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Connecting to both corporate LAN and home workgroupWe have a small home Windows XP network. Occasionally my wife brings her
notebook computer home from the office and connects to the corporate LAN using VPN software and our router and cable modem. She has no problem connecting to work, but she would also like to use the printer attached to one of the home computers as well as access files in the shared folders on them. Is it possible for her to connect both to the corporate LAN and a home workgroup at the same time? It seems difficult because Windows XP appears to allow for attachment to either a network domain or a local workgroup but not both. Bill Pierce wrote:
> We have a small home Windows XP network. Occasionally my wife brings From MVP Lanwench - You don't need to change to a workgroup just to> her notebook computer home from the office and connects to the > corporate LAN > using VPN software and our router and cable modem. She has no problem > connecting to work, but she would also like to use the printer > attached to one of the home computers as well as access files in the > shared folders on > them. Is it possible for her to connect both to the corporate LAN and > a > home workgroup at the same time? It seems difficult because Windows > XP appears to allow for attachment to either a network domain or a > local workgroup but not both. access resources on it. You shouldn't play with your laptop's network settings at all. Once you've logged in using your domain account (using cached credentials), and have an IP address on the home network, you can map drives, use printers, whatnot, very easily - one way, in a command line: net use x: \\computername\sharename /user:computername\username <enter> MS KB article about the Net Use command - http://tinyurl.com/3bpnj Also see: Managing One Windows XP-based Laptop for the Office and Home by MVP Charlie Russel http://tinyurl.com/cpy9q http://winhlp.com/wxdomainworkgroup.htm - MVP Hans-Georg Michna Malke "Bill Pierce" <BillPie***@aol.com> wrote in message No. You generally cannot connect to both the office domain and home network news:3BkKg.26752$sS1.24256@read1.cgocable.net... > We have a small home Windows XP network. Occasionally my wife brings her > notebook computer home from the office and connects to the corporate LAN > using VPN software and our router and cable modem. She has no problem > connecting to work, but she would also like to use the printer attached to > one of the home computers as well as access files in the shared folders on > them. Is it possible for her to connect both to the corporate LAN and a > home workgroup at the same time? It seems difficult because Windows XP > appears to allow for attachment to either a network domain or a local > workgroup but not both. > -- at the same time. Malke's advice will work only when not logged in to the VPN. When you establish a VPN connection, all network traffic is normally rerouted though the remote network making your home network inaccessible. There is sometimes a way to work around this (split tunneling), but most company laptops are locked down such that this isn't feasible. I have frequently had questions from clients who want to be able to print at home while on the company domain. The only practical solution in most cases is to buy a cheap printer to use for this purpose if the company IT people are willing to install the printer driver for you (which system policies usually prevent you from doing yourself.)
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"GTS" <x> wrote in message news:OTg8VW3zGHA.772@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl... Thanks for the heads-up. That more or less confirms what I thought. We're> "Bill Pierce" <BillPie***@aol.com> wrote in message > news:3BkKg.26752$sS1.24256@read1.cgocable.net... > > We have a small home Windows XP network. Occasionally my wife brings her > > notebook computer home from the office and connects to the corporate LAN > > using VPN software and our router and cable modem. She has no problem > > connecting to work, but she would also like to use the printer attached to > > one of the home computers as well as access files in the shared folders on > > them. Is it possible for her to connect both to the corporate LAN and a > > home workgroup at the same time? It seems difficult because Windows XP > > appears to allow for attachment to either a network domain or a local > > workgroup but not both. > > > -- > > No. You generally cannot connect to both the office domain and home network > at the same time. Malke's advice will work only when not logged in to the > VPN. When you establish a VPN connection, all network traffic is normally > rerouted though the remote network making your home network inaccessible. > There is sometimes a way to work around this (split tunneling), but most > company laptops are locked down such that this isn't feasible. I have > frequently had questions from clients who want to be able to print at home > while on the company domain. The only practical solution in most cases is > to buy a cheap printer to use for this purpose if the company IT people are > willing to install the printer driver for you (which system policies usually > prevent you from doing yourself.) > > victims of corporate policies that encourage people to work more and harder from home as well as the office, but fail to see that someone might actually want to make their computer useful. Anyway, enough of my ranting. My wife's IT department has not locked the computer down quite to the extent that you can't install another printer driver, and her notebook has an IR port, as does our home printer, so perhaps I can do something that way. Either that or she may be able to hide a cheap printer on her expense account. Bill Pierce wrote:
Show quoteHide quote > Thanks to GTS for the great explanation. I think the easiest thing for> "GTS" <x> wrote in message > news:OTg8VW3zGHA.772@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl... >> "Bill Pierce" <BillPie***@aol.com> wrote in message >> news:3BkKg.26752$sS1.24256@read1.cgocable.net... >> > We have a small home Windows XP network. Occasionally my wife >> > brings > her >> > notebook computer home from the office and connects to the >> > corporate LAN >> > using VPN software and our router and cable modem. She has no >> > problem connecting to work, but she would also like to use the >> > printer attached > to >> > one of the home computers as well as access files in the shared >> > folders > on >> > them. Is it possible for her to connect both to the corporate LAN >> > and a >> > home workgroup at the same time? It seems difficult because >> > Windows XP appears to allow for attachment to either a network >> > domain or a local workgroup but not both. >> > >> -- >> >> No. You generally cannot connect to both the office domain and home > network >> at the same time. Malke's advice will work only when not logged in >> to the >> VPN. When you establish a VPN connection, all network traffic is >> normally rerouted though the remote network making your home network >> inaccessible. There is sometimes a way to work around this (split >> tunneling), but most >> company laptops are locked down such that this isn't feasible. I >> have frequently had questions from clients who want to be able to >> print at home >> while on the company domain. The only practical solution in most >> cases is to buy a cheap printer to use for this purpose if the >> company IT people > are >> willing to install the printer driver for you (which system policies > usually >> prevent you from doing yourself.) >> >> > > Thanks for the heads-up. That more or less confirms what I thought. > We're victims of corporate policies that encourage people to work more > and harder from home as well as the office, but fail to see that > someone might actually > want to make their computer useful. Anyway, enough of my ranting. My > wife's IT department has not locked the computer down quite to the > extent that you can't install another printer driver, and her notebook > has an IR port, as does our home printer, so perhaps I can do > something that way. Either that or she may be able to hide a cheap > printer on her expense account. Mrs. Pierce to do is to use a thumb drive to transfer files and/or buy a cheap printer. Here in the US, you can buy a 512MB thumb drive for about $15USD. I just bought a 2GB one for $70. Mr. Pierce - I understand that you feel that you are a "victim of corporate policies", however consider this from IT's point of view. Here is an extremely common scenario which IT is trying to prevent: One of the company's users connects his/her computer to his/her home network which has infected computers on it because his/her kid is busy downloading pirated music with Limewire. The company laptop is now infected. Said laptop travels back to the company, connects to the corporate network, and now the virus/malware rapidly spreads to all the corporate computers. A huge mess ensues, possibly with data loss and definitely at a high cost of repair. I hope that helps you to understand why Mrs. Pierce is being inconvenienced and why a small workaround like using a thumb drive is A Good Thing. Malke
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"Malke" <notreally@invalid.invalid> wrote in message I understand the need for protecting against viruses and other threats,news:OrLeDeC0GHA.4920@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl... > Bill Pierce wrote: > > > > > "GTS" <x> wrote in message > > news:OTg8VW3zGHA.772@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl... > >> "Bill Pierce" <BillPie***@aol.com> wrote in message > >> news:3BkKg.26752$sS1.24256@read1.cgocable.net... > >> > We have a small home Windows XP network. Occasionally my wife > >> > brings > > her > >> > notebook computer home from the office and connects to the > >> > corporate LAN > >> > using VPN software and our router and cable modem. She has no > >> > problem connecting to work, but she would also like to use the > >> > printer attached > > to > >> > one of the home computers as well as access files in the shared > >> > folders > > on > >> > them. Is it possible for her to connect both to the corporate LAN > >> > and a > >> > home workgroup at the same time? It seems difficult because > >> > Windows XP appears to allow for attachment to either a network > >> > domain or a local workgroup but not both. > >> > > >> -- > >> > >> No. You generally cannot connect to both the office domain and home > > network > >> at the same time. Malke's advice will work only when not logged in > >> to the > >> VPN. When you establish a VPN connection, all network traffic is > >> normally rerouted though the remote network making your home network > >> inaccessible. There is sometimes a way to work around this (split > >> tunneling), but most > >> company laptops are locked down such that this isn't feasible. I > >> have frequently had questions from clients who want to be able to > >> print at home > >> while on the company domain. The only practical solution in most > >> cases is to buy a cheap printer to use for this purpose if the > >> company IT people > > are > >> willing to install the printer driver for you (which system policies > > usually > >> prevent you from doing yourself.) > >> > >> > > > > Thanks for the heads-up. That more or less confirms what I thought. > > We're victims of corporate policies that encourage people to work more > > and harder from home as well as the office, but fail to see that > > someone might actually > > want to make their computer useful. Anyway, enough of my ranting. My > > wife's IT department has not locked the computer down quite to the > > extent that you can't install another printer driver, and her notebook > > has an IR port, as does our home printer, so perhaps I can do > > something that way. Either that or she may be able to hide a cheap > > printer on her expense account. > > Thanks to GTS for the great explanation. I think the easiest thing for > Mrs. Pierce to do is to use a thumb drive to transfer files and/or buy > a cheap printer. Here in the US, you can buy a 512MB thumb drive for > about $15USD. I just bought a 2GB one for $70. > > Mr. Pierce - I understand that you feel that you are a "victim of > corporate policies", however consider this from IT's point of view. > Here is an extremely common scenario which IT is trying to prevent: > > One of the company's users connects his/her computer to his/her home > network which has infected computers on it because his/her kid is busy > downloading pirated music with Limewire. The company laptop is now > infected. Said laptop travels back to the company, connects to the > corporate network, and now the virus/malware rapidly spreads to all the > corporate computers. A huge mess ensues, possibly with data loss and > definitely at a high cost of repair. > > I hope that helps you to understand why Mrs. Pierce is being > inconvenienced and why a small workaround like using a thumb drive is A > Good Thing. > > Malke > -- > Elephant Boy Computers > www.elephantboycomputers.com > "Don't Panic!" > MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User which of course is why her corporate notebook has up-to-date antivirus and antispyware software installed, as do our home computers. If her IT department is so concerned that it cannot tolerate any risk whatsoever, then they should not allow the computer to leave the office nor should she have the expectation of doing work at home. After all, infected files can just as easily be introduced via the solution you suggest, a USB flash drive or other memory device (a reasonable idea, by the way), as by connecting to a home network to access a local printer. The personal computer is just that, a device to enhance personal productivity. Shortsighted and other misguided measures for making it less so are only counterproductive. 
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