W10 as HOST - Networking issues resolved (or Got around)

Hi there

Finally I've got a system working with network access between ALL machines in the LAN using W10 as one HOST and a LINUX server as the other HOST with a number of VM's using both VMWARE (on the LINUX machine) and HYPER-V on the Windows machine as the virtualisation platform.

1) VMWARE on the W10 HOST will FAIL if you try and use any networking (NAT / BRIDGED - won't start) for ANY VM on the W10 HOST. So Get around --- Use HYPER-V. This will work in the majority of cases but if you have some specialized hardware attached via USB devices then this won't be an ideal solution - HDD's for example must be attached and shared via the HOST. Use TSCLIENT and connect as a network drive if accessing via RDP or simply share as network drives any network machine your VM can access.

2) RDP won't allow you to INSTALL programs (normally) - not a specific W10 problem but you can get round this by attaching the TSCLIENT drives as a network drive - then install works.

3) Access to W10 from LINUX. W8.1 VM running under VMWARE - no problem - accesses OK..

4) Accessing W10 though (from the LINUX HOST) - problem. PING gives different address to nmblookup -f servername which returns the REAL IP (IPV4) address. Using that in an SMB://address will give access to the W10 machine (real or virtual).

Still to try W10 to W10 both on REAL machines - I'd assume it works but with Windows networking NOTHING is ever guaranteed.

So temporarily I'll have to maintain the HOSTS file on Linux servers until I can get the wretched DNS or NetBIOS host lookup sorted out. Not (currently) a big deal but I don't want to manually maintain these indefinitely and for larger LANS (not connected via AD) this is a real pain.

VMWARE is releasing VERSION 11 in December so the networking problem might have been fixed - it would be IMBECILLIC of VMWARE to have NOT tested W10 before releasing their new upgrade.

Hope this helps people in mixed Linux and Windows environments.

Cheers
jimbo

adamf said:

For networking use cifs - it is easier but not perhaps very fashionable TipsAndTricks/WindowsShares - CentOS Wiki

Works for me though :)

Hi
there

I don't think you READ or UNDERSTOOD part of my post. !!! Not trying to be nasty of course -- hopefully explaining the problem a bit more should clarify what I'm doing.

The problem isn't the type of file service - but on RESOLVING the REMOTE computer's address. If I FIND the correct (ipv4) address and type in smb://hostname - then if FAILS but if I type in smb://IP address then it works.

Now what I DON'T want to have to do is maintain a load of IP addresses in some config file - especially as these can change when using DHCP.

The whole thing WORKED when a W8.1 computer was the remote computer -- something has changed with how W10 presents or identifies itself on the network. Windows 8.1 obviously can handle this and resolves the network addresses correctly - even when as a VM under a LINUX server.

An XP machine also has a problem here too. It CAN access a W8.1 machine but not the W10 machine (and this is Windows to Windows). It CAN access the W10 machine if the IP address is given instead of the Hostname.

Here's XP accessing a remote HOST W8.1 system -- no problem.

Trying to access W10 -- FAIL. However insert the IP address then it works.

If you look at the last screenshot you can see from the XP machine to GREYFOX it fails but give the IP address it is OK.

There is SOMETHING in how W10 presents itself to the network that's different from previous releases. (I've set the 128 bit encryption off etc - but that doesn't actually make any difference).

(W10 can ACCESS the XP machine without problems though).

Cheers
jimbo

You post is right on point that Microsoft has changed the behavior of how simple file/printer sharing works. Specifically on how it handles send/recv over port 139. See this thread.

https://social.technet.microsoft.com...9-627473474a4f