HI...

 I've got a peer to peer network of one win98 machine and two win2k machines, all plugged into a switch and a adsl modem/router also plugged into that switch.

 I find I can't ping other machines on that network.

 For instance, this win2k machine I'm writing on is 192.168.1.5 and the win98 machine is 192.168.1.3 and when I try to ping it I get time out.

 Just had a horrible thought: maybe it is the firewalls on each machine?

  If you think that's not it, please tell me what you think  it might be.

  Meanwhile I'll check out that possibility and sorry for wasting everyone's time if that is the prob.

 regards,
ab

Well, I've got Sygate on 192.168.1.4 and it has TCP/IP ping command as allowed full access.

But I still can't ping it from 192.168.1.5.

Times out.

What are the subnet masks for the two machines? Also can the other machine ping yours or does it also time out?

I've got the two win2k machines pinging each other happily. I had to set something else in the Sygate firewall, even though it had the setting I mentioned.

And this machine has Zone Alarm on it - I put the other two machines in the trusted zone there and as a result I can see the other - ping the other - win2k and it can ping me.

But still can't ping the win98, which has Outpost on it and I thought I configured Outpost to allow everything.

I can't check it right now - my wife's using the machine and busy as can be, can't interrupt.

I wish there was some way to check machines from DOS with such as ipconfig but I know of nothing.

  Everyone is using 255.255.255.0 as their subnet mask and the default gateway for them all is the same: 192.168.1.1

  I think it is going to turn out to be a simple problem of those bloody firewalls.

  regards,

 ab :)

If your subnet masks are all the same and everyone resides in the 192.168.1.x network, then the issue is not with IP configuration end-to-end.

If it were me, I'd start by disabling all security devices. I agree with you and I suspect it will work when you do this. I'd then enable one at a time and re-run my tests and tweak each security device until the pings (from each machine to the other) work again. Only once it works would I then move on and re-enable another firewall produt.

I'd repeat as necessary for each machine/software firewall and re-run ping tests each time.

It's a slow process but it's a method I call 'divide and conquer' but you will resolve the issue in the end.