WiFi through ICS works, ActiveSync doesn't. Help!

[aldeng]

Hi gurus. I'm in need of your grace. I have a Jornada 568 with the Symbol WiFi card. My desktop runs Win XP with ICS enabled. Using this, I'm surfing happily with the Thunderhawk browser (BTW, get this browser. It rocks).

But no luck with ActiveSync. I know I have a link and DHCP and all that from ICS, or I wouldn't see the internet.

I've set up an ad hoc WiFi connection (no hub). What should I do? :(

[jdhill]

Try setting the WINS address on the PPC to the IP address of the PC with which you are trying to sync.

Also, in Connection Manager set (from top to bottom)
Internet
Internet
Work

[aldeng]

Thanks for your reply. On the PPC, I'm using DHCP, which is providing me an IP address, a gateway address and a DNS address. The gateway and DNS are the IP address of my desktop running ICP. As far as I can tell, it is not supplying a WINS IP address, and it doesn't allow me to enter one on the PPC when in DHCP mode.

I've set the Connection manage as you've suggested and still no luck.

Another thing that might be compounding matters is that my desktop is also acting as a bridge between a wired HPNA network, the internet and the WiFi network. Any more ideas?

[jdhill]

First, note the IP Address, Subnet Mask, Default Gateway, and the DNS addresses. Then disable DHCP and enter the same IP address, subnet mask, default gateway and DNS, and also add the IP address of your desktop as the WINS server.

Also, what is the IP address that DHCP assigned to you?

[aldeng]

Thanks for your continued help! I tried going to static address and copying over what DHCP was giving me and no luck. Still works browsing through Thunderhawk (but not PocketIE) and no ActiveSync.

My DHCP server is handing out addresses of the form: 192.168.0.x where x varies each time. My desktop is 192.168.0.1 and subnet mask is 255.255.255.0

All of that seems right to me. It seems like the problem has something to do with a higher remote file system kind of level. Something more like the MS network client for sharing folders and whatnot. That's why I can't be seen by ActiveSync, the file explorer (no PPC My Documents, either) or my Mazingo client.

My Connection Manager also looks weird to me on the PPC. All it has is modem or IR stuff in there and no WiFi card. Is it supposed to be like that, or should it have my WiFi card in there, too?

[jdhill]

Does your desktop always get the same IP address (192.168.0.1)?

What is the IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway on your Pocket PC?

Settings / Connections tab / Network Adapters should list 'Spectrum 24 802.11b' when the Symbol WiFi card is inserted. If it doesn't, you should reinstall the Symbol drivers.

If you select that driver and tap the Properties button, what are the addresses listed there for IP address, Subnet mask, Default gateway, DNS and WINS?

[aldeng]

My desktop is the DHCP server (ICS provides DHCP) and it is always assigned 192.168.0.1

My PPC gets a new IP address every time I insert the card. This address is always of the form 192.168.0.x where 1<x<255. Gateway and DNS are set to 192.168.0.1. Subnet mask is 255.255.255.0

When viewing the Spectrum 24 driver, I see no addresses and DHCP is selected. When I go into the driver interface on the today screen and set to manual addressing, the addresses I enter here also show up in the Spectrum 24 driver.

[jdhill]

Settings / Connections tab / Network Adapters, "Spectrum 24 802.11b", Properties button. Disable DHCP and manually set the IP address=192.168.0.100, subnet mask=255.255.255.0, default gateway=192.168.0.1, DNS=192.168.0.1 and WINS=192.168.0.1 addresses here.

[aldeng]

Yes, I tried this on Saturday. Did it again, no luck. Still works fine browsing, though, even with static IP.

I'm pretty much convinced this is not a network issue. DHCP, DNS, IP, 802.11 are all working fine. The problem is above the protocol stacks. ActiveSync sits on the file system, not a TCP port. This is why I have functional IP, but not ActiveSync or any other file system service.

So where's the best place to get tech support for this kind of thing? Should I be calling MSFT, HP, Symbol or Micron (my desktop)?

Thanks for all your continued help!

[jdhill]

I still think it is a network issue. When you do an ActiveSync using a wired NIC or a WLAN NIC such as the Symbol card, it uses TCP/IP for the connectivity and either DNS or WINS for address resolution. The ActiveSync partnership knows your computer's DNS host name and NetBIOS name. When you are using USB, Serial or IR it does not need to know your IP address since it is not using TCP/IP as the transport.

The Symbol software allows you to ping an IP address. Can you ping 192.168.0.1? If you can, then you have connectivity to your desktop. If you can browse the Internet, then your subnet mask, default gateway, and DNS are configured correctly. If all of that works, then it is a name resolution issue. Using the IP of your desktop as the WINS address on the Pocket PC should resolve that name to the proper IP address.

Let me know if the Pocket PC can ping 192.168.0.1.

[aldeng]

Oh, one more thing.

I noticed that I get no WiFi link activity at all when I ActiveSync or run PocketIE. Like it's not even requesting name service at all or ActiveSync isn't even trying the WLAN. Like it doesn't know I have a WLAN at all. But as always, Thunderhawk works great, and I see the link activity and watch it being bridged to my DSL link. Go figure.

[aldeng]

Somehow, my last reply didn't get posted.

I don't see how to ping from the PPC.

I can ping the PPC from the desktop with both DHCP and static IP addresses.

[jdhill]

With the Symbol card in the Pocket PC, go to the Today screen and tap on the icon in the lower right corner of the screen that looks like a wireless PC card and a green signal strength meter.

That opens the Symbol Status program. Using the tabs at the bottom of the screen, move to the right on the tabs until you see the "Ping" tab. Enter 192.168.0.1 in the IP field, then tap on "Start Test". The PPC will ping the address and show you how many pings were sent at each speed (1/2/5.5/11 MB/Sec.).

If the ping test works then you have connectivity over TCP/IP to the desktop and it most likely is a name resolution problem that is preventing ActiveSync from working. (I trust that you have checked your ActiveSync Connection Settings and Allow Network is indeed checked. I also trust that you have checked the ActiveSync settings on the Pocket PC and that the PC tab has a check by "Include PC when synchronizing remotely and connect to:" and that the drop-down box has the name of your PC in it.)

ActiveSync over a wired NIC or a WLAN card does not use the file system for connectivity. It is using a network redirector over TCP/IP. The first step in this, however, is resolving the NetBIOS name in the partnership to a TCP/IP address using DNS or WINS or something that functionally replaces them for host name resolution.

[aldeng]

I'm running driver version 3.24 downloaded from the web site. No ping tab there.

Yes, I have those LAN checkboxes set on both sides. On the PPC, the dropdown does have my desktop computer name.

The ping test definitely works when initiated from the desktop.

Hmm. So name service is working for internet IP address, but not for NetBIOS names. I can tell you this much -- when I run ActiveSync or PocketIE, the WLAN is absolutely dead. No activity at all. It's not even trying to do name resolution. Does it have a local cache? Can I flush it?

[JonnoB]

Usually if you can get on the internet, but cannot connect to your PC (such as ActiveSync) is because your PPC cannot resolve the computer name of your host machine. For example, your machine name is not in the DNS server your PPC is connecting through (most likely the ISP). What you need to do is import an internal lookup in your PPC host file that will resolve the desktop computer name to your intranet IP address (192.168.x.x type address). Either that, or add NetBIOS over IP.

To help you create your own host mapping, try this program. http://www.zimac.de/files/phosts.zip

[jdhill]

I also have version 3.24 of the driver. You need to scroll right in the tabs by tapping the right triangle button near the bottom right corner of the screen before you will see the ping tab.

I trust you are starting ActiveSync manually on the Pocket PC (it will not start automatically when you are using a network connection). You have to tap the green "Sync" button on the PPC. Are you getting any error messages? If so, what are they?

If there is a local cache for names, I don't know how you would flush it on the PPC.

The Internet uses DNS for name resolution so that is obviously working. ActiveSync will use either DNS or WINS for name resolution. Since you are running Windows XP and not running DNS, this still looks like a NetBIOS name resolution problem.