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Zonealarm - Network printing

I have a small network with 2 PC's and a printer. My PC is hard-wired to a wireless router and the other PC connects wirelessly. The other PC also has a printer, which is connected via USB and is set as a network printer so I can use it. The other PC used to have Sygate's free firewall installed and I could print without a problem. It now has Zonealarm, and at first it wouldn't work. I have got it working now but I'd like to understand why! :) The IP of my router is 192.168.0.1 and my PC's IP is 192.168.0.3. So I put both those in the trusted zone on Zonealarm and set the security to minimum for the trusted zone. It did still seem to print just once but then not again. My modem's IP is

192.168.1.1 and although I can't see why that would have anything to do with it, I changed the trusted zone to include everything from 192.168.0.0 to 192.168.1.255. Now it's fine. How can this be though? I only tried that range out of desperation. I've definately got the IP of my PC, the other PC and my router correct. So I just want to know why this has made it work. The logs in Zonealarm aren't any help, as they only mention my IP but none others on the LAN.

Thanks, Geoff.

Reply to
Geoff
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So, that's a bad move as what you have done is opened your machines to attack from a wireless hacker that can join your network and access them, because he or she can obtained an IP from the DHCP server or can use a static IP in the range you have opened with the PFW(s) and attack them.

Who knows?

I suggest that you get something less complicated and set it up properly.

Duane :).

Reply to
Duane Arnold

My guess is that adding 192.168.0.0 to the Trusted Zone did the trick since that adds your Network (rather than just individual IPs) to the Trusted Zone. When I installed my Zone Alarm Pro, it auto-identified my Network (192.168.0.0) and had me confirm that I wanted it, then chose Trusted Zone. Did you not have it suggested at installation to add the Network 192.168.0.0/255.255.255.0 as a Network (under Entry Type)?

Craig

Reply to
Craig

Hi Duane. DHCP is turned off for starters. Also only computers with my MAC address and that of the other PC can access the router. Also, the wireless is secure. I know all that can be got around but for my tame little network I hardly think anyone will bother. Also, the reason I asked the question was partly so I didn't have to leave all that address range open, just in case.

So what is "something less complicated that's setup properly"? What other method are you aware of that I could use to setup my network? Any constructive ideas you have will be most appreciated.

Geoff. :)

Reply to
Geoff

I can't honestly remember if that was suggested when I installed Zonealarm or not. I'm surprised I didn't accept that if it was suggested though. I didn't realise that adding 192.168.0.0 would add the entire nerwork, but I'll look into that and try just having that as the trusted zone and see what happens.

Thanks for your helpful reply Craig, Geoff.

Reply to
Geoff

How do you know? More and more people are becoming aware of wireless and they know how to look-up information on how to come around all of it. I look at it this way. They have got to practice on someone. ;-)

You can use a standalone print server and plug it into a LAN port on the router using a static IP. You won't have to set the rules to share resources like the printer with a PFW. You will need to set the PFW for the static IP the printer server is on. You won't have to leave the other machine on to use the network printer.

Print serves are cheap. It's just a suggestion.

Duane :)

Reply to
Duane Arnold

Hmmm...Good idea. It would be good not to have to put the other computer on each time. I assumed a print server would cost a lot but I'll look into it. It would have to be cheap as I'm very strapped for cash but I'll definately take a look.

Cheers, Geoff.

Reply to
Geoff

Geoff wrote: /cut/

ZA is known to be troublemaker in LAN especially in ICS. There are few Microsofts articels about that issue (I don't have links on this machine, check google) and they all say uninstall ZA. I did it on one machine after I spent days in trying to make it work, on other machines (identical software/hardware configurations) it worked perfect, I can't explain why. Try to ask at ZA forum maybe they found solution, I checked ZA forum last time months ago.

Reply to
alf

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