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Hi

We have a DNS/print server at our HQ which monitors printing, etc.  All our sites currently have printers with fixed IPs.  This causes challenges as the printers move about from site to site.  At HQ we tried naming a printer, setting it to DHCP and setting DNS on the printer to the HQ DNS/print server.  This printer can now be added to any PC/laptop and anyone can print to it.

We have then tried to name a printer at a remote site and do the same.  All remote sites can see the DNS/print server.  However HQ cannot resolve the name printer at the remote site so cannot add it into the printers.   Is there anything we are missing here?   

Thank you

Hi

We have several sites all linked together with a MPLS.  HQ has a DNS server and at HQ everything works very well.  Each site has its own router that has a unique IP range.  Each site can see the HQ DNS server (192.168.100.13) but as it only acts as DNS for HQ, each site does not recognise the DNS entries.  We therefore have a few challenges.

A. Although each site can see HQ servers, they cannot access by name (only by IP address), therefore Intranet names do not work.
B. Each PC is set up at HQ.  However, if a PC is at a different site and needs to be set up with a different user, it is cumbersome. We have to login as the PC admin, then do a software VPN and then login as the new user.

We are trying to think of a way around this. 

A. We can copy a hosts file from a central location at HQ to each PC on PC start up.  This seems very old fashioned but will not resolve B.
B. We have investigated reverese DNS possibilities on our firewall but the central firewall cannot do this.

Is there a simple elegant solution that would help us around our challenge here?

 Hi

We are desperate for some help as we don't have specialist networking expertise in-house and no-one else seems willing to help us.

Since switching to a new lease line 10/100 and running on the MPLS, we are maxing out on bandwidth.  Our old line was also 10/100.  One PC/Laptop or phone can simply eat up all the bandwidth which means we are not operational and our 10 sites cannot RDP in nor can anyone access our web server.  I will probably get fired shortly if this is not resolved  by Monday.  The MPLS provider has put QOS 4MB on HTTP & HTTPS (cisco router) but we still have no operations for 90% of the day.  Previously our line would slow down but remain operational.

We have a MPLS with Cisco routers at each site and our MPLS company has said it can make netflow logs and sylogs available to us if we provide server IP and port for each.  That is the easy part (we have a Windows server) but we have no network expertise and have no idea what software we need and have no guidance.  They refuse to help us any further than that.  They will not even advise us what software we need.   

HQ - We run web, e-mail, RDP on internal network, printing to Sites, FTP in & out, hardware VPN and a little CCTV.
Each site - We run web, e-mail, RDP into HQ, FTP in & out, printing via HQ, hardware VPN and a little CCTV.

Once initial crisis is over we will give them notice!   In the interim ...

A. What can we do on firewall/routers to stabilise the connection and prevent a PC/laptop/Phone from taking up all the bandwidth.

B. Can someone please advise us on what software we need to pick up these Netflow logs and what we need to interpret the Netflow logs.  It must be windows based and must help us identify what is causing the issues in an easy way.  Ideally a free/cheap/open source system would be great.  We have 10 sites, all with Cisco routers and 3 sites with hardware VPN.  We have looked a nprobe but don't know where to start and cost options are really confusing.  i.e. HTTP is extra, etc.  Also advise the same re. syslogs.

In layman's terms we need to identify traffic problems (ideally at each site, especially HQ) and be able to also identify web usage statistics (ideally at each site) by machine/user.  We need the machine name, device type (and/or user) and what on that machine is causing problems.

We would also be willing to pay someone to help us out here both with syslogs and netflow software.  i.e. Let us know what we need, and then guide us through installation. 

Help and guidance really appreciated.