Can I use my Symphony Ethernet Bridge if my Cable company does not support Network Address Translation NAT
Question
Can I use my Symphony Ethernet Bridge if my Cable company does not support Network Address Translation NAT
Answer
Introduction: Proxim has learned that at least one cable company does not support the feature known as Network Address Translation (NAT). NAT allows a device to share a single IP address and Internet connection with multiple devices connected to the same Local Area Network (LAN). The Symphony Ethernet Bridge uses NAT to allow multiple computers simultaneous access to the Internet when assigned only one (1) IP address by an ISP (Internet Service Provider).
If your ISP has provided you with a limited number of Computer Names and a Workgroup designation that must be assigned to your computer or computers in order to enable Internet access, then you cannot use the Symphony Ethernet Bridge to perform NAT. In this case, the Ethernet Bridge can still function in Transparent Bridging mode but you will have Internet access only on those computers that are assigned the Computer Names provided to you by the ISP.
Symptom: If your ISP has provided you with a specific Computer Name and Workgroup designation to assign to a computer in order to enable Internet access, Symphony-enabled computers will not be able to communicate with the Internet though the Symphony Ethernet Bridge when the Ethernet Bridge is configured to perform NAT. In this case, the ISP's DHCP server is using the Computer Name to verify your identity before assigning the computer a dynamic IP address. However, the Ethernet Bridge cannot be assigned a Computer Name so it will not receive an IP address from the DHPC server and it will be unable to perform NAT. The Ethernet Bridge is configured to operate in NAT mode by default.
To determine the Computer Name assigned to a computer, double-click the Network icon in the Control Panel and select the "Identification" tab.
If you entered a specific Computer Name and Workgroup Designation following the directions of your ISP or if an ISP technician during the installation visit configured the computer with a specific Computer Name and Workgroup designation, then the Symphony Ethernet Bridge will not provide Internet access to Symphony-enabled computers when it is configured to perform NAT.
Solution: The Symphony Ethernet Bridge will allow Symphony-enabled computers access to the Internet if it is configured to operate in Transparent Bridging mode. In Transparent Bridging mode, the Ethernet Bridge does not participate in the DHCP process. However, the number of Symphony-enabled computers that can access the Internet will be limited by the number of Computer Names provided to you by the ISP. For example, if the ISP has provided you with only one (1) Computer Name, then only the computer configured with that particular Computer Name would have access to the Internet. If the number of computers that require Internet access exceeds the number of Computer Names provided by your ISP, contact the ISP to find out if additional Computer Names are available.
Follow these directions to configure the Ethernet Bridge to operate in Transparent Bridging mode:
1. Double-click the Symphony Ethernet Bridge icon, shown below, in the Windows 95/98 System Tray of a Symphony-enabled computer to launch the Symphony Maestro Configuration Tool.
2. Click the <Configure> button under the "Symphony Ethernet Bridge" heading, as shown below, to display the Ethernet Bridge Network Configuration screen.
3. Click the TCP/IP tab, if not already selected. All of the TCP/IP values in this screen should be configured to 0.0.0.0, and DHCP should be set to "Disabled," as shown below.
4. Click the Advanced tab and select the middle option, "I would like to use the Ethernet Bridge to allow my cordless computers to communicate with Ethernet computers," as shown below.
5. Click <OK> to save these changes. The Symphony Ethernet Bridge will automatically reboot.
6. Reboot the cable modem.
7. Restart the Symphony-enabled computers that are configured with the Computer Names provided by the ISP. These computers should now be able to access the Internet using the Symphony Ethernet Bridge.
