Windows file share through router

I must be having a case of the stupids today because I can't get this fileshare issue resolved.

Here's the scenario: I installed a personal WiFi router in my office so I could stream audio and work with my devices without having to interfere with another WiFi router in the building. Having done this, I can't connect to the shares on the original network, and I can't access my fileshare from any of those machines.

I've change the Windows firewall settings for ports 445 TCP, 139 TCP, 137 & 138 UDP just in case. I've used port forwarding on the router to forward said ports to my internal IP (192.168.2.5). I even tried exposing this machine completely with the DMZ config.


Windows XP Pro SP3
Standard "workgroup", not on a domain

Internet --> external router / gateway --> LAN 192.168.1.0/24
LAN 192.168.1.200/24 --> internal WiFi router --> 192.168.2.0/24
Windows XP Pro PC IP192.168.2.5 (previously 192.168.1.200, which I've allocated as the WiFi router's WAN IP)

I can access the internet and ping the 192.168.1. network from this machine, and I can ping the 192.168.1.200 address (the WiFi router) from any machine in the 192.168.1. network. I just can't view my shares from 'outside' nor can I view any other share on this machine.

The router, by the way, is a generic D-Link DI-524 I had sitting in a box of old networking gear in the garage.

Ideas?

I think some ISP's block windows SMB ports over the internet. Also newer versions of windows, including XP SP3, introduced some additional security restrictions on SMB. For example, I had perfectly good shares to/from vista/xp sp2 that quit when upgraded to xp sp3, and it seems to me I had to go into the local security policies and tweak some SMB setting.

It sounds more like you need a VPN into your work network. If your company allows external VPN connections I'd look into going that way before worrying about getting windows SMB to work over the internet.

Hey Doug, thanks for the reply.

I think there is some confusion. I'm not trying to share or access anything outside the building. I'm only trying to fileshare between two internal networks, 192.168.1. and 192.168.2. The external router (which has the internal 192.168.1. LAN network and provides internet access) already has a VPN for our second office, which I'm not concerned about. All I want to do is access the local machines that are on the original network in the building, just as I was able to to yesterday before I installed the router.

I think that if the original network can treat my router (192.168.1.200 WAN IP) as if it were my original PC address, and forward any SMB traffic to my PC, it should work.

I'm usually able to forward a port and get things working the way I want, but in this case with Windows networking I just don't get it (long time linux user / advocate for a reason).

Oh, two internal subnets in the same place. You should be able to simply forward the appropriate SMB ports through your router. I think

Make sure file & printer sharing is enabled in the windows firewall(s) at both ends.

Is there a reason you want to route? It appears you are just adding wireless access. If that is the case there is a much simplier way of accomplishing this.

Being an older router it most likely can't be set in Gateway mode. This is where it becomes a true two way router. Cascading routers results in the upstream subnet having no way to get to the downsteam subnet. Remember now the gateway in the upstream points to the internet not the downsteam subnet.

Sorry to resurrect this thread. But I was hoping to get some answers.. I have the exact same router, and I'm trying to achieve the exact same thing. lnxgeek how did you manage to solve this problem?
I'm also inside of a larger LAN and where I'm trying to set up file sharing.

Cheers, Adam

Hi kem,

Can you please start a new thread and post your specific issue(s)...including make/model numbers, OS, etc... That will allow us to help you more easily.