase.
Can you look at the advanced adapter settings on your laptop and see whether a WINS server address is configured? You probably also want to make sure that NetBIOS over TCP/IP is enabled.
You may also want to look at the Windows registry for the NetBIOS node type. I believe the key is HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\NetBT\Parameters\NodeType. The values are explained at this link.
nbtstat -a <hostname> always comes up with Host Not Found. nbtstat -r produces no interesting results: all zeros.
The remainder of my PC's can resolve hostnames, so the network is not the problem, it is the laptop.
- Enabled NetBIOS (but did not reboot, but did disable / enable LAN connection). No change.
- I don't have a WINS server. Doesn't that require a server on my network? I only have routers / switches.
- The NetBIOS Type = 1, which is:
B-node. NetBT uses IP broadcast messages to register and resolve IP addresses from NetBIOS names.
Any other ideas?
Is Windows Network Discovery enabled?
You can cross-check that the NetBIOS Type is set to B-node using ipconfig /all and looking at Node Type.
I found some additional troubleshooting that you may want to try.
Two Minute Drill: Troubleshooting Name Resolution (i.e. try new view \\hostname and net view \\<ipaddress>)
TechNet: Unable to reach a Host or NetBIOS Name (It has a trouble troubleshooting flowchart)
Default Node Type for Microsoft Clients (You can try coercing the Node Type by editing the registry. You will probably have to reboot each time.)
Finally, try installing Wireshark on the laptop and sniff the traffic on your laptop. You will want to see if NetBIOS broadcasts are being sent.
As a last resort, you may consider resetting TCP/IP. It's a pretty drastic step, but Microsoft has an article on it. Make sure you are comfortable doing this. I cannot take a responsibility for any damage. I'm only providing the rope. :smileyhappy:
How to reset TCP/IP by using the NetShell utility
Previously, I had set the wrong property using Regedit. Upon further review, the NetBIOS was set to Peer-to-Peer! I found the property after digging deeper in the hierarchy in HKLM\...
I set it to Broadcast and all is OK (at least at home). I will try at work on Tuesday. Any idea how (why?) it had ever been set to Peer-to-Peer? Is this a default in Win 7 installation?
