Mapping a drive across domains?

[bsi]

I am a non technical guy using obsolete hardware and software so please have pity. We split off from the main company and lost our IT folks and I won tasks like this one.

We have two locations, let me say Toronto and Kitchener. I have full administrator authority on all the boxes involved. Just not the knowledge. The domains can be called TORONTO and KITCHENER for this request.

I want to be able to map drives across the offices. I can ping the ip addresses from either location so there *is* connectivity.

The servers in both locations are running *sob* NT4 but all of the workstations are W2K or XP Pro. The server names are TORSERV and KITSERV. The drives to be mapped are SHAREDT and SHAREDK

Ideal solution:

net use k: \KITCHENER\KITSERV\SHAREDK
net use t: \TORONTO\TORSERV\SHAREDT

OR something like

net use k:\10.123.0.1\SHAREDK
net use t:\10.127.0.1\SHAREDT

I am OK if a user/password box pops up to be completed at the time of access. I am OK if the mapping must be done from a dedicated workstation and/or while logged in as administrator.

Can somebody please tell me the syntax? When we had an IT department, they were able to do it with just keystrokes so I know I do not have to buy software.

In the interim, I am burning CD's and sending them between offices when the files are too large for e-mail. I know there must be a better way. And I have looked into internet ways of sending large files but I still want to learn the mapping method. Or maybe something like ftp (which I have never used)

Many thanks in advance.

 

[Cassini]

Try these:

net use k: \\KITCHENER\KITSERV\SHAREDK /user:bsi
net use t: \\TORONTO\TORSERV\SHAREDT

net use /help

 

[i_am_good]

Try these:

net use k: \\KITCHENER\KITSERV\SHAREDK /user:bsi
net use t: \\TORONTO\TORSERV\SHAREDT

net use /help

The double backslash is required. If that does not do it, make sure when you are logged in that there is an identical account on the other domain with the same password. That is, have two accounts - one on each domain - that are the same username and password - with admin rights.

 

[bsi]

The double backslash is required. If that does not do it, make sure when you are logged in that there is an identical account on the other domain with the same password. That is, have two accounts - one on each domain - that are the same username and password - with admin rights.

The error says

system error 53 has occurred.
the network path was not found.

But I guess I am close.

 

[guelph]

Have considered setting up a VPN?

 

[bsi]

Have considered setting up a VPN?

Would this be better than the mapping solution I am seeking? Suitable for a non-technical person like me?

It looks like I am a slash or colon away from licking it.

If not, I will bone up on ftp. It is maddening that I can ping the resources but not use them.

 

[hunter001]

Would this be better than the mapping solution I am seeking? Suitable for a non-technical person like me?

It looks like I am a slash or colon away from licking it.

If not, I will bone up on ftp. It is maddening that I can ping the resources but not use them.

The protocol to ping isn't the same as the one to map the drive. So you might not be a close as you think.

 

[canucklehead]

What is between u and Kitchener . it could be many thing ipfw rules VPN rules .... it could be a setting in Windows that does not allow mounting of drives from another domain it could be your LDAP and whether or not the user needs to be a member or not.... i am not windows guy but i have witnessed all of these at one time or another.

 

[hunter001]

It has been awile since I programmed a router but since you have to different subnets you need to bridge or route traffic between the two networks.

 

[canucklehead]

It has been awile since I programmed a router but since you have to different subnets you need to bridge or route traffic between the two networks.

If he can ping them the routes should be there...

 

[hunter001]

If he can ping them the routes should be there...

It isn't the same protocol. Ping uses ICMP you can't map a drive using that.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Control_Message_Protocol

 

[benstt]

It isn't the same protocol. Ping uses ICMP you can't map a drive using that.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Control_Message_Protocol

Ping (ICMP) is on top of IP, where the routing happens. Assuming they are doing the shares over IP (ie not using old netbios frames, etc) it is a good test to see whether the machines can see each other, and the routes are there.

Ping doesn't tell you whether all the ports that are needed for shares (SMB/CIFS) are open, shares are enabled, etc.

bsi,

Lots of reasons for it not to work. For example, found this on google:

System error 53 - The network path was not found.

Symptom: when using net view \\ip or \\computername, you get system error 53.

Resolutions: 1) if it is domain environment, check your WINS; 2) if it is peer-to-peer workgroup, enable NetBIOS over TCP/IP; 3) make sure the machine is running; 4) make sure file and Printer Share enabled on remote computer; 5) make sure client for ms networks is enabled on local computer; 6) make sure you type the correct name. 7) Make sure no firewall running or any security setting.

 

[Cassini]

Try:

net use k: \\KITSERV\SHAREDK /user:bsi
net use t: \\TORSERV\SHAREDT

and

net view
net view \\TORSERV

You may be inserting the workgroup into the name. You should only need the server name. Also, you can use the TCP address like 192.168.0.5 instead of TORSERV. You can get the TCP address from the ping command.

 

[Spinnerbait]

Hi bsi,

Assuming there is DIRECT connectivity between the two offices, get to the command line from any PC in Toronto and type "tracert kitserv" to confirm the routing is setup properly. Secondly, make sure the two domains are trusted.

 

[bsi]

Well, no matter how this turns out, I appreciate the help from you guys.

I tried the tracert KITSERV thing. The error message was something like "unable to resolve name" or something like that. Then I tried tracert 10.127.0.10 and I got a 4 line response

10.121.0.1 (my router at the toronto office)
xxx.16.7.1 ( i hid the address but I might expose it if it resolves the question)
xxx.16.7.10
10.127.0.10

We are *not* connected directly I guess. We use Rogers and connect through a third party service in Markham. If I have to get them to do anything then I am doomed as this particular request has already been submitted to them and ignored (which is why I am asking here).

I have also tried installing Filezilla FTP on computers in both locations (I use VNC for this but the version in place has no file transfer capabilities) but it could not contact the server so I am still doing something wrong.

Also, one of the previous posters was sort of correct about the syntax of "net use". I see that it is expecting

"net use device: \\server\shareddrive user:/domain/username"

so the domain name is in the user section, not the server section. But it did not work anyway.

Is there something in a place called LMHOSTS where I should be doing something. I see such a file but all the addresses in it are obsolete from our previous setup when we were part of the main company. Those IP addresses are all like 198.xxx which tells me they used a fundamentally different ip scheme than the 10.xxx we have in place now.


Still hoping. In the interim, I am burning and mailing yet another CD to the remote site *sigh*.

PS, I do not know if the domains are trusted. How do I check that? Remember this is NT4.

 

[benstt]

If you can ping the new IP's, I would update lmhosts to match them. Keep a backup copy handy of the old lmhosts. See if ping and traceroute work by name after, then work on the share again. If you still get an error 53, make sure the shares are enabled, etc, as recommended previously.

lmhosts is another name resolution source - mapping server names to IP addresses. Like DNS or WINS, but much simpler in a small setup. When changes are made to the network though, they have to be updated.

From the traceroute, and the fact that ping and VNC work, your networks are connected through a few router hops, which is good news that the basic IP network works.

Both 192.* and 10.* addresses are part of a set of freely usable IP ranges that are meant for internal use inside a company. Sounds like things were mostly switched over, but not lmhosts.

It's still unknown whether you have a firewall between the sites, selectively blocking some traffic. If ping and vnc work, maybe it is all open.

There are a few ports that sharing might rely on. 137, 138, 139 for the old Netbios way, or 445 for the Win2000 and later protocol. If you get the server names working, but shares don't, there are tests with telnet and nmap to try to figure out if the ports are open and listening.

This has a bit of a description of the network basics behind shares, aka SMB or CIFS.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/204279

 

[benstt]

If you are getting nowhere, and have some money to try something, you could look at getting a third device that both of these servers map, and transfer files via it. Ie put it on your Toronto network, and map it onto both the Toronto and Kitchener server. Copy on, copy off.

For example:

http://www.buffalotech.com/products/network-storage/linkstation/linkstation-pro/

I think TigerDirect has the 320GB model for $262. NT4 is listed as a suppported OS, and it does FTP and SMB.

This would help if something has been done to your systems that prevent them from exporting shares, but they can use them.

 

[vavog]

Sounds like you don't have a trusted connection between the 2 sites and are not even part of the same domain. What you trying to do is not something that is easily done without a VPN connection or some sort of trusted connection between the 2 sites. You can't just map a drive to another server on the internet (unless that other server was completely open in the public internet.. a very very very bad thing).

Instead of VNC, try RemotelyAnywhere if all you're trying to do is some remote maintenance. It has file transfer. (PCAnywhere might be another choice for you) Depending on what OS you're running over there, Terminal Service could help as well.

If you're looking to setup a permanent map to the other server for whatever reason, 2 VPN routers and proper setup should do the trick

 

[vavog]

P.S. What is it you're ultimately trying to do .. just send files back and forth between locations? How much data you transferring daily? Why I ask is FTP is great but not if you want to backup 40GB of data.

So many questions.. so little time!

 

[bsi]

There is very little traffic for this which is why it stays below the radar. About once a month or less I have to send a 30M power point presentation or two.


The CD I have to burn right now is a copy of Office where the remote site lost their copy. I would rather have uploaded those files to their server and done the Office reinstall from the network. As you can imagine, such a transfer would only have to be done once unless they delete it from their server (which is what they did grrrrr)

We are *not* part of the same domain. We are TORONTO and they are KITCHENER. I do not know how to tell if they are trusted or how to implement a "trust".

I will look into the LMHOSTS thing.

I will also look at a software solution like Remote Anywhere or its brethren. I had stayed away from spending money because I am certain that the previous IT group was able to do it with keystrokes only. That is, not installing anything else.

In hindsight, I suppose they were "setting a trust" or "opening up a share". I did not pay attention at the time because I like to let the pros do their thing. I am a power user for our business systems, not an IT or network guy and I really don't know what I am doing here.

The fact that we are still on NT4 should give you a clue about our desire to spend money to fix problems

And thanks again for the suggestions. Eventually, I know that one of them will work. Actually, one of my next steps is to bribe the old IT guy to sneak in and just fix it.