Need networking help

[jpthomas]

We just had our small office hardwired after dealing with wireless nightmares for the last couple years. The company that did the work installed a Linksys EF4124 switch. We have our DSL modem plugged into port 24, and then have the rest of the networked computers plugged in starting at port 1. We also have a wireless router connected to the switch, the router model is a Linksys WRT54g.

The switch shows that the pc's are connected, but we can't get any of those computers to get an ip from the switch to connect to the internet. The wireless internet still works fine.

I think that the switch was not setup properly, but I don't know how to access the switch's main menu (if it even has one). Any ideas on how to get this thing working properly?

Also, do we have to change anything on the wireless router?

Thanks!

 

[m1ldslide1]

Well, I am not terribly familiar with consumer class switches but traditionally switches do NOT supply IP addresses (DHCP). It's hard to get a good picture of your network from a forum post, but here's what I can say: your ISP will provide you with a static IP address or with DHCP functionality for a single IP address. That's why you have a router with a port facing your ISP - so that it can acquire your one semi-public IP internet address and then your router distributes several new private IP's to devices connected to the other side of it (your local network). Your router needs to be configured to do this, and it also needs to have a large enough range of IP addresses that it can dynamically assign to cover all of the PC's in your LAN.

If your "wireless internet" is still working fine then it sounds like your wireless router is hogging the single IP from your ISP, but isn't connected to the LAN to provide more IP's to your PCs. If this is the case, then you have a network design flaw. If the wireless router has a port marked "ISP" or "Internet" then you should plug your DSL modem into it and then one of the ethernet or "LAN" ports into the switch. This will allow your wireless router to provide DHCP to your LAN and also the wireless service.

So in other words, plug in stuff in this order:
ISP --> DSL Modem --> Router --> Switch

Your switch may be manageable, but you'll have to read the instructions to find out for sure. Same with the router. INSTRUCTIONS ARE YOUR FRIEND!

 

[blemoine]

Is your dsl modem and router also? if so your network needs to be connected like this: dsl modem/router --> switch --> workstations. you can also connect your wireless router as long as your disable dhcp on it and don't connect via the wan port. if you have a modem & a router then you need to connect dsl modem to wan port on the router. connect router to switch you can also connect your wireless router to the switch as long as you disable dhcp and don't connect to the wan port (on the wireless router).


If you still have problems then take your wireless router and hide it from yourself.

 

[nweaver]

Plug DSL Modem into WRT54G, plug LAN port of WRT54G into port 23 on the switch, and BINGO, magic is gonna happen

 

[JackMDS]

This is a generic connection.

http://www.ezlan.net/network/router.jpg

In your case the additional switch as to be plugged to a regular computer port on the Router (like it is one of the computers in the picture), and the rest of the computers should be plugged into the switch.

The Switch has to plug to the Router with the appropriate CAT5e cable.

http://www.ezlan.net/faq#crossover

:sun:

 

[jpthomas]

Thank you for the suggestions everyone. After some more troubleshooting, I have isolated the problem. When I connect a computer directly to the dsl modem, there is no connection to the internet. The computer simply cannot get an ip address from the modem. However, if I connect the dsl modem to the wan port on the wireless router (keeping the switch out of the equation for the time being) then everything works fine. The wireless connection works, and any computers plugged directly into the router are able to connect as well.

So has something been changed from within the dsl modem that does not allow it to give out an ip address to computers directly connected to it? If so, how do I connect to the modem to change it? My router's internal ip is 192.168.0.1, do most modems have a generic internal ip as well?

Thanks again for any help.

 

[nweaver]

How many IP's is your ISP providing? Probably it's one, so you need your router to route and NAT for your network. Go Modem->Router's Wan port, and Router's LAN port-> Switch and then all things connected to wireless, the router, and the switch will have internet access

 

[jpthomas]

Thanks for the help everyone, got the problem fixed by speaking with SBC.