Intermittent LAN Connection (Wired)

Perfection

Member
Feb 21, 2005
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Hi,

I am the network administrator at a fraternity, where now that we are headed back to school, people are having computer problems. To make matters worse (with respect to me), the house recently underwent a remodel job, without them updating the electrical wiring, which I would have appreciated.

Anyways, one of the guys was using his computer over the LAN, left and came back. When he returned, his Dell laptop said it didn't have a LAN connection (cable unplugged...something of that nature).

We then switched his port with that of his roommate. This computer, a Sony Vaio, said it had a connection and was attempting to acquire an address for a few seconds, before then becoming disconnected for a few seconds (it cycles though these states).

The way this cable is connected is that it goes from the computer >> wall >> rack punchdown >> Dell Switch >> Linksys Router >> Comcast.

When I take this connection and remove the Dell Switch from the list (ie directly connect to the Linksys Router), it does not do this state cycling.

Do I have a bad cable....and where would it be. Obviously it isn't the user side computer or cable, since it affects more than one set of each. Also, I tried multiple cables in the network closet, which I know work, so that doesn't seem to be the cause either.

What could have caused this strange behavior...I'm really desperate for answers at this point.

Thanks so much in advance.

- J
 

wpshooter

Golden Member
Mar 9, 2004
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Just right off hand, it sound like to me that your remodeling people have damaged a network cable !!!
 

FlyingPenguin

Golden Member
Nov 1, 2000
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You will also get that exact same behaviour if that cable is connected to a cross-over port on the switch that has it's matching port in use.

Could also be a bad cable. Do you have a cat 5 cable tester? They sell them at Home Depot and not all that expensive.