ATT Uverse with HP MediaSmart Windows Home Server - Router behind router error

[countusc]

This is a problem that I'm sure KoolKid or one of the other 'old-timers' around here can figure out, but currently it is beyond me.

I have a pretty advanced network all connected to the net via att Uverse 6Mbps FTTP.  Here is how things are connected:

 RG

-STB1

-Gigabit Switch

--Gigabit Switch

---STB2

---STB3

---SlingBox Pro HD

---PS3

--Dell Desktop (Vista Ultimate)

--HP MediaSmart Windows Home Server (WHS)

Wireless: Epson Artisan 800, Dell Laptop, Dell Axim...

Recently, I've been getting random outages where internet and TV are both completely gone.  I also have been getting a weird router-behind-router error where it wants to put my WHS in the DMZ.  This was appear to indicate that somehow the WHS is conflicting with the RG and issuing IP addresses that conflict with the RG's IP address pool.... However, I don't know how the DHCP settings on the server could have been turned on - I don't remember where to do that in WServer2K3.  The only solution I've found so far is to unplug the WHS from the network and unplug the power from the RG, wait 30 min or so and boot everythin back up.  This solution also seems like there is some sort of excessive session problem that takes some time for the sessions to reset and become available again.  I do torrent from time to time, but the outages do not seem to be correllating with torrent usage.

Any ideas, can someone tell me where to go in WinServer 2k3 to verify that DHCP is off?

Thanks!

[randyl]

http://www.windowsreference.com/windows-2003/install-and-configure-dhcp-server-in-win-server-2003-st...

[Computer-Joe]

Besides the DHCP server on the WHS. If your WHS is hosting any web accessible services, the UPNP in the WHS might be directing the RG to put it in the DMZ.

[countusc]

It doesn't appear that the server has DHCP enabled, so the question is, why the RG wants to put the server in the DMZ.

I've set up the RG to forward the correct ports (80, 443, and ???) to the server, so I don't know why the RG demands the entire server to be in the DMZ.  And correct me if I'm wrong, but putting the server in the DMZ would make the entire server vulnerable to attacks, right?

I hesitate testing the server in the DMZ for any extended period of time for the risk of attack.  Also, it worked fine for a couple months as is.

The only thing I did was install the WIIST add-in to the WHS console, but have since uninstalled it. 

Any other ideas as to what to do or what else to troubleshoot?

[randyl]

as u stated about session .. check the amount  1024 in 512 in etc and see if u have run out ...

http://gateway.2wire.net/xslt?PAGE=J14&THISPAGE=J33&NEXTPAGE=J14

current secs since boot: 802012
session table 903/1024 available, 0/512 used in inbound sessions:
sess[52971]: bkt 4, flags: 0x000001a1, proto: 6, cnt: 7

[htcpro]

Did you try running all your clients except the STB's behind another router?

My setup

- RG

- SW

   -- STB 1

   -- STB 2

- Router (DD-WRT/DMZ/192.168.2.1)

  -GB SW

    --- Desktop 1 - 3

    --- WHS

    --- XBMC 1 - 2

    --- Wireless Clients

All my port forwading is done through the WRT54G runnging DD-WRT (need my WOL )and never had a single issue.  

[Computer-Joe]

---

htcpro wrote:

Did you try running all your clients except the STB's behind another router?

My setup

- RG

- SW

   -- STB 1

   -- STB 2

- Router (DD-WRT/DMZ/192.168.2.1)

  -GB SW

    --- Desktop 1 - 3

    --- WHS

    --- XBMC 1 - 2

    --- Wireless Clients

All my port forwading is done through the WRT54G runnging DD-WRT (need my WOL )and never had a single issue.  

---

Thanks thcpro, that was my next suggestion, but I think there might still be something with the UPnP on the WHS trying to configure the RG. As a WHS user, maybe you can shed some light on this.

[htcpro]

WHS will get UpnP on the router to forward ports depending on the services that are turned on. I think RG is not interpreting the requests properly and blindly DMZ'ing the server - odd but only plausible cause.

I do have UPnP enabled in the DD-WRT and it only forwards ports selectively per WHS requests. 

[countusc]

For others - I have no router other than the ATT RG.  Since I am FTTP the fiber line terminates at the ONT on the side of my house and an ethernet run extends from the ONT to the RG.

Computer Joe and others - Thanks for your help.  Sorry for the delay, I was able to thoroughly enjoy some family time lately.

In a sudden stroke of genious I was able to physically reconfigure my network as follows:

RG

-STB1

-STB2

-STB3

-Gigabit Switch

--Windows Home Server

--Desktop

--SlingBox

--PS3

Wireless clients (printer and lappies)

Just set this up so I'll let you know if this works... I might give it a day or two.  Another thought I had, though:  Is it possible that due to the remote programming capabilities of the DVR, there is a conflict between remote access set up via the RG and the DRV remote access?  For example if there is an HTTPS request to the RG and it is for the DVR and there is another HTTPS request that gets forwarded to the WHS, could that be causing a conflict?  I really wish there was someone at the ATT labs that I could bounce these questions off of (wink wink).  I have the perfect test environment in my house, with not quite enough information about what's going on inside the ATT RG!

[htcpro]

---

countusc wrote:

For others - I have no router other than the ATT RG.  Since I am FTTP the fiber line terminates at the ONT on the side of my house and an ethernet run extends from the ONT to the RG.

Computer Joe and others - Thanks for your help.  Sorry for the delay, I was able to thoroughly enjoy some family time lately.

In a sudden stroke of genious I was able to physically reconfigure my network as follows:

RG

-STB1

-STB2

-STB3

-Gigabit Switch

--Windows Home Server

--Desktop

--SlingBox

--PS3

Wireless clients (printer and lappies)

Just set this up so I'll let you know if this works... I might give it a day or two.  Another thought I had, though:  Is it possible that due to the remote programming capabilities of the DVR, there is a conflict between remote access set up via the RG and the DRV remote access?  For example if there is an HTTPS request to the RG and it is for the DVR and there is another HTTPS request that gets forwarded to the WHS, could that be causing a conflict?  I really wish there was someone at the ATT labs that I could bounce these questions off of (wink wink).  I have the perfect test environment in my house, with not quite enough information about what's going on inside the ATT RG!

---

Mine works and seems like there are others as well - using the Router behind router method

 http://social.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/whssoftware/thread/b9a6b50e-39fa-4af0-9baf-1e0070c87586/

Although we access the yahoo website through a SSL tunnel, the web application must be connecting to the DVR on a different port. I don't think ATT will use the standard 443 from the backend since users will need that to run their own servers. 

Message Edited by htcpro on 01-04-2009 09:25 AM

[countusc]

Still working without problem.

I also had the issue explained here:

http://social.microsoft.com/forums/en-US/whssoftware/thread/f57d1442-3368-4ab7-991a-9594bfa7196e#pag...

but with a minor addition to my hosts file, I'm back connected to the server from all computers.  I'm giving htcpro the props for this one, but thank you all for your help.  I have not yet attempted torrents, remote access or remote sling access, but will let you know if I run into any other problems.

Cheers!

Message Edited by countusc on 01-05-2009 08:07 PM

[countusc]

OK, all was going well until I started up the torrent engine last night and had no internet this AM - I wanted to test and see what would happen.  When I first started it up, the torrent-running machine was eating up all the sessions (as expected) so I geared down the connections in the torrent programs so that there were between 100-200 sessions open at any given time.  That kept it running for several minutes, so I let it be, but by morning it had aparently brought down my network connection. 

After a total reboot and 30 min or so later, everything was working again.  Until tonight.  Wife was transferring tons of files wirelessly from laptop to WHS and the WHS lost network connectivity. (torrents are downloaded by desktop but saved to WHS).  I wonder if the high volume of file transfers (either via torrent or lcoally) is causing a problem with the RG???  This isn't the first time she's had her connection from wireless g laptop to wired WHS lost during a file transfer of many, many gigs (she does some serious digital scrapbooking and we have a 14.7mpxl cam.)

Any idea?  I have not tried the router behind router setup as I do not want to add any more complexity to my network or manage another router if at all possible.

[countusc]

Can you reccommend a wireless N router?  What would you get if money was no option and why?  Question open to anyone.

[countusc]

Thinking back, it dawned on me that all my problems with the ATT RG and my windows home server began when I installed and immediately uninstalled the wiist add-in for my WHS.  This seems to have activated something on the server that began to conflict with the RG.  I finally performed a server recovery to reinstall all the server software and the last couple days have been great. I'll keep my fingers crossed.