Computer Connected Via LinkToNet Doesn't Accept Incoming LapLink Connections - Search Again SUMMARY When I connect to my LinkToNet host, I can make outgoing connections to the Internet using the LinkToNet services. However, while I'm connected to the LinkToNet host and authenticated to that LAN, other machines aren't able to connect to me. Publishing my computer to the Internet Locating Service (ILS) don't make any difference. Can you help? SOLUTION Unfortunately, there is no solution for this situation. Here's why:
When your guest computer connects to a LinkToNet host, the guest is given a non-routable Internet Protocol (IP) address. The IP address acts as the identification tag for a computer when connected to the Internet. Two kinds of IP addresses are possible, called routable and non-routable. Routable IP addresses can be used on the Internet, however, since there is a limited number of routable addresses available, non-routable addresses are used on Local Area Networks (LAN) or in Dial-up Networking (DUN) connections (Remember that at the heart of a LinkToNet connection is Microsoft's DUN).
When you connect to the Internet through the LinkToNet host, each data packet coming from the guest computer must have it's IP address changed so that the address becomes routable. What the LinkToNet host software does is perform a technique called Network Address Translation (NAT) to label any outgoing data packets from the guest with the host's IP address, as well as an additional "tag" that identifies the data as having come from the guest. This works great for outgoing connections using LinkToNet services, since any returned or response data will also contain the tag information.
Incoming connections to the guest from elsewhere on the Internet, however, will fail because of NAT. Any incoming requests to start LapLink services over the LinkToNet connection are going to contain the address for the LinkToNet host, but not the additional tag. LapLink, running on the LinkToNet host, does not know that the incoming connection is meant for your guest computer and will try to process it on the host computer instead. Even when you use ILS to broadcast an Internet name for your guest computer, the ILS server only records the host's IP address, without the additional tag information that the LinkToNet host needs to use.
For example:
John's computer is set up as a LinkToNet host, connected to a local area network at his office.
Paul's computer is a laptop with LapLink that calls into John's machine and connects to the office network using LinkToNet.
George's computer is on the same office local area network as John's machine.
Ringo's computer is connected directly to the Internet at all times via a DSL modem.
Paul dials into John's machine and makes a LinkToNet connection (This is an outbound connection). Now Paul can connect across the local area network with LapLink services (like file transfer) to George's machine, or go across the Internet to Ringo's machine. When Paul's connection is made, either George or Ringo can open additional LapLink services through the existing connection.
If Paul decides to use the ILS feature to make locating his machine easier, it is John's IP address that is registered with the server. The additional tag information that John's LinkToNet host uses to identify data as being meant for Paul's machine, is lost.
Paul disconnects his LapLink session with Ringo. A few minutes later Ringo decides he needs to connect to Paul again. When Ringo tries to reinitiate the LapLink service connection over the Internet, either by using ILS or Paul's address, LapLink will immediately try to start a connection with John's machine, since that is where the IP address points. Ringo will see this connection time-out because the additional tag information that John's LinkToNet host requires is missing. The data meant for Paul's computer is never passed along.
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