Category: Networking

13th June 2016 · Luca Sturlese

If you have Windows Firewall enabled then chances are that eventually you are going to find that it will be blocking one or more ports required by your applications. Checking Windows Firewall for blocked ports will help you troubleshoot your issues.

To check if Windows Firewall is blocking a port(s) that your machine is trying to communicate, follow the steps below…

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19th March 2015 · Luca Sturlese

By default DHCP works via broadcasting on the local subnet and therefore is limited to being able to provide IP addresses for devices on its subnet only. In modern day networks this is a serious limitation as it would mean that for every subnet you would need a DHCP server – imagine the management overhead!

So how can we configure a DHCP server in one subnet to respond and provide IP addresses to clients in multiple other subnets? The answer is to use a DHCP Relay Agent.

The following article explains how to configure a DHCP relay agent for a Cisco SG300 Layer 3 managed switch.

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6th March 2015 · Luca Sturlese

By default, all domain-joined servers and workstations synchronise their time with the PDC Emulator Domain Controller. However how do you configure Windows Time synchronisation for the PDC Emulator and for non-domain joined machines?

This article explains how to configure Windows Time to synchronise an external time source (NTP server), whether that be internal to your network or an internet NTP server.

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11th October 2014 · Luca Sturlese

I have decided to build a new test lab at home based on VMware architecture so that I can test and learn new technologies which I don’t always get a chance to play with at work. I have decided to go with a two physical host approach and use my existing Synology DS1813+ NAS for the storage. Because I want to simulate a physical network as much as possible, I am using a Cisco SG300-10 layer 3 switch to perform all of the management of all of the VLANs and the routing between them and my home network.

I am currently in the process of purchasing all of the hardware and building the lab. Below are all of the details of what my final test lab will look and the reasonings behind why I have made the decisions I have….

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