Can't see clients

[Mayoff]

From:

 

http://www.dantz.com/index.php3?SCREEN=kbase&ACTION=KBASE&id=27710

 

People often want to use Retrospect with wireless networking. Fortunately, in many configurations this is fully supported. In some configurations, however, Retrospect cannot access client computers that are connected to the network via a wireless interface.

 

The quick answer is that if your wireless users either have fixed non-shared IP address or get their IP addresses from a DHCP server on your non-wireless LAN, then Retrospect will work seamlessly with your wireless clients. In other words, wireless networking is just like other hard-wired networking, if you have a non-shared IP address and can access all normal network functions.

 

If you are using network address translation (usually called NAT) on your wireless client computers, Retrospect will not be able to back them up using Retrospect client software by default. There is a way to get Retrospect to access a single client per IP address if wireless clients are sharing an IP address by configuration only one of the clients using port mapping. For Macintosh users this workaround is described below for Macintosh Airport networking. The process will be quite similar with any other wireless networking software, Macintosh or Windows.

 

Instructions for enabling a single Macintosh client's use of Retrospect Client software in a NAT (shared IP address) environment:

 

1. Pick the client for which you want to enable wireless networking access using the Retrospect Client software.

2. On the client machine (that is, the computer with the wireless networking connection) look at the TCP/IP address assigned to the system.

3. Start the Airport Admin Utility, select the Airport module and click Configure.

4. Select the Network tab and then click the Port Mapping button. Some Airport base station models have a separate Port Mapping tab for this function.

5. Click Add, and fill in the following information:

Public Port: 497

Private IP Address: Enter the address from step 1 above

Private Port: 497

6. Click OK and then Done to get back to the Update tab. Click Update to force the Airport module to reconfigure itself. Quit the Admin program.

7. In Retrospect on the backup computer, add this computer using Add by Address, using the address noted in step 1. Retrospect will now be able to access the one client you configured, even though that IP address is shared among multiple wireless computers.

 

Remember: this workaround can only be done for one computer on the NAT.

 

Another simple workaround is to have a backup machine for all of the computers on the NAT that also gets its IP address from the NAT. This backup computer can get an IP address wirelessly, or the Wireless Access Point can distribute IP addresses on the LAN as well. If the backup computer is also using NAT addressing within the same wireless group, it can back up more than one client on that NAT.

 

 

[tetrahymena]

I have another question regarding this issue.

I'm runninng Workgroup 5.0.238 with 5 clients all running version 5.0.540. All of the computers are running OS10.2.4, all G4s except one g3.

The problem is that the server can't see one of the clients when that client is sleeping. Once I wake the computer up, the server can see the computer just fine. Oddly, the server and this particular client are on the same subnet. The other computers are on different subnets. I don't know how to fix this problem.

The other problem is that autolaunch is not working. The script is written correctly and is set to launch at midnight every night. It doesn't launch until someone (typically in the morning) logs onto a computer, i.e. wakes it up. Anyway, everything WAS running smoothly from october 2002 until about january when I believe I upgraded the computers to OS 10.2.3. Any help would be great, thanks.

[advocateVF]

My backup machine for all of the computers on the NAT also gets its IP address from the NAT distributed by my AirPort Base Station.

 

From your last reply "This backup computer can get an IP address wirelessly, or the Wireless Access Point can distribute IP addresses on the LAN as well. If the backup computer is also using NAT addressing within the same wireless group, it can back up more than one client on that NAT."

 

This doesn't work! And, since I purchased a Workgroup version of Retrospect, I expect to be able to backup ALL of my machines. Anything less than that is unacceptable.

 

The Question I asked last time seems to be most relevent; if Dave and Timbuktu can find all the computers on which clients reside on both the wired and wireless segments of my network with no special networking contortions why can't Retrospect? Maybe your development team should talk to the people at Netopia.

 

I'm not changing what works for everything else, because this product isn't ready for OSX or Wireless networking.

 

I tried what you suggested last time; it did not work.

[pt44]

Not sure if this helps. But I was having the same problem with three Powerbooks today. All G4, all running 10.2.4

 

Found the solution to my problem, after many wasted hours. Under System prefs/Network. I had my main machine, Powermac G4 (10.2.4) set to Automatic, under the Location setting. The Network Port configuration therefore included - Modem, Ethernet, Airport. I use Airport for the most part, hardly ever use a modem, and only ever connect Ethernet for special occasions. So I don't need all three ports running. But they were, and I had an Ethernet cable connecting to another machine. Created a new location (called Airport) and turned off all but the Airport Port. Hallelujah! It worked. I can now see all my Clients again.

 

Not sure if this will help you, but it may.

 

Regards Paul

[firkin]

OK I've trashed the preferences, reconfigured. As soon as I try to find mac os network clients it searches and then still reports "no backup clients found. Click add by address to enter a client address directly." Of course the program won't actually allow me to do this and tells me "This feature requires a more powerful application license code." Works fine under OS9. What is going on with version 5?