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    2 Computers behind one ip!

    Discussion in 'Networking and Wireless' started by chandlerjea, Nov 23, 2004.

  1. chandlerjea

    chandlerjea Notebook Consultant

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    Hey!

    I have two desktop computers, both connected to a router sharing the same internet (basic stuff here.) What I want to do is, with my laptop, from another location, say a friends house. Is be able to log into the computers with either Remote desktop (win xp feature) or a third party program like real vnc or something. The problem i'm currently having is i can only log into one computer but not the other even though i have remote desktop enabled on both. How do I specify which computer to log into. I allready have them set up with different user accounts but that's not workin!

    Sharp AL27, Athlon 64 2700+ 60Gb hdd, 512Mb mem, 64Mb vid, superbright lcd. Great choise for business use.
     
    chandlerjea, Nov 23, 2004
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  2. jchastain

    jchastain Notebook Consultant

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    When a router has to managed multiple computers sharing a single IP address, it does it using different port addresses. When a request comes in on a port that isn't in use, most routers will throw away that request as a security risk. But most routers have the ability to perform port forwarding - taking a packet that comes in on a given port and automatically forward it to a PC on the inside network. Remote Desktop on XP typically uses port 3389 so if you configure your router to forward that port to one of your PCs internal IP addresses, you should be able to access that PC by using the Remote Desktop and pointing to your router's external IP address.

    In order to access the second machine, you would need to use a nonstandard port. I have never tried to do this and do not even know if XP would allow you to reconfigure the ports, but even if it is possible, it would be complex. I would suggest using the remote desktop to access one machine or the other.

    Also, I would be remiss if I didn't mention that there are security risks in opening ports by having your router forward them. While doing so allows you to acess from the outside, it also provide a hole for others to try to exploit.

    Good Luck!
     
    jchastain, Nov 23, 2004
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  3. chandlerjea

    chandlerjea Notebook Consultant

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    I figured out a sort of work around. I can log into one computer, then from that pc, i can log into the other locally, since it's allready networked it doesn't have to go out from behind the router at all. This is good in several ways; I don't have to open anymore ports then needed for one.

    Sharp AL27, Athlon 64 2700+ 60Gb hdd, 512Mb mem, 64Mb vid, superbright lcd. Great choice for business use.
     
    chandlerjea, Nov 23, 2004
    #3