Santa
Member level 4
I would like to give a hint to people using flexlm enabled software on computers
having multiple ethernet adapters. In my case, this means a cardbus wifi adapter on
a computer having a built-in RJ45 10/100 adapter.
As you can imagine, the Flexlm software is locked on the MAC address of the
built-in RJ45 10/100 adapter that was present before the wifi extensions.
Nice "intelligent features" from XP detect connected and unconnected LANs
and remove the link layers of the disconnected adapters in real time.
This has the very previsible consequence of disabling the software using the
software linked to the corresponding MAC address since the card is not
"visible" anymore.
Microsoft knows that well and documented a way to disable this "Media Sense
feature". After the Registry is modified, the link layers remain present
even if an adapter transmission medium is unconnected and flexlm keeps working.
What MS doesn't tell you is that it's not a clean solution. The reason is
that the routing tables are no more updated in real time as a function of the
available connections/adapters.
As a consequence, and this is what happened to me, when you are working in wifi
with the RJ45 open, you can ping the wireless router and even administrate it,
it works OK. However, when you transmit something to another address than the wifi gateway,
XP obstinately wants to route it through the inexistent RJ45 connection and
this, even if there is no gateway IP programmed for this adapter.
The only solution I found was to program a disjoint non-routed IP address
to the RJ45 adapter but I have to correct the TCP/IP settings of this
adapter each time I (dis)connect the RJ45 plug.
You may also disable the RJ45 adapter but of course Flexlm progs will
stop working again.
Hope this can help a few users in the dark.
having multiple ethernet adapters. In my case, this means a cardbus wifi adapter on
a computer having a built-in RJ45 10/100 adapter.
As you can imagine, the Flexlm software is locked on the MAC address of the
built-in RJ45 10/100 adapter that was present before the wifi extensions.
Nice "intelligent features" from XP detect connected and unconnected LANs
and remove the link layers of the disconnected adapters in real time.
This has the very previsible consequence of disabling the software using the
software linked to the corresponding MAC address since the card is not
"visible" anymore.
Microsoft knows that well and documented a way to disable this "Media Sense
feature". After the Registry is modified, the link layers remain present
even if an adapter transmission medium is unconnected and flexlm keeps working.
What MS doesn't tell you is that it's not a clean solution. The reason is
that the routing tables are no more updated in real time as a function of the
available connections/adapters.
As a consequence, and this is what happened to me, when you are working in wifi
with the RJ45 open, you can ping the wireless router and even administrate it,
it works OK. However, when you transmit something to another address than the wifi gateway,
XP obstinately wants to route it through the inexistent RJ45 connection and
this, even if there is no gateway IP programmed for this adapter.
The only solution I found was to program a disjoint non-routed IP address
to the RJ45 adapter but I have to correct the TCP/IP settings of this
adapter each time I (dis)connect the RJ45 plug.
You may also disable the RJ45 adapter but of course Flexlm progs will
stop working again.
Hope this can help a few users in the dark.
