Re: How to tell which protocol (NetBUI or TCP/IP) each Network Neighborhood connection is using

From: N. Miller (anonymous_at_discussions.microsoft.com)
Date: 08/08/04 

Date: Sat, 7 Aug 2004 23:22:22 -0700

In article <ueavMyYdEHA.3928@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl>, *** Kistler says...

> However, you do increase your security somewhat if you use a different
> protocol for file and printer sharing than for communications with the
> internet.

I suppose that makes sense if you are using the same adapter to access the
Internet as you are using to share your files and your printer. If I wasn't
behind a router, I would just bind the file and printer sharing to the LAN
adapters; keep it off of the Internet adapter. Or am I missing something?

> In addition, if the protocol is not routable, like NetBEUI is, you get a
> little more
> security. In fact, some sites recommend this as the only way to go, and that
> using a single protocol for both internet connection and file/printer
> sharing
> is crazy. It seems to me that the network browsing problem could be
> worked(so far, I haven't observed it).

I have not seen any successful attempts to access my file shares and printer
shares. I get hit with NetBIOS probes, but my shares might as well be on the
USB-USB bridge, or the IPX/SPX-compatible protocol as far as they are
concerned.

> I just would like a straight answer from Microsoft about why they
> don't support NetBEUI. I could handle it. Even if they said something
> like "We stopped supporting NetBEUI because a. It's something we
> used during the MSDOS era and we are flushing anything that we
> can that we used back then. b. If you use an unroutable protocol
> on your network, it will make it difficult for our "trusted computer"
> system to work. or c. We couldn't see how NetBEUI could make
> us any bucks, since the number of NetBEUI users is dropping. If
> we could get rid of NWLink, we'd dump it too." I guess I could live
> with it.

I would guess it is because the whole *nix world seems to be sold on the
TCP/IP protocol. *nix, and TCP/IP seem to be driving the Internet; MSFT is a
Johnny-come-lately to that world, and has probably encountered something
bigger than they are. So they have stopped trying to buck the trend, and
decided, instead, to try and co-opt it. 

-- 
Norman
~Win dain a lotica, En vai tu ri, Si lo ta
~Fin dein a loluca, En dragu a sei lain
~Vi fa-ru les shutai am, En riga-lint