Need Help With OPL and SMB

[CHRI5]

OK; Here's my situation:
I installed 5 of my PS2 games in a folder on my pc hard drive and gave it a share name PS2SMB. I set all my OPL and adapter settings to the OPL default settings and... a no-go ( Network Loading Starts at 5 then skips to 2 and then freezes) So I started reading some other threads of people who are having similar problems like these (examples of-course, i read a lot more) :

http://psx-scene.com/forums/showthread.php?t=64179

http://psx-scene.com/forums/showthread.php?t=64541

And no luck. (same story for all_ network loading starts at 5 then skips to 2 then freezes) So I'm starting from scratch and i set all my settings to default
hoping that you guys can help me. So this is my setup:

Adapter Settings:
IP: 192.168.0.2
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0

OPL Config:
PS2

Ip:192.168.0.10
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
Gateway: 192.168.0.1

PC
Ip: 192.168.0.2
Port: 445
ShareName: PS2SMB
Network automatic startup: off

And I'm using Windows XP SP3 and Crossover Cable
Hope this is enough information.

P.S.= I got to thinking that it was a hardware problem because the adapter always says "Network Cable Unplugged" when I connect it to my PS2 but I tested it by conecting it to my friends Internet connection and it connects just fine without that message. Is that normal.

[RandQalan]

Sounds like you don't have crossover cable but regular Ethernet cable

http://www.home-network-help.com/straight.html

[dlanor]

Originally Posted by CHRI5

Adapter Settings:
IP: 192.168.0.2
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0

So when you say "Adapter" you really mean the network card/adapter of the PC.
You'd better be clear on that, because around here an "Adapter" usually means a Sony unit intended for the PS2.

OPL Config:
PS2

Ip:192.168.0.10
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
Gateway: 192.168.0.1

PC
Ip: 192.168.0.2
Port: 445
ShareName: PS2SMB
Network automatic startup: off

This is OK except for one thing. What is your default game list ?
Because whatever list that is, it should have automatic startup "ON".

And I'm using Windows XP SP3 and Crossover Cable
Hope this is enough information.

Not really, because you have not said a word about how the PC is configured, apart from its IP address, and there is a little more to file sharing than just that.

For example, you must have an active "Guest" account, and this must be included in the fileshare access permissions (usually via the user group "Everyone"), as well as in the security access permissions of every file in that fileshare. Otherwise access will fail even when you can see the content in the game list.

P.S.= I got to thinking that it was a hardware problem because the adapter always says "Network Cable Unplugged" when I connect it to my PS2 but I tested it by conecting it to my friends Internet connection and it connects just fine without that message. Is that normal.

This could mean that your PS2 LAN port has never been properly initialized.
If you have the standard "Network Access Disc", then use it to initialize the port.

Once it has been initialized by Sony code, it can be reprogrammed freely by homebrew too.

Best regards: dlanor

[CHRI5]

Originally Posted by RandQalan

Sounds like you don't have crossover cable but regular Ethernet cable

Thats probably it I honestly never really knew there was a difference. Anyway you learn something new everyday. I'll check it out.

Originally Posted by dlanor

So when you say "Adapter" you really mean the network card/adapter of the PC.
You'd better be clear on that, because around here an "Adapter" usually means a Sony unit intended for the PS2.

Sorry, I meant PC adapter though.

This is OK except for one thing. What is your default game list ?
Because whatever list that is, it should have automatic startup "ON".

Well the default gamelist is USB, I just hit X to initialize SMB

Not really, because you have not said a word about how the PC is configured, apart from its IP address, and there is a little more to file sharing than just that.

For example, you must have an active "Guest" account, and this must be included in the fileshare access permissions (usually via the user group "Everyone"), as well as in the security access permissions of every file in that fileshare. Otherwise access will fail even when you can see the content in the game list.

Well the reason the IP Address was the only thing stated was because it was the only thing i changed from the PC side. Dude i just followed a youtube video. I am really not an expert at computing. Heck i still use type writers during prolonged blackouts.

This could mean that your PS2 LAN port has never been properly initialized.
If you have the standard "Network Access Disc", then use it to initialize the port.

Once it has been initialized by Sony code, it can be reprogrammed freely by homebrew too.

It could be this too my PS2 is second hand but I am pretty sure that it was never connected to the internet. I do have a Network Startup Disk V3.0. Would that suffice?

Man I never thought I could be missing so much information, anyway I'm learning

[dlanor]

Originally Posted by CHRI5

Well the reason the IP Address was the only thing stated was because it was the only thing i changed from the PC side. Dude i just followed a youtube video. I am really not an expert at computing. Heck i still use type writers during prolonged blackouts.

That's fine. Everyone is a noob at first, though some tend to forget that when they get past it. But whatever your state of knowledge is when first starting with this stuff, you will inevitably raise it as part of making things work the way you want them.

----- re: Networking initialization needs of the LAN port.

It could be this too my PS2 is second hand but I am pretty sure that it was never connected to the internet. I do have a Network Startup Disk V3.0. Would that suffice?

Yes. Just go ahead and use it. Possibly at some point in the work it will try to contact some site on Internet, which may or may not fail depending on your setup. It would need connection to a router or ISP modem for success. But that is beside the point.

That access attempt does not need to succeed, as strange as that may sound.
Because the mere fact that the attempt is made means that the LAN port is already active.

So at that point you should be able to terminate that session and get back to working with homebrew stuff again. And now the LAN port should be capable of responding properly.

Man I never thought I could be missing so much information, anyway I'm learning

That is as it should be. We're all learning stuff here, noobies and veterans alike...

Best regards: dlanor

[SoulSlayer]

If you are trying to connect the PS2 to a PC using a crossover cable, shouldn't the Gateway setting on the PS2 side be whatever the IP address is on the PCs NIC? He/She has 192.168.0.1 as the PS2s Gateway, but 192.168.0.2 as the PCs IP address. Only time i've ever gotten the PS2 to connect to my PC over crossover cable is when the Gateway setting on the PS2 is set to my PCs IP address.

[dlanor]

Originally Posted by SoulSlayer

If you are trying to connect the PS2 to a PC using a crossover cable, shouldn't the Gateway setting on the PS2 side be whatever the IP address is on the PCs NIC? He/She has 192.168.0.1 as the PS2s Gateway, but 192.168.0.2 as the PCs IP address. Only time i've ever gotten the PS2 to connect to my PC over crossover cable is when the Gateway setting on the PS2 is set to my PCs IP address.

You are quite right.

That gateway setting of '192.168.0.1' is what would be correct when using a router.
That is what I always do myself, which temporarily blinded me to the mistake.

Possibly the setup could be made to work just by correcting that gateway entry to '192.168.0.2', just like you say.

Best regards: dlanor

[CHRI5]

This could mean that your PS2 LAN port has never been properly initialized.
If you have the standard "Network Access Disc", then use it to initialize the port.

Once it has been initialized by Sony code, it can be reprogrammed freely by homebrew too.

Ok that one is cleared up. Now to the next problem.

Sounds like you don't have crossover cable but regular Ethernet cable

So do I have to buy a specific cable for it to be crossover or can I modify my Ethernet cable to work as crossover because looking at these diagrams:

Straight Cable


Crossover Cable


It seems to be just a matter of sequencing. Correct me if I'm wrong.

[dlsmd]

you could but its not easy

you could splice the wires, splice in another tip, replace the tip with a new one, or they do make a piece that connects to the end of a standard network cable found here:
http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/tools/7470/

[agalloch]

Its actually very simple. Just slice open an ethernet cable and cut the four wires pictured below. Arrange as shown.
Verify the integrity of the crossover cable by connecting your pc to a modem or router.

[dlanor]

I used the lazy approach myself, long ago.

Which means that I just asked for an ethernet crossover cable at a local computer shop.
That definitely has to be the easiest way to do it...

But nowdays I prefer to use a router, so all units on the LAN have equal access to each other and to Internet. Thus I can use SMS to play media files off any of my computers, and I can do it from any of my PS2s, and the same goes for using OPL to play networked game ISOs on either of these consoles (even several in parallel if I wanted).

Best regards: dlanor

[mancalledhero]

Originally Posted by SoulSlayer

If you are trying to connect the PS2 to a PC using a crossover cable, shouldn't the Gateway setting on the PS2 side be whatever the IP address is on the PCs NIC? He/She has 192.168.0.1 as the PS2s Gateway, but 192.168.0.2 as the PCs IP address. Only time i've ever gotten the PS2 to connect to my PC over crossover cable is when the Gateway setting on the PS2 is set to my PCs IP address.

I had the same exact problem as you but eventually fixed it by doing what SoulSlayer said. If you're using crossover cable, the PS2 gateway should be the same as the PC static ip. Once you do that, it should work.

[CHRI5]

Okay problems solved. Appreciate all the help guys, never would have gotten this far without you.