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COMMON PROBLEM #11: Setting up the LAN Distance Bridge
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PROBLEM:

When setting up the LAN Distance Connection Server, there are 
five major issues to get the bridge part of LAN Distance working 
correctly. 

The "Controller" mentioned below could be an IBM LAN Server's 
Domain Controller, or the 3270 Controller to get to the host, 
etc. 

1) LAN Adapter address to tell the LAN Distance Remote 
     workstation the location of the Controller (configured on 
     the LAN Distance Remote machine. 
2) Unique bridge number (0-15) for LAN Distance's bridge 
     (configure on LAN Distance's Connection Server).
3) LAN Segment Ring number (3 digit hexadecimal) the LAN Distance 
     Connection Server is located (configure on LAN Distance's 
     Connection Server). 
4) Network Bridge Hop count from the LAN Distance Remote 
     workstation to the Controller (configure on LAN Distance's 
     Connection Server).
5) Possible need to increase the Hop count for all bridges 
     between the LAN Distance Remote workstation and the 
     Controller (configure at each bridge). 
     
               

SOLUTION:

there is a very valuable tool called OS2PING that will soon
be placed in the Library of the remote lan access section.


This applet is highly recommended for anyone who is having 
problems with the items 1-5 above, or anyone who wants to 
discover more about their LANs.  The 802.2 protocol is required 
to run OS2PING.  This protocol is shipped with the LAN Distance 
product.



OS2PING COMMAND FOR LAN DISTANCE:

    OS2PING -a=xxxxxxxxxxxx -sr -r


WHERE:
 xxxxxxxxxxxx is the destination address of the Controller.  
 sr is the command to send a test ping to the destination address
 r is the command to display formatted routing information.


THIS EXAMPLE WILL PING: 

     from LAN Distance Remote workstation to the Controller.


THE RESULTING ROUTING INFORMATION FROM OS2PING IS:

     (002) 1 --> (cea) 7 --> (b22) 5 --> (c3a)


                                                           
WHAT DOES THIS RETURNED INFORMATION MEAN?

 Each number in parenthesis (cea) is a LAN Segment number for a 
     specific LAN.

 Each number after the LAN Segment is the bridge's unique number.

 In this example, the Ping traveled from WAN1 across three 
     bridges to LAN4:

     (002)  --- 1 ----> (cea) --- 7 --> (b22) --- 5 --> (c3a)

     (WAN1)  LD/Bridge  (LAN2)  Bridge  (LAN3)  Bridge  (LAN4)



 The LAN Distance connection is WAN1 (the default WAN Segment 
     for the LAN Distance product is 002).

 The LAN Distance Connection Server is the first bridge with a 
 default number "1".

 The Controller is on LAN4 (this is always the last LAN Segment 
     in the returned information).
                              
     


LAN DISTANCE BRIDGE SOLUTIONS:

1) The LAN Adapter address for the Controller is xxxxxxxxxxxx 
     (this is the known value you obtained from your LAN 
     Administrator).

2) A unique Bridge number (0-15) for the LAN Distance Connection 
     Server worked with the default number 1.

3) The LAN Distance Connection Server is located on 
     LAN Segment Ring number: cea.

4) The Network Bridge Hop count from the LAN Distance Remote 
     workstation to the Controller is 3 (count the bridges = one 
     LAN Distance bridge and 2 LAN bridges).

5) The ping from the LAN Distance Remote workstation to the 
     Controller returned from the Controller.  There is no need 
     to adjust the bridges to add an extra hop count. 



Additionally, to trouble shoot bridging problems, you can follow 
this sequence: 

a) Ping from Connection Server to any LAN workstation located on 
     that LAN segment the Connection Server is located. 
     
b) Ping from the Connection Server to the Controller. 

c) Ping from the LAN Distance Remote workstation to the 
     Connection Server. 

d) Ping from the LAN Distance Remote workstation to the 
     Controller. 

     If the ping from the LAN Distance Remote workstation to the 
     Controller fails, and OS2PING returns the message:

       OS2PING: No responses received during 10 second wait.

     Then you may either have an incorrect destination address 
     for the Controller, or you bridges may be tuned so tightly 
     that a response cannot return.
     
     One way to test this is to systematically ping from the LAN 
     Distance Remote Workstation to a LAN-attached workstation on 
     each intervening LAN.  For example from the LAN Distance 
     Remote workstation (WAN1), ping a known address on LAN2, 
     ping a known address on LAN3, and ping a known address on 
     LAN4.  If all pings return except on LAN4, then the bridge 
     between LAN3 and LAN4 may need its hop count increased.



NOTE: If your OS2PING produces multiple lines:

  OS2PING: First response received
  OS2PING: ADDR=xxxxxxxxxxxx Route was:
  (002) 1 --> (cea) 7 --> (b22) 5 --> (c3a)
     
  OS2PING: Later response(s) :
  OS2PING: ADDR=xxxxxxxxxxxx Route was:
  (002) 1 --> (cea) 7 --> (b22) 5 --> (c3a)
     
  OS2PING: ADDR=xxxxxxxxxxxx Route was:
  (002) 1 --> (cea) 7 --> (4ab) 2 --> (c21) 3 --> (b31) 5-->(c3a)
                                       
     These additional LANs represent various paths your ping can 
     take from your LAN Distance Remote Workstation to the 
     Controller.  
     
     Just as you can drive to work using several different roads, 
     OS2PING will show you the various paths back to the 
     Connection Server from the Controller.  You can use any path 
     that is stable; however, you may wish to use the path with 
     the fewest hop counts in order to minimize the number of 
     bridges and LANs.  The LAN Segment Ring number will always 
     be the same (last) number for your Controller, no matter 
     which path it takes to get to the controller.  (You always 
     make it to work, no matter which road you take to get 
     there.)
                              

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