I have a couple of mostly Windows networks behind Netgear Firewalls acting as DHCP server, connected through a VPN tunnel, and for some reason the NetBios does not seem to work. I cannot access devices on the other network through their Windows device names. I have been getting around this by using a hosts file on the computers. However, I am having trouble when for some reason one network has to be rebooted, or when mobile devices join or leave the network. During a reboot it is not uncommon that a device changes it's IP address, and then of course the hosts files don't work anymore.
So, I have tried to reserve the IP addresses at least for the stationary devices (printers, servers, NAS, etc), but there are only two options: Fixed by PC, and reserved for DHCP.
A basic question first: Is there a better way to deal with this than through hosts files?
Second question: The manual seems to indicate that IP reservations are only valid for IP addresses outside the DHCP range. What does that mean? If I, for example, use 192.168.x for the DHCP, and let the router assign devices between, say, 10 and 100, Do I need to use an IP address outside this range (for example 192.168.x.120) to reserve it for a specific device? Ot can I attache a device, let the router pick an address (say, 192.168.x.99), and then select "reserve IP address"? I tried that, but it did not seem to work, but I am not sure if I did everything right.
In essence, what would you suggest I do to avoid using hsosts files?
Model: FVS318G|ProSafe Gigabit 8 Port VPN Firewall
I'm not a Windows expert but I do know that in home networks, NetBios defaults to using broadcast. If your two Windows networks are on different subnets or if your VPN tunnel doesn't forward broadcasts, then the two networks won't directly see each other. This is usually the realm where Windows domains come into play. I can't really help you with that.
As to using a fixed IP, you are correct that are two basic options: statically configured on the PC or reserved on the DHCP server.
In terms of allocating an address inside or outside a DHCP range, the manual does indeed state that reservations should go outside, so 192.168.x.120 would be correct in your example.
Thanks. I'll have to play around with the IP addresses (reserved vs. DHCP), but the VPN Tunnel (which is stable after a lot of trial and error) is set to "enable NetBIOS" on both sides (which according to the help bubble enables broadcasting over the VPN tunnel), yet it is not possible to address a resource over VPN by their Netbios name. Are there some other settings that would prevent that?
