How To Create A Private Lan For Mac
How to Create and Use an Ad Hoc Network on Your Mac. From the Wi-Fi Status icon in the menu bar, choose Create Network. If the icon is missing from the menu bar, go to System Preferences > Network. Click Wi-Fi and select the Show Wi-Fi status in menu bar checkbox. Give your ad hoc network a name, or accept the default which is your computer’s name (found in the Share Preferences panel).
Windows 7 seems to be unable to effectively identify my VPN connection. I'm running Windows 7 Professional 32-bit. I've installed OpenVPN 2.1RC20 (the latest release of OpenVPN). OpenVPN creates a virtual network connection using the 'TAP-Win32 Adapter V9'. When I connect to the VPN, I am not prompted to identify the network.
This is apparently due to the fact that the network to which I'm connecting does not supply a default gateway. That is, I'm connecting to a private network and I only need access to the private nodes on the network. For example, here are the relevant lines in the routing table after connecting: IPv4 Route Table Active Routes: Network Destination Netmask Gateway Interface Metric 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 10.204.102.1 10.204.102.113 25. When it successfully connects to a VPN server, the Default Gateway must be the VPN server. Otherwise, although it prompts that the VPN connection is successful, you cannot access any resources via the VPN. Certainly in this case the network cannot be identified properly. Obviously the OpenVPN program cannot successfully configure the Default Gateway for the VPN connection.
I suggest that you run it as administrator, or try to find a new released version that is compatible with Windows 7. Arthur Xie - MSFT.
Arthur, Thanks for the response, but I believe you're mistaken. A default gateway is just another name for a route for all unknown networks.
How To Create A Private Lan For Mac Pro
Since the purpose of this VPN is not to provide connectivity for all Internet addresses, but only to provide access to the private LAN, it only needs to provide routing entries for the private networks. These are the route entries I described above, and this is the correct configuration. This configuration works for all of our clients and describes precisely the architecture we desire. The route configuration is the same on Windows Vista. The difference is that on Windows 7, the UI refuses to provide a mechanism to mark the connection as private if it has no default gateway.
This seems counter-intuitive and incorrect. I can imagine many scenarios where a system is connected to a private network without a default gateway (route to the Internet) but still needs to be treated as a private network. Adding a default gateway with a high metric is not the correct solution - it creates a spurious routing table entry that has no effect on the routing. That is, because the user's Internet connection that he's using to establish the VPN connection already has a default gateway with a lower metric, it will be used for all Internet traffic.
How To Create A Private Lan For Mac
If the the VPN default gateway had a lower metric, it would prevent the connection to the VPN server (without yet another routing table entry to direct the tunnel traffic). Is there any way to force this connection to be a private connection without adding a default gateway? Is this by design? If so, respectfully, it's a bad design, and it should be corrected in SP1 (if not sooner). I network without a default gateway is as private as a network gets.
Forcing it to be a public network seems like a grand oversight, especially since many VPNs will have a very similar configuration. If for some reason I'm mistaken, please point me at resources that indicate why I'm wrong and all networks without a default gateway should be considered unsecured.
Otherwise, there should be a way in Windows 7 to designate this network connection as private. If you'll observe thread you'll see that there's currently no solution to your problem, and this is likely by design. I've also stuck with this stupid prob having two LANs, one to provider and one to y small home network. The irony is that prov network can become private where it shouldn't and home network is stated as unidentified.
So I must do some magic to get it work (not a solution, just workaround). Experts are ignoring our questions. I assume there was a dumbhead in architects division who proposed this change. Such behavior has absolutely no sence with the presence of ICS module, because it's one of the commonest scenarios with ICS - one interface has connection to provider and obviously has GW set; another network iface is looking into small home network and obviously has NO DEFAULT GATEWAY because this PC is a GW itself for home network. MS guys, you're surely sawing the branch you're sitting on.
If you wanted people throw your new shiny OS and switch to older versions or to Linux, you've done this. (Sigh) I and many other people are still waiting for proper solution.
I though to buy a copy of W7 this winter or near, but this prob pushed me from it. Thx for attention. (sorry for grammar, I'm not English native). I have successfully worked around a similar issue.
This is to use any IP address of an attached resource on the closed network as your default gateway (DO NOT USE THE IP ADDRESS OF YOUR OWN NETWORK ADAPTER). This will allow you to name the 'unidentified network' and declare it private. If you mistakenly apply the default gateway to be one of your own network interfaces, you will need to remove all default gateway addresses with the following command ROUTE DELETE 0.0.0.0 then redefine any necessary default gateways associated with interfaces. Microsoft as of VISTA, 2008, WIN-7 has made the default gateway address a persistent route.
This can possibly create a 'unidentified network' of phantom creation that is hard to remove without using the above ROUTE DELETE command. Good systems are supportable. The following thread does provide a technique to have the Windows Firewall ignore that interface. This doesn't seem like the right solution. First, the connection should still be protected by whatever firewall settings are appropriate. Second, the connection is still treated as public when in should be private.
Arthur assumed that your connection would be using the VPN connection as its default gateway because that is the way the VPN client works. In your case this is not so. The VPN client has only a host route to the VPN server. Referring to it as an interface is more accurate than referring to it as a network. In fact it is simply a point to point link between this machine and the server. Nothing else can use it.
I would have expected NLA (and the firewall) to ignore it. Since it doesn't, forcing NLA to ignore it is probably the best option, in my opinion. Like the problem with ICS mentioned above, it looks like an oversight in the design. Lots of interfaces don't need default gateway settings.
I had similar problems to TargeT-San with Server 2008 R2 and routing to virtual networks. (Steve Hathaway's suggestion is not appropriate, as the interface cannot have a DG because it is itself the DG for the 'private' LAN). I gave up and ran the router in a vm, not the host. I generally use ZoneAlarm Firewall for my PCs. I can then determine which hosts, subnets, and interfaces are to be trusted and given the ability to share and discover network resources. The ZoneAlarm Internet zone provides locks to prevent Microsoft resource sharing for everything that is not trusted.
Programs can be given a set of of trust or distrust permissions by ZoneAlarm. However, ZoneAlarm has no way to filter at the TCP or UDP port what trusts are to be selective allowed or rejected. The most recent incarnation of ZoneAlarm understands the Microsoft NTLM-V2 resource addressing issues. Earlier ZoneAlarm would not allow resource sharing using NTLM-V2.The Microsoft Firewall, by default, protects all networks to the same protection level. If a public network is identifed, then no sharing is available unless the Microsoft Firewall is disabled.
I do not know why Microsoft identifies a network by its default gateway! This is obsurd! - Traditionally, a network was defined as a range of network addresses, scoped by a network mask.
These could be given names in UNIX systems by making entries in the /etc/networks table. Microsoft, (in their lack of wisdom) or their desire to redefine networking, has declared that a private network must have a default gateway. Any network without a default gateway is therefore declared Public and unidentified. The Microsoft Firewall will, by default, prevent any resource sharing with public networks. Just the presence of a public network will often prevent resource sharing with your private networks if Microsoft Firewall is active. You therefore need to turn off Microsoft Firewall and supply your own 3rd party firewall to assume the protections requirements of your network(s). Good systems are supportable.
I have successfully worked around a similar issue. This is to use any IP address of an attached resource on the closed network as your default gateway (DO NOT USE THE IP ADDRESS OF YOUR OWN NETWORK ADAPTER).
This will allow you to name the 'unidentified network' and declare it private. If you mistakenly apply the default gateway to be one of your own network interfaces, you will need to remove all default gateway addresses with the following command ROUTE DELETE 0.0.0.0 then redefine any necessary default gateways associated with interfaces. Microsoft as of VISTA, 2008, WIN-7 has made the default gateway address a persistent route. This can possibly create a 'unidentified network' of phantom creation that is hard to remove without using the above ROUTE DELETE command. Good systems are supportable I used this approach for a network consisting of a Vista machine sharing its internet connection via ICS over wireless to a pair of Windows 7 machines.
This network was set to Public. The Windows 7 machines which were also directly connected to each other via ethernet, set to Home, to allow for homegroup access. In this case, I had the ethernet NICs on each Windows 7 machine set to use the IP of the other as a gateway, as Steve Hathaway indicated above. For example: Windows 7 A: IP: 10.0.0.1 MASK: 255.255.255.0 GATEWAY: 10.0.0.2 Windows 7 B: IP: 10.0.0.2 MASK: 255.255.255.0 GATEWAY: 10.0.0.1 However, this only worked for me if the wireless connections were set to 'Obtain an IP address automatically'. If I defined a gateway manually on the wireless NICs, the ethernet gateway was used, causing internet access to be lost. I checked the route tables ('route print' at the command line) and using automatic IP addresses set the wireless gateway to a lower metric than the ethernet gateway, allowing internet access. Hope this helps anyone looking to get a similar config set up. How to make an Unidentified Network identifiable and private 1.
Choose a reachable IP address (Not your NIC card address) and make it a default route or gateway. Now the network can be named and the Microsoft Windows Firewall can be made happy.
The IP address does not have to be associated with a router or firewall. Even a printer address will suffice on a closed network. If you have multiple networks on your system and one or more is a Public network (regardless of being Identified) may cause the Windows Firewall to block all resource sharing capability. You may need to install a 3rd party firewall on your workstation computer (Windows Server products have an advanced firewall capability). If you happened to use your NIC card as the default route, you will find a phantom persistent default route in the routing table that needs to be removed. You can see that you have both a private network and an unidentified public network associated with the same network interface. As administrator, on the command console, remove the bad default route with: route delete 0.0.0.0 the-nic-ip-address This will remove the phantom network.
Then check step 1 to find an appropriate default route or gateway. With multiple networks, Microsoft will complain if you have more than one default route.
Make sure that your Internet default route has a lower metric than all of your other default routes. Good systems are supportable. Thanks for the suggestion. As I explained, I'm using OpenVPN to establish a connection to a remote network. A default route on that network, even with a metric of 9999, is technically inappropriate. The proposed solution, while it does appear to work around the problem, seems hackish, brittle, and ungraceful. Say the remote network configuration is changed - the VPN software will automatically reconfigure the IP address, subnet mask, DNS servers, etc., but each user will have to manually go into his adapter configuration and update the bogus gateway.
The user install process goes from, 'install this software and run it' to 'install this software, go to your network adapters (through control panel.), right click the adapter, properties, find IPv4, properties, advanced.' In other words, it's onerous, especially for an end user. Now it's possible all of the VPN vendors will build in automatically generating bogus gateways for private networks, but this doesn't seem like the right solution at all. Let me be clear: this problem is solved for me. I know the workarounds (in fact, I described them in my original question).
I'm more concerned about providing feedback so that it can be fixed for others in future releases. It seems to me, Microsoft could make a very simple change to the network detection algorithm that would fix this problem. When identifying a network, instead of automatically considering a null gateway as an unidentifiable connection, allow the (IP, NULL) pair to be identified just as (IP, GATEWAY) is identified. It's possible this proposed solution would have unintended consequences of which I'm unaware, but if that's the case, it would be nice to know why the current implementation is optimal.
In which case, I'll focus more on getting the vendors to address the issue. If an answer to my original question can't be given, I'd also accept a reference to a document that explains why the current implementation is optimal or necessary. After reading miles of forums and trying everything i could, the only logical response was this one: Windows 7 DHCP server emulation (or whatever is their DHCP called) SUCKS badly, so it is not capable to give you a proper DHCP lease (an internal class B IP, a default route, and no stupid settings at all) - negotiation for such a DHCP lease fails because somewhere in your small network is another DHCP, but CONNECTED TO ANOTHER LAN interface and has nothing to do with the one you really want to use. So I haven't seen my solution anywhere, and I give it to you hoping you will spend less time wondering about your drivers, setting stuff manually or other disputable solutions as i did. I can now connect without any hustle whenever i please to do so: I got myself a small DHCP server software, which runs alone as a service; every time i get my laptop at work, i can connect. When i come home to my stupid windows 7, i can also connect, as i have my small dhcp software running and granting me the proper settings in a heartbeat.
You can use any spftware you like, this is what i found first: DHCP Server V1.81 written by some guy named Uwe Ruttkamp. I have set the config to something like this: quote General SUBNETMASK=255.255.255.0 NODETYPE=8; Hybrid LEASETIME=86400; lease time of 1 day Settings IgnoreUnknownClients=1; replace X with MAC ADDRESS from the lan/wan card to which you want your secondary computer to connect XX-XX-XX-XX-XX-XX IPADDR=192.168.2.3 SUBNETMASK=255.255.255.0;this is the address my card is always setting for the router ROUTER1=192.168.2.1 DNS1=192.168.2.1 /quote and now i can relax and enjoy a decent internet connection EVERY time!
I hope this helps dudes.
OS X has the capability of creating what is commonly referred to as an ad hoc network. It’s a decentralized wireless network – that is, no router required.
Before writing this short how-to, I was curious as to the actual definition of the expression “ad hoc.” According to OS X’s built-in New Oxford American Dictionary, it’s an adjective that means 'done for a particular reason.' Nowadays, many of us are able to take for granted the availability of Wi-Fi networks. One of the last bastions of Wi-Fi-free environments – the airliner – is joining in on the fun of ubiquitous Internet.
Nevertheless, there are times when you do not have a network connection of any sort. You need to get one or more devices talking – perhaps for sharing or transferring files, playing your favorite multiplayer network game, or using OS X’s AirPlay functionality for such things as classroom visualization of an iOS device on a Mac screen. And so, we’ve established our “particular reason” to create a Wi-Fi network for a one-time use. OS X lets us do this quite easily. Apple’s official name is Computer-to-Computer Network, but I’ll go by the more common moniker, Ad Hoc Network. You can create an ad hoc network between two or more computers and hand-held devices without using an AirPort Base Station or other router. It’s all done on the Mac; let me show you how.
You create an ad hoc network via the Mac’s Wi-Fi Status menu. From the Wi-Fi Status icon in the menu bar, choose Create Network. If the icon is missing from the menu bar, go to System Preferences Network. Click Wi-Fi and select the Show Wi-Fi status in menu bar checkbox. Give your ad hoc network a name, or accept the default which is your computer’s name (found in the Share Preferences panel). You configure your ad hoc network via the Create a Computer-to-Computer Network panel. Additionally, you can specify a Wi-Fi channel from the pop-up menu.
The default channel is 11, but if you think there may be reception problems from adjoining networks, you can choose a different channel. Select the level of security for your ad hoc network. The Security pop-up menu allows you to select password encryption. Ad hoc networks are not compatible with WPA or WPA2 protected networks. The only security protocol supported is the vintage WEP encryption, but it’s better than nothing. For short-term use, I don’t bother, as there are other measures in place that will keep out any prying eyes.
If choosing 40-bit WEP encryption, you must type a password of exactly 5 characters. This ensures better compatibility for many older devices that need to connect to the ad hoc network. The 128-bit WEP choice is somewhat more secure, and you need to use a password that consists of exactly 13 characters. The Mac’s menu bar displays a new icon, and the ad hoc network is selected. When you’ve activated your ad hoc network, you will see a new icon replacing the usual Wi-Fi icon in the menu bar. It’s important to note that once you’re on your ad hoc network, you are no longer connected to the Wi-Fi network you were using previously.
This means that if you were enjoying an Internet connection, you will loose that connectivity until you switch off your ad hoc network. Other Wi-Fi-enabled computers and hand-held devices that are within range can join your ad hoc network by choosing it from their Wi-Fi status icon.
In iOS, select the ad hoc network in the Wi-Fi Settings panel. For iOS devices, go to Settings Wi-Fi, and select the ad hoc network by tapping on it.
In a moment or two, you should see a checkmark next to the ad hoc network name, indicating a successful connection. Note that you will not see the familiar Wi-Fi icon in the device’s status bar when connected to an ad hoc network. Select the Disconnect command underneath the ad hoc network’s name in the Mac’s Wi-Fi Status menu.
As previously alluded, leaving your ad hoc network enabled is a security risk. To disable it, go to the Wi-Fi status menu and select the Disconnect command, which is directly beneath the name of your ad hoc network in the menu’s Devices section. Alternatively, simply select another Wi-Fi network to connect to. Finally, it should be noted that once you disconnect the ad hoc network on your Mac, it is permanently deleted. Next time you need to establish an ad hoc network, you must create it from scratch using the same procedures. Be sure to check out OS X’s ad hoc network feature next time you need to set up your own private Wi-Fi network no matter where you might find yourself.