LAN/Networking People: Please look inside.

GTaudiophile

Lifer
Oct 24, 2000
29,767
33
81
Now, I know this should be posted in NETWORKING, but I doubt it'll get many responses there. So here goes...

I am the unofficial official IT guru for my office. This is our current setup:

Mindpring ADSL ISP -> ADSL Modem -> DIW-624 Wireless/4-port Router + Linksys 6-port switch -> Serves 6 machines wired and 1 machine (minimum) wirelessly.

Tonight I have to install a SonicWall Firewall & Router. After the installation, the setup will look more like this: Mindpring ADSL ISP -> ADSL Modem -> SonicWall Firewall & Router + DIW-624 Router -> Serves 6 machines wired and 1 machine (minimum) wirelessly.

Now, if we did not have to serve at least one machine wirelessly at all times, I would simply connect and configure the SonicWall and leave the Linlsys switch and be done with it in maybe 30 minutes. But that is not an option.

So, I am a little confused. There will be two routers, but I think only the DIW-624 will be a DHCP server since all wired machines have a static connection to the router. I guess this would also allow wirelessly-connected PCs to have a different IP. I am just not quite sure, how does the DIW-624 "talk with" the SonicWall? What settings should be disabled in the DIW-624? Each router would have its own IP for web configuration, but the SonicWall would be the gateway of course. What else am I not thinking of?

Suggestions would be nice! Thanks.


Another thought: Use all three devices. So connect all wired PCs through the SonicWall AND Linksys Switch, thus leaving the DIW-624 only to serve wireless PCs.
 

Ulfwald

Moderator Emeritus<br>Elite Member
May 27, 2000
8,646
0
76
I think you might want to get rid of the DIW router and just get a WAP to put in place. I would simplify as much as possible.
 

DaiShan

Diamond Member
Jul 5, 2001
9,617
1
0
Your setup will work fine, although its not ideal.

/edit plug a cable from the first port on your sonic wall into the WAN port on the DIW. make sure they are bot 192.168.2.x or whatever your ip scheme is.
 

BatmanNate

Lifer
Jul 12, 2000
12,444
2
81
You might get more responses here, but it's been my experience that the ones in Networking are better. That's where all the useful posters lurk.
 

spidey07

No Lifer
Aug 4, 2000
65,469
5
76
setup sonicwall with no DHCP, statically addressing the internal port. do this disconnected.

for the change quickly plug the modem into the sonic wall and a LAN port from the WAP into an internal port on the sonicwall - you'll need a crossover cable here.

If your fast you will not tear down any existing TCP connections and the service disruption will only a few seconds. But any connection to the outside world my be broken (and subsequently restablished) because your NAT tables will change.

-edit- on second thought you might lose some connections. you'll need a static default route on the WAP router to point to the sonicwall. Then you can have the sonic wall doing dhcp to hand out the correct gateway. After the leases are renewed they'll have good gateway information and you can disable it on the WAP. you can turn your lease times down to 30 minutes to make it happen faster.
 

loup garou

Lifer
Feb 17, 2000
35,132
1
81
Use the SonicWall's DHCP server unless you want to reboot it every other day when your seats are exceeded. Turn off DHCP, NAT on DIW-624, set GW to SonicWall's IP.

DSL Modem->SonicWall->Switch->Wired machines
.......................................\->DIW-624->Wireless machines