Hot Swap two computers on local network?

Andy Burns wrote:

VanguardLH wrote:

It appears these hosts wander from home to Starbucks.

so have another batch file to reset them back to DHCP ...

So how many batch files are we up to now? 3?
- One to set to static IP address #1.
- One to set to static IP address #2.
- One to switch to dynamic IP address.

Then multiply by the number of hosts: 2 x 3 = 6 batch files. Plus
there's having to remember to run the paired batch files on each host:
- batch #1 on host #1 and batch #2 on host #2
- batch #2 on host #1 and batch #1 on host #2
- batch #3 on the host that goes travelling (and one of the others when
the host returns to the OP's home network)

At home, the OP
has a router. At Starbucks, the OP is using a wi-fi hotspot. With
static IP addresses on his hosts, Starbucks may not allow him to use
their network, so he's stuck using DHCP at Starbuck's to get whatever IP
address that Starbuck's gives him. However, that also means he doesn't
get a DHCP reserved IP address just for his host. He gets whatever
Starbuck's DHCP server decides to give him.

For the OP to use DHCP away from home, like at hotspots, but punch a
hole through his router at home (perhaps for remote access to his hosts
when they are at home), he should be configuring the router to assign
the reserved IP address by MAC address. The MAC address from the
hardware doesn't change regardless of whether his host is at home or at
Starbucks (except as I noted in the NIC properties for a software
override by the OS).

yes, but he's said he wants to swap and change which ports get
redirected to which machine. Ho knows how to do the .7 to .8 and .10 to
.7 and .8 to .10 shuffle manually, creating batch files to automate the
tedious shuffling would make sense.

Ah, yep, that would work. He wouldn't have to reconfigure the port
forwarding rules in the router, just change the IP addresses of his
hosts using netsh in a .bat file (on each host); however, that requires
using static IP addressing which the OP didn't like because he totes
these hosts outside of his home environ over to, say, Starbucks which
probably won't like what he chose for static IP addresses. That he
wants to use his hosts outside his home network breaks the ability to
use static IP addresses (using the .bat files). He would not only be
using .bat files to change the static IP addresses but he would also
have to change from static to DHCP assigned IP addresses when his hosts
went travelling.

For what he is using port forwarding at home in his router, the OP
didn't say. Seems easy enough to specify the port number in the URL to
decide to which host the connection goes through the port forwarding
rules in the router. When he wants to remotely connect to the Win7
host, he'd use something like hishostname:8880. When he wants to
remotely connect to the Win10 host, use hishostname:8881. His router
would redirect the incoming connection to the correct intranet host.
Using a hostname means he employs a DDNS somewhere, like No-IP, or he
uses the IP addresses reserved by his router. The point is port
forwarding is by port number (on the WAN-side of the router). Use 2
port forwarding rules, one for each host.

In the router, he would have it reserve the IP addresses by the MAC
address of his hosts. I would pick IP addresses outside the range of
the router's DHCP address range but that's probably not required. His
hosts would still be using DHCP, not static addresses, so his hosts can
still go travelling. When at home, the port number in the URL decides
to which intranet host the router will redirect the incoming traffic.
No using static IP addresses (which is obviated by him using his hosts
outside his network). No having to use batch files. No reconfiguring
of the port forwarding rules in the router. Just specify the port
number in the URL to specify to which internal host you want to connect.

If he employed a DDNS (dynamic DNS) service provider, like No-IP (there
are others), he could use different hostnames for each of his internal
hosts. On hostname at the DDNS would connect to whatever is the current
WAN-side IP address of his router and to the port number specified for
that hostname. Another hostname at the DDNS would connect to the IP
address of his router using a different port number. Then no specifying
port numbers in the URL. Instead using different hostnames for each
internal host, like mike7.ddnsdomain for the Win7 host and
mike10.ddnsdomain for the Win10 host.

There's a lot of manual effort going on now to change the IP addresses
of the Win7 and Win10 hosts. Using batch files changes the manual
effort to that of writing and maintaining the batch files: one for one
IP address, another for another IP address, another to switch to static
IP addressing, and another to switch to DHCP addressing. Seems just
changing the port number in the URL is easier. Using a DDNS means not
even having to use a port number in the URL.

The OP could:
- Use port forwarding for how it was meant to be used:
- hisrouterIPaddress:port1 for his Win7 host at home.
- hisrouterIPaddress:port2 for his Win10 host when at home.
- Or by using a DDNS service:
- ddnshostname1 for his Win7 host when at home.
- ddnshostname2 for his Win10 host when at home.
And:
- No switching between dynamic and static IP addresses.
- No having to edit or remember to run batch files (and make sure the
correct pair of batch files are used on each host).

He sets up his hosts to use DHCP addressing (that's how his hosts are
configured now). His hosts work inside and outside his home network.
He reserves an IP address in his router using the MAC address of each
host (he's already done that). He defines a port rule for each host in
the router using the MAC address of the host. Then he either uses a
port number in the URL when connecting to his router or he uses DDNS to
use a different hostname for each of the port forwarded hosts.

My assumption is the OP wants to make the task easier, not edit, manage,
and run multiple batch files, one on each host that is paired with
another that gets run on the other host. Once he sets up his router's
rules, he doesn't want to do anything more. If he uses the WAN-side IP
address of his router, he'll have to specify the port number that
decides to which intranet host the traffic will go. Of course, he could
save the ipaddress:port as a bookmark in a web browser, so just
click a bookmark to whichever host you want; however, I don't know what
software the OP is using to remotely connect to his intranet hosts.
With DDNS, no remembering the port number, and the hostname can indicate
to which intranet host to connect, and that can be bookmarked, too.

Carlos E.R. wrote:

On 07/12/2018 21.05, Mike wrote:
On 12/7/2018 11:19 AM, VanguardLH wrote:
Mike wrote:

Changing the port forwarding in the router is the best way to fix this,
but it's a lot of typing.* Swapping IP addresses is less hassle.

You won't be using your router at Starbucks' wi-fi hotspot.

But I might be using my tablet or laptop.* IF they have a fixed IP
address of 192.168.1.6, how do they connect?* DHCP with address
reservation gives me a fixed address at home and allows normal
DHCP at Starbucks.

But nothing stops you to keep using DHCP on the tablet or whatever; just
use fixed IPs on these two computers and switch them fast when needed,
that's all.

External hosts won't be seeing the IP addresses of your intranet hosts.
They only see the WAN-side IP address of the router which can be static
or dynamically assigned by the upstream DHCP server (at your ISP, at
Starbuck's, or wherever you connect).

The issue is mapping external ports to the correct port on the correct
computer hardware when it comes through my router.

I fail to see the problem, sorry. Or rather, what it is you want to achieve.

From outside, you would connect to myhouse.org:10900, which would go to
192.168.0.100:500 inside, or to myhouse.org:10910, which would go to
192.168.0.110:500 inside - for example. Arbitrary numbers.

Sounds like the OP has some boob users connecting to his intranet hosts
(which begs the question of whether the OP has a personal-use service
tier with his ISP which means he is violating their TOS regarding
running publicly accessible servers, or if he has a business account
which might have upstream options regarding DDNS). His boobs can't
figure out how to specify a port number in a URL. Apparently they also
cannot figure out how to save a bookmark of a host:port URL.

DNS gives names to computers. Humans like names. Computers demand
numbers. If the OP employed a DDNS (Dynamic DNS) service, he could
assign hostnames to each of his intranet hosts. The DDNS server would
accept connections based on a hostname, like mike7.dyndns.com, and then
it passes the connection onto his router as mikerouterIPaddr:port
which would redirect the incoming traffic to his Win7 host. Obviously
the DDNS hostnames can be bookmarked, too.

I think the OP is trying to dummy-proof the access to listeners (aka
servers) running on his Win7 and Win10 hosts. If he is migrating from a
Win7 host to a Win10 host for his Internet accessible service, I don't
know why he is exposing these dummy users to the yet-qualified host
(Win10). His users should still be connecting to his old host (Win7).
They won't know about his Win10 host until he switches over, and that's
done just once. If he wants beta testers to check out his new host,
then they should be smart enough to add a port number to the URL, or use
a different hostname.

On 12/7/2018 3:58 PM, VanguardLH wrote:
Carlos E.R. wrote:

On 07/12/2018 21.05, Mike wrote:
On 12/7/2018 11:19 AM, VanguardLH wrote:
Mike wrote:

Changing the port forwarding in the router is the best way to fix this,
but it's a lot of typing. Swapping IP addresses is less hassle.

You won't be using your router at Starbucks' wi-fi hotspot.

But I might be using my tablet or laptop. IF they have a fixed IP
address of 192.168.1.6, how do they connect? DHCP with address
reservation gives me a fixed address at home and allows normal
DHCP at Starbucks.

But nothing stops you to keep using DHCP on the tablet or whatever; just
use fixed IPs on these two computers and switch them fast when needed,
that's all.

External hosts won't be seeing the IP addresses of your intranet hosts.
They only see the WAN-side IP address of the router which can be static
or dynamically assigned by the upstream DHCP server (at your ISP, at
Starbuck's, or wherever you connect).

The issue is mapping external ports to the correct port on the correct
computer hardware when it comes through my router.

I fail to see the problem, sorry. Or rather, what it is you want to achieve.

From outside, you would connect to myhouse.org:10900, which would go to
192.168.0.100:500 inside, or to myhouse.org:10910, which would go to
192.168.0.110:500 inside - for example. Arbitrary numbers.

Sounds like the OP has some boob users connecting to his intranet hosts
(which begs the question of whether the OP has a personal-use service
tier with his ISP which means he is violating their TOS regarding
running publicly accessible servers, or if he has a business account
which might have upstream options regarding DDNS). His boobs can't
figure out how to specify a port number in a URL. Apparently they also
cannot figure out how to save a bookmark of a host:port URL.

DNS gives names to computers. Humans like names. Computers demand
numbers. If the OP employed a DDNS (Dynamic DNS) service, he could
assign hostnames to each of his intranet hosts. The DDNS server would
accept connections based on a hostname, like mike7.dyndns.com, and then
it passes the connection onto his router as mikerouterIPaddr:port
which would redirect the incoming traffic to his Win7 host. Obviously
the DDNS hostnames can be bookmarked, too.

I think the OP is trying to dummy-proof the access to listeners (aka
servers) running on his Win7 and Win10 hosts. If he is migrating from a
Win7 host to a Win10 host for his Internet accessible service, I don't
know why he is exposing these dummy users to the yet-qualified host
(Win10). His users should still be connecting to his old host (Win7).
They won't know about his Win10 host until he switches over, and that's
done just once. If he wants beta testers to check out his new host,
then they should be smart enough to add a port number to the URL, or use
a different hostname.

You continue to make up conspiracy stories and false assumptions
that blow this out of proportion.
Just stick to the objective and all will be well.
But I guess that's impossible on the internet.

On 12/7/2018 2:02 PM, Carlos E.R. wrote:
On 07/12/2018 21.05, Mike wrote:
On 12/7/2018 11:19 AM, VanguardLH wrote:
Mike wrote:


Changing the port forwarding in the router is the best way to fix this,
but it's a lot of typing. Swapping IP addresses is less hassle.

You won't be using your router at Starbucks' wi-fi hotspot.

But I might be using my tablet or laptop. IF they have a fixed IP
address of 192.168.1.6, how do they connect? DHCP with address
reservation gives me a fixed address at home and allows normal
DHCP at Starbucks.

But nothing stops you to keep using DHCP on the tablet or whatever; just
use fixed IPs on these two computers and switch them fast when needed,
that's all.

I've stated multiple times that I'm not opposed to fixed IP addresses
on these two machines.


External hosts won't be seeing the IP addresses of your intranet hosts.
They only see the WAN-side IP address of the router which can be static
or dynamically assigned by the upstream DHCP server (at your ISP, at
Starbuck's, or wherever you connect).

The issue is mapping external ports to the correct port on the correct
computer hardware when it comes through my router.

I fail to see the problem, sorry. Or rather, what it is you want to achieve.
I've done my best to state what I want to achieve.

From outside, you would connect to myhouse.org:10900, which would go to
192.168.0.100:500 inside, or to myhouse.org:10910, which would go to
192.168.0.110:500 inside - for example. Arbitrary numbers.
I AM NOT THE ONE CONNECTING in all cases.
What would you do if you were trying to call someone and their phone
number changed at random? What would you do if you had a scanner that
could scan documents and save them to a file on a computer with a
specific IP address? What if you had networked directories mapped
to the machine by IP address.
That's what you're proposing here.
I need to make all this stuff work on the win10 machine before I can
decommission the win7 one.

You guys insist on generating nefarious scenarios. It's just a damn
computer network. Suggesting I rework the network topology ain't helping.

The good news is that someone already provided the info I need in 3 lines
without any accusations at all.
Thanks,

mike wrote:

On 12/7/2018 3:58 PM, VanguardLH wrote:
Carlos E.R. wrote:

On 07/12/2018 21.05, Mike wrote:
On 12/7/2018 11:19 AM, VanguardLH wrote:
Mike wrote:

Changing the port forwarding in the router is the best way to fix this,
but it's a lot of typing. Swapping IP addresses is less hassle.

You won't be using your router at Starbucks' wi-fi hotspot.

But I might be using my tablet or laptop. IF they have a fixed IP
address of 192.168.1.6, how do they connect? DHCP with address
reservation gives me a fixed address at home and allows normal
DHCP at Starbucks.

But nothing stops you to keep using DHCP on the tablet or whatever; just
use fixed IPs on these two computers and switch them fast when needed,
that's all.

External hosts won't be seeing the IP addresses of your intranet hosts.
They only see the WAN-side IP address of the router which can be static
or dynamically assigned by the upstream DHCP server (at your ISP, at
Starbuck's, or wherever you connect).

The issue is mapping external ports to the correct port on the correct
computer hardware when it comes through my router.

I fail to see the problem, sorry. Or rather, what it is you want to achieve.

From outside, you would connect to myhouse.org:10900, which would go to
192.168.0.100:500 inside, or to myhouse.org:10910, which would go to
192.168.0.110:500 inside - for example. Arbitrary numbers.

Sounds like the OP has some boob users connecting to his intranet hosts
(which begs the question of whether the OP has a personal-use service
tier with his ISP which means he is violating their TOS regarding
running publicly accessible servers, or if he has a business account
which might have upstream options regarding DDNS). His boobs can't
figure out how to specify a port number in a URL. Apparently they also
cannot figure out how to save a bookmark of a host:port URL.

DNS gives names to computers. Humans like names. Computers demand
numbers. If the OP employed a DDNS (Dynamic DNS) service, he could
assign hostnames to each of his intranet hosts. The DDNS server would
accept connections based on a hostname, like mike7.dyndns.com, and then
it passes the connection onto his router as mikerouterIPaddr:port
which would redirect the incoming traffic to his Win7 host. Obviously
the DDNS hostnames can be bookmarked, too.

I think the OP is trying to dummy-proof the access to listeners (aka
servers) running on his Win7 and Win10 hosts. If he is migrating from a
Win7 host to a Win10 host for his Internet accessible service, I don't
know why he is exposing these dummy users to the yet-qualified host
(Win10). His users should still be connecting to his old host (Win7).
They won't know about his Win10 host until he switches over, and that's
done just once. If he wants beta testers to check out his new host,
then they should be smart enough to add a port number to the URL, or use
a different hostname.

You continue to make up conspiracy stories and false assumptions
that blow this out of proportion.

No, YOU are making your respondents make guesses.

Just stick to the objective and all will be well.
But I guess that's impossible on the internet.

Okay, continue to be vague and you'll continue to get more guesses.

mike wrote:

On 12/7/2018 2:02 PM, Carlos E.R. wrote:
On 07/12/2018 21.05, Mike wrote:
On 12/7/2018 11:19 AM, VanguardLH wrote:
Mike wrote:


Changing the port forwarding in the router is the best way to fix this,
but it's a lot of typing. Swapping IP addresses is less hassle.

You won't be using your router at Starbucks' wi-fi hotspot.

But I might be using my tablet or laptop. IF they have a fixed IP
address of 192.168.1.6, how do they connect? DHCP with address
reservation gives me a fixed address at home and allows normal
DHCP at Starbucks.

But nothing stops you to keep using DHCP on the tablet or whatever; just
use fixed IPs on these two computers and switch them fast when needed,
that's all.

I've stated multiple times that I'm not opposed to fixed IP addresses
on these two machines.


External hosts won't be seeing the IP addresses of your intranet hosts.
They only see the WAN-side IP address of the router which can be static
or dynamically assigned by the upstream DHCP server (at your ISP, at
Starbuck's, or wherever you connect).

The issue is mapping external ports to the correct port on the correct
computer hardware when it comes through my router.

I fail to see the problem, sorry. Or rather, what it is you want to achieve.
I've done my best to state what I want to achieve.

From outside, you would connect to myhouse.org:10900, which would go to
192.168.0.100:500 inside, or to myhouse.org:10910, which would go to
192.168.0.110:500 inside - for example. Arbitrary numbers.
I AM NOT THE ONE CONNECTING in all cases.
What would you do if you were trying to call someone and their phone
number changed at random? What would you do if you had a scanner that
could scan documents and save them to a file on a computer with a
specific IP address? What if you had networked directories mapped
to the machine by IP address.
That's what you're proposing here.
I need to make all this stuff work on the win10 machine before I can
decommission the win7 one.

You guys insist on generating nefarious scenarios. It's just a damn
computer network. Suggesting I rework the network topology ain't helping.

The good news is that someone already provided the info I need in 3 lines
without any accusations at all.
Thanks,

Mike said before "with both machines continuing to function". Now he
adds more information in that the Win7 host is going away
(decommissioned), so the switching would also go away. From what Mike
said before, he wanted to continue using both hosts but he wanted to
switch to which one the port forwarding would point to. I was trying to
give solutions that let him CONTINUE using both hosts and without having
to do any repeated manual config edits or batch runs.

Mike didn't like using static IP addresses but his exalted response has
him doing just that.