Cable & Windows 2000
General
Overview
Configuring a Server or stand alone PC
Heartbeat login clients
Connecting Problems
Networking
Configuring
the second Network Card
Activating Windows 2000 Internet
Connection Sharing
Configuring the client PCs
An Example of a port mapping
Summary
Additional on-line Help
Overview
Note: If you're using a router
the information below is not relevant.
To share a Cable Internet connection using Windows 2000 or XP's
built in Internet Connection Sharing, you'll need a PC to act
as a Server to handle the incoming connection and to distribute
that to the other computer/s.
The Server will need two Network cards. One to connect to the
Cable Modem and one to connect to the internal network.
If you're just connecting to one other PC without a hub, you can
only achieve that by using a crossover cable. If you're connecting
via a hub or switch, you'll need to use a standard, straight through
cable as the hub provides the crossover.
Older coaxial Networks are exactly the same to configure in principal.
Configuring a Server or Stand Alone PC
Configuring the NIC is straightforward.
Once it’s fitted and the drivers are installed, plug the modem
in.
Go to your Control Panel
Choose "Network and Dial-Up Connections" 
Right-click and select Properties of the Adaptor plugged
into the modem
UN-tick everything except TCP/IP
Select properties of TCP/IP
Ensure everything is set to Automatic
“OK”
Restart if prompted.
Heartbeat Login clients
Update (Aug '06): Telstra have announced that the Heartbeat
system will be gradually retired over the next 9-12 months. See
Whirlpool
for more. While many people will still find the information on this
page regarding the Telstra Launchpad & BPALogin relevant for
the time being, those who are switched over to the new system will
find connecting now to be much the same as for Optus Cable subscribers.
(No login client or username & password required but Mac address
can play a role. See tip on the
heartbeat page.)
Note: Some people have reported getting regular dropouts after being
changed over to the new system by still running a login client,
so if you previously had a happy connection that now has a bad case
of dropping out, this may be why.
Telstra Launchpad
The installation CD doesn't work on Windows 2000 and will
just keep saying it can't connect.
As a workaround, download and run "CONFIGW.EXE" from
update-server.
You can access this while not logged on.
 Do
not choose the option to update Internet Explorer. It is a
customised version which will configure outdated proxy details
and stop your browser from working.
Update: Telstra have released a
new login client for BigPond Cable users which will work fine.
BPALogin
I highly recommend BPALogin on Windows 2000 instead of the Telstra
Launchpad.
To allow BPALogin to run as a service on Win2K, I have these
instructions kindly produced by Selar Rao.
Download BPALogin from sourceforge
Run the installation exe and leave it as default port 5050
Start a command prompt, (Start button, Run, type cmd.exe,
OK).
Go to C:\program files\bpalogin (c:\> cd \program files\bpalogin)
Execute bpaloginservice. (c:\Program files\bpalogin\bpaloginservice.exe)
Wait, and you will get a list of command line arguments to
use. The three you are after are the ones to set username, password,
and service port.
Rerun bpaloginservice with those arguments to set them (yes,
I know you set them when you installed but they didn't "take").
e.g. C:\Program Files\BPALogin>bpaloginservice -username
joe -password bloggs -port 5050
You should be able to get the service to start now.
Close the cmd window, go to services and stop and then start
(or restart in win2k) the bpalogin service.
Update: Telstra have released a
new login client for BigPond Cable users, and this one looks
much better than the old one. Unlike the old "Amicus Launchpad",
this new one (termed "BigPond Broadband Cable Login")
allows for specification of the port for the Heartbeat, can run
as a Windows NT Service, will auto connect & reconnect with
error logging, and integrates with the Usage Meter Toolbar.
Connecting problems
If you can't connect, check that you're actually getting an IP
address from the ISP
Open a Command Prompt window and type ipconfig/release
enter and then ipconfig/renew
enter.
If it times out and you only get an address that starts with
169 you have problems.
Ensure the Network card is configured correctly as above
Ensure any link lights are on at the card and on the modem
Ensure all leads are tested and proven
Ensure that there are no conflicts in the device manager
Ensure that the Network Card does in fact work by testing
with another proven card if necessary
Remove any other Network cards
Uninstall any software that may be related to Internet or
Networking, particularly firewalls & VPN clients
Uninstall any dial-up or dial-in connections
Check that there are no proxies configured in Internet Options
> Connections > LAN Settings
Apply Service pack 2 or reapply as the case may be.
Boot up with your Windows 2000 CD and choose the repair option.
If all this fails, you most likely have a corrupted registry
and a complete format is the quickest
option.
That's it for a stand alone PC. Continue ahead for Networking.
Now for the other Network Card
Go to your "Control Panel"
Choose Network & Dial-Up Connections
Right-click the network card which is connected to your LAN.
Click "Properties"
Give it a static IP of 192.168.0.1
Set the subnet mask to
255.255.255.0
Note:
For the Computers to all "see" each other in Network
Neighbourhood, otherwise known as "My Network Places",
ensure file & printer sharing is active on this card
and Enable Netbios over TCP under the WINs tab.
Activating ICS
All that is needed is to enable sharing on the Network Card that
the modem is plugged into.
Go to "My network Places" Properties.
Select properties on the Cable Modem's Network Card and open
the sharing tab. It's self explanatory from there.
Client Configuration
Go to your Control Panel
Choose "Network and Dial-Up Connections"
Right-click and select Properties of the Adaptor plugged
your hub or other PC
Select properties of TCP/IP
Ensure everything is set to Automatic
“DNS” as below *
“OK”
Restart if prompted.
* Telstra users: If you're having trouble accessing news
groups, logging into Telstra or sending & receiving email
just add "XXX.bigpond.net.au" as a domain suffix (Where XXX is
your state - nsw, vic, qld, sa, wa etc) to the TCP/IP settings
on all the client PCs. (Pics
- win98/ME .
Win2K )
* Other Broadband users will need to consult
their ISP for these details. Often they're mentioned in on-line
FAQs.
For email: Just put your mail server's name in the SMTP
field in the relevant email address properties. In Outlook Express,
it should look like this for BigPond users.
You will need to do this whether your email account
is with your Broadband ISP or not. Any replies will come to you
via your usual mail server. So it'll use your ISP’s to send and
the other to receive. Your contacts won't know the difference.
Note:
If you want static IPs
on the LAN, you'll need to install the server's
IP address as a gateway on the client
PCs and also as a DNS search order.
This is also often a good method to get around some inexplicable
difficulties.
Note:
For the Computers to all "see" each other in Network
Neighbourhood, otherwise known as "My Network Places",
ensure file & printer sharing is active on this card.
An Example of a port mapping
Occasionally problems may arise when trying to use certain applications
from a client PC through the ICS Server. This happens due to default
security settings that automatically block ports that are not
normally used.
Windows 2000 has advanced settings so that these ports can be
configured, or "mapped" (Well, in this case they're
just opened, but you'll get the idea).
In the following, we'll use ICQ as an example.
Go to your Control Panel on the server
Choose "Network and Dial-Up Connections"
Right-click and select Properties of the Adaptor that connects
to the Internet
Select the Sharing Tab
Click the Settings Button
Click Add
Name it ICQ
Remote Service port Number = 4000
Set as UDP
TCP = 2000-4000
UDP = 2000-4000
Click OK to all that
Note:
The ports I have chosen here are the most common ports set in
these circumstances for ICQ, but they can be anything you like
above 1024, as long as they match what you set in your ICQ preferences.
Applications other than ICQ will have their own ports that they
use and are usually mentioned in their FAQs or help files.
Next go to your ICQ preferences on the client PC
Choose "Conection" and "Server"
Set the Host port to 4000
Choose the "Users" Tab
Select "Not using Proxy"
Select "Use the following TCP listening port for incoming
event"
Specify from 2000 to 4000
Click "Apply" and you should be laughing.
Summary
The end result should look like this -
(Any settings not mentioned should be left at default)
The Server
Adaptor 1 connected to the modem:
TCP/IP set to obtain automatically
File & Printer Sharing on tcp/ip disabled
No DNS or Gateways enabled
(Win2k disable netbios over TCP in WINs)
Adaptor 2 connected to the LAN
TCP/IP set to 192.168.0.1, Subnet 255.255.255.0
File & Printer Sharing Enabled
No DNS or Gateways enabled
The client/s
TCP/IP set to obtain automatically
File & Printer Sharing & Netbios over TCP under WINs
Enabled
DNS Suffix of your ISP's (BigPond is qld.bigpond.net.au or whatever
state you're in, & bigpond.net.au)
No Gateways
Alternatively -
Issue sequential static IPs in TCP/IP - 192.168.0.2, 192.168.0.3
etc. Subnet 255.255.255.0
File & Printer Sharing & Netbios over TCP under WINs
Enabled
DNS Suffix of your ISP's
DNS Server Search Order 192.168.0.1
Gateway 192.168.0.1
Links and resources
Helmig
Practically
Networked
Sharing
a USB Modem
ICS
Configuration Utility
Phil
Clayton
Mad
Mick
Ars
Technica PC building guide.
911 Networks
Windows
98 Tips & Tricks
Broomeman
Windows
2000 message board
Windows
2000 Forums
JSI Inc
Labmice
Windows
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