If you can solve this network riddle, you're my HERO - update: strange happenings

[TheNinja]

Location #1, downstair neighbor:
He has: DSL modem connected to a 4 port router/switch. On 2 of these ports he has CAT5 cable to his 2 computers and they have always worked fine and continue to work now. On 1 of these ports there is a WAP11 with an IP address of xxx.xxx.xxx.99.

Location #2, upstairs (me):
I have: WAP11 with IP address of xxx.xxx.xxx.100 going to a 4 port switch. Off of this switch I have 2 computers that both used to work.

PROBLEM: One night in the middle of the night location#2, computer#1 Internet stops working. I can ping my computer#2 and I can ping my WAP11 @ xxx.xxx.xxx.100, however I cannot ping anything beyond that. My computer#2 works fine and can ping everything and get on the Internet, only SOMETIMES. Other times I can only ping computer#1. His computers work fine and can ping both WAP11's and have Internet access all the time.

No DHCP running on my router and I have reconfiged my computer#1 IP settings more times than I care to mention. Why would it suddenly stop working?!?

UPDATE: OK...WTF?!?! - So I put a new network card in and it works for a while. Then all of a sudden (like 12 hours later)....nothing. Same problem as before. I can ping beyond my WAP. I didn't see any mac address blocking or anything on. What the hell is going on here?!?

 

[TheNinja]

Perhaps this belongs in a different area huh? my bad

 

[Amorphus]

let me guess, xxx.xxx.xxx = 192.168.1?

 

[Ketteringo]

Originally posted by: Staley8
Perhaps this belongs in a different area huh? my bad

I would have put it in the 'networking' forum

http://forums.anandtech.com/categories.cfm?catid=36&zb=5023880

 

[DanTMWTMP]

have you tried resetting everything? Sometimes packets can get piled up and it'll be in timeout forever until you reset. After the reset, change the local ip addy for both of your computers, and reinstall your tcp/ip service for both of your comps.

If that fails, install the netBEUI protocols ...for some odd strange reason, after installing those, it starts working agian,..same goes w/ the NWL IPX/blahblahblah/NetBIOS protocols (rare...those are them wierd netware network stuff that i have no idea about, but they seem to work sometimes w/ some wierd routers you've never heard of....)

turn off QoS service for now...u just want raw data to transfer asap btwn router/switch/comp and don't give a crap of clean steady data...after reseting everything, turn on QoS again...

 

[kt]

Originally posted by: DanTMWTMP
have you tried resetting everything? Sometimes packets can get piled up and it'll be in timeout forever until you reset. After the reset, change the local ip addy for both of your computers, and reinstall your tcp/ip service for both of your comps.

If that fails, install the netBEUI protocols ...for some odd strange reason, after installing those, it starts working agian,..same goes w/ the NWL IPX/blahblahblah/NetBIOS protocols (rare...those are them wierd netware network stuff that i have no idea about, but they seem to work sometimes w/ some wierd routers you've never heard of....)

turn off QoS service for now...u just want raw data to transfer asap btwn router/switch/comp and don't give a crap of clean steady data...after reseting everything, turn on QoS again...

The last thing he wants to do is clutter his computer with useless network protocols that he won't use.

 

[DanTMWTMP]

Originally posted by: kt

Originally posted by: DanTMWTMP
have you tried resetting everything? Sometimes packets can get piled up and it'll be in timeout forever until you reset. After the reset, change the local ip addy for both of your computers, and reinstall your tcp/ip service for both of your comps.

If that fails, install the netBEUI protocols ...for some odd strange reason, after installing those, it starts working agian,..same goes w/ the NWL IPX/blahblahblah/NetBIOS protocols (rare...those are them wierd netware network stuff that i have no idea about, but they seem to work sometimes w/ some wierd routers you've never heard of....)

turn off QoS service for now...u just want raw data to transfer asap btwn router/switch/comp and don't give a crap of clean steady data...after reseting everything, turn on QoS again...

The last thing he wants to do is clutter his computer with useless network protocols that he won't use.

hehe it's only two more...the netware stuff he probably does not have to use. So it's only 1 more protocol that he might not use

 

[vi edit]

So you have two wireless access points? One for him, one for you?

Are you broadcasting SSID's, and having your Wireless NIC's choose first available, or do you have all that hardcoded in to the NIC config utils?

 

[TheNinja]

I was going to swap out my network card, although I don't think it'll help at all as I can ping my WAP and my other computer, but at least I'll elimate more possibilities. I've also swapped CAT5 cables and ports on the switch so that's not it. I'll probably try to upgrade all the firmware, reset everything to default and then put my settings back in. But I hate to screw it up even worse if the firmware fails or something wierd happens.

 

[DanTMWTMP]

Originally posted by: Staley8
I was going to swap out my network card, although I don't think it'll help at all as I can ping my WAP and my other computer, but at least I'll elimate more possibilities. I've also swapped CAT5 cables and ports on the switch so that's not it. I'll probably try to upgrade all the firmware, reset everything to default and then put my settings back in. But I hate to screw it up even worse if the firmware fails or something wierd happens.

it worked before, don't bother w/ firmware.

usually a reset solves most problems...

 

[TheNinja]

Originally posted by: vi_edit
So you have two wireless access points? One for him, one for you?

Are you broadcasting SSID's, and having your Wireless NIC's choose first available, or do you have all that hardcoded in to the NIC config utils?

yes, I have 2 WAP11's set in "wireless ethernet bridge" mode. They are hardcoded to only bridge to eachother MAC addresses. I actually don't have any wireless NICs (I should have made that more clear). I use all wired networking and so does he, we just use the WAPs to bridge our networks so we can share the DSL line and split the cost.

 

[kt]

Originally posted by: DanTMWTMP

Originally posted by: kt

Originally posted by: DanTMWTMP
have you tried resetting everything? Sometimes packets can get piled up and it'll be in timeout forever until you reset. After the reset, change the local ip addy for both of your computers, and reinstall your tcp/ip service for both of your comps.

If that fails, install the netBEUI protocols ...for some odd strange reason, after installing those, it starts working agian,..same goes w/ the NWL IPX/blahblahblah/NetBIOS protocols (rare...those are them wierd netware network stuff that i have no idea about, but they seem to work sometimes w/ some wierd routers you've never heard of....)

turn off QoS service for now...u just want raw data to transfer asap btwn router/switch/comp and don't give a crap of clean steady data...after reseting everything, turn on QoS again...

The last thing he wants to do is clutter his computer with useless network protocols that he won't use.

hehe it's only two more...the netware stuff he probably does not have to use. So it's only 1 more protocol that he might not use

You'll only need NWL IPX/SPX protocol if you need to login to a Novell network. NetBUI will do more harms than good. It sounds more of a hardware problem than software configuration.

 

[TheNinja]

Originally posted by: DanTMWTMP

Originally posted by: Staley8
I was going to swap out my network card, although I don't think it'll help at all as I can ping my WAP and my other computer, but at least I'll elimate more possibilities. I've also swapped CAT5 cables and ports on the switch so that's not it. I'll probably try to upgrade all the firmware, reset everything to default and then put my settings back in. But I hate to screw it up even worse if the firmware fails or something wierd happens.

it worked before, don't bother w/ firmware.

usually a reset solves most problems...

Ok, thanks, I'm nervous about the firmware as well b/c I like to go by the rule, "if it aint broke, don't fix it".

 

[DanTMWTMP]

Originally posted by: kt

Originally posted by: DanTMWTMP

Originally posted by: kt

Originally posted by: DanTMWTMP
have you tried resetting everything? Sometimes packets can get piled up and it'll be in timeout forever until you reset. After the reset, change the local ip addy for both of your computers, and reinstall your tcp/ip service for both of your comps.

If that fails, install the netBEUI protocols ...for some odd strange reason, after installing those, it starts working agian,..same goes w/ the NWL IPX/blahblahblah/NetBIOS protocols (rare...those are them wierd netware network stuff that i have no idea about, but they seem to work sometimes w/ some wierd routers you've never heard of....)

turn off QoS service for now...u just want raw data to transfer asap btwn router/switch/comp and don't give a crap of clean steady data...after reseting everything, turn on QoS again...

The last thing he wants to do is clutter his computer with useless network protocols that he won't use.

hehe it's only two more...the netware stuff he probably does not have to use. So it's only 1 more protocol that he might not use

You'll only need NWL IPX/SPX protocol if you need to login to a Novell network. NetBUI will do more harms than good. It sounds more of a hardware problem than software configuration.

I donno much about novell....what uses those protocols and what type of networks uses a novell protocol?

as for Netbeui, I've seen it used in a lot of workplaces where they ban routers confused: they want every single computer in the network to have its own dedicated ip address...but a lot of people don't care and share the computers through a "server" computer). Also, I had to use it in my apartment and at work to connect to the internet. Of course, those are only two cases i've experienced. Most cases, I never used netbeui...but just wondering (i'm a network n00b), how does it do more harm? thx in advance for info

 

[TheNinja]

OK...WTF?!?! - So I put a new network card in and it works for a while. Then all of a sudden....nothing. Same problem as before. I can ping beyond my WAP. I didn't see any mac address blocking or anything on. What the hell is going on here?!?

 

[AkumaX]

ip address 169.254.x.x?

if so, reinstall is imminent.

i couldn't figure out that problem

windows is automatically setting your comp to ip address

i even tried setting IPAutoconfigurationEnabled = 0 in registry

this network problem is a pain (your winsock dll might be damaged)

 

[TheNinja]

Originally posted by: AkumaX
ip address 169.254.x.x?

if so, reinstall is imminent.

i couldn't figure out that problem

windows is automatically setting your comp to ip address

i even tried setting IPAutoconfigurationEnabled = 0 in registry

this network problem is a pain (your winsock dll might be damaged)

IP address on computer is (and always shows up as this b/c I'm not using DHCP) 192.168.0.101. When I do ipconfig everything looks fine. I can ping 192.168.0.100 which is my WAP can't ping 192.168.0.99 which is WAP downstairs, but my other computer can and his computers can ping both as well.

 

[Gand1]

Ok here is a shot in the dark....

Is it possible his ISP put a block on the ports the MyDoom virus uses? I don't remember the port range at the moment but here is why I ask.....We blocked thoes ports on our router, the problem is windows natively uses the ports we blocked a lot. Normally a pc is supposed to refresh its ports after a certain timeout but XP, 2000, and ME do not timeout quick enough. So what happens is you can browse to a point, then when you hit the blocked ports, your os times out and goes to the next port, times out, and so on. Unfortunately this port range is quite large and it looks like the internet is down. There is a way to make your pc not use a range of ports, but it is a reg edit. You can also use a program called tcpview to sniff your own pc to see what ports it is using.

Good luck!

Gand1

 

[TheNinja]

Anyone with ideas yet. Certainly I could not have stumped a computer geek...I mean computer elite board.