Small LAN & DSL

After a full day of trying every setting and configuration but one (that being the CORRECT one) I'm giving up and asking here. I've searched past threads with no answer being obvious.

4 units (one 98se, two 2K, one XPpro) connected and working great through a 4-port wired Linksys router. Set that up last month in preparation for bringing in DSL (with some help from searching this forum).

Connected one of the Win2K computers to the new DSL modem and connected, registered and it worked great (dang, I see what they say is true: I'll not be downloading anything from my dialup at home after tasting DSL). Connected the modem to the Linksys and reconnected the computer to the network and it can't find the DSL connection. None of the other computers can either.

My SBC DSL account provides dynamic addresses (which I'm guessing may be part of the problem). Tomorrow I'll attempt to contact help lines at Linksys and SBC if necessary but tonight I'll post this question here and see if I'm even on the right track:

Should I be connecting to the DSL modem directly from the router? Or should I install another NIC in one of the computers (the one that can already connect to the DSL) and let the other 3 computers access DSL through that computer?

I have more NIC cards so that's not a concern. I assume (as dangerous as THAT usually is) that I must have THAT computer on and connected to the DSL or nobody will be able to connect (again, no problem).

Whad'ya think? I'll be looking here for answers to the more important questions later on (we still haven't figured out how to play a game on our little LAN.... Crimson Skies would be fun. But first things first... FAST SURFING! After all, this is a small business and we are supposed to be working!).

 

DSL modem to router. All PCs to switch (connected internally to router).

Router should get IP address assigned by the ISP.

Router should use NAT to figure out which internet traffic packets belong to which PC.

These things are pretty much bullet proof unless there is a hardware failure of some sort and those are very rare.

Best guess - you are using the wrong sort of cable (in terms of the cable's internal wiring)from Modem to Router.

Linksys usually ships the proper one with a new unit. Darned if I can remember the specifics but if you are using crossover now, try straight. If straight, try crossover. If you need one, I promise the other will not work.

You can tell which cable is which by looking at the two ends side-by-side. If the wire colors are the same to pin1, 2, 3, etc. it is straight. If some go from a pin on one connector to a different pin on the other, it is crossover.

 

Can you ping the router at 192.168.1.1

if not

Add 192.168.1.1 to the gateways as default on the win98s.

If this works run winipcfg and note all settings, get back to me and we will do the win2ks. They are a little different.

Mike

 

Opps

Crossed in the mail Newt.

Mike

 

Don't remember if I have a choice of cables, but I'll look tomorrow. Don't remember any other cables being included with the router or DSL modem, though. As far as pinging goes, I can access the other three computers hooked to the Linksys, so that part must be working?

Not sure if I was totally clear (my brain feels a little mushy after trying to conduct business AND get this all working today). Computer 1 plugged directly into DSL modem, connects and works fine. Shut everything down, connect computer 1 to Linksys and Linksys to DSL modem and, although the network seems to be fine, computer 1 then can't connect to the DSL. I haven't even put SBC/Yahoo programs on the other three yet as I wanted to get at least one unit working right first.

You are allowed to direct me to SBC and Linksys help lines if you think this is something they could/should be able to handle. I've just not had very good luck in getting tech support persons that were capable and thought a try here worthwhile.

And what about my other thought: should I install another NIC card in computer 1 to connect to the DSL modem, then access the DSL through the network using that computer?

Or can you have more than one NIC in a computer? (something I never even considered before today)

 

No! None of that.

mike

PS EDIT

Claraification

All "can" be done but not needed in this case.

Sorry tired last night!

 

Thanks, Mike, and (yawn) be 'seeing' you tomorrow. My business needed to be networked and have DSL by February and I'm sure glad I started on it all last month!

 

Phil

I am assuming you have the correct cabling as it worked directly connected.

Now that router is connected do you have all the correct lights?

You should at least scan this thread!

http://windowsbbs.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=12885

Then do the steps I advised last night.

Remember if you cain't ping it you can't ding it! I am a Poet!

Get a ping thru to the router.

Mike

 

You can certainly run multiple NICs in a computer. But in this case it is not needed and would be defeating the purpose of the router/switch. ICS and similar "modem sharing" software works this way. One NIC is on the ISPs network, the other is on your local network and software on the dual-nic PC moves the internet packets around. But the router can do the job more easily and much, much faster.

What you cannot do without major problems is have 2 or more NICs in the same machine and all the NICs on the same network.

At work all our servers have at least 3 NICs. But one is connected to the Business LAN (finance, accounting, etc.), another to the factory LAN, and a 3rd to the backup LAN (so backups don't hog all the bandwidth on another network). The business and factory LANs can talk but only via a router. The backup LAN is completely isolated with only the servers connecting to it.

And given the behavior you are reporting, chances are around 99.9% that your problem is the wrong type of cable connecting router to modem.

 

Problem fixed... you "guys" are great!

"guys" being the generic for "all you people helping me, whether male or female.

After reading your posts last night and doing more searches on this site this morning and reading and analyzing and searching and reading and learning and reading and....

I realized that it was finally time to call in help (first time ever). We called a local tech (recommended by another nearby office affiliated with my company) and he had our network up and running on DSL in ONLY 3 hours. I was able to conduct my business during the same time. Some of the best money I've spent. What took him 3 hours would've taken me 3 days, what with interuptions to conduct business. I could've spent much of the weekend and probably gotten it all together, but now I have the weekend off.

I gotta say: I already love DSL. 4 people on 4 computers all on the internet at the same time and it was lightening fast for all.

Without this site, I'd probably have continued by trial and error trying everything and getting nowhere. With this site, I'd have gotten it going after more posts and replies. But the main thing you 'guys' did is give me enough information to realize I needed to call for help. I and my associates thank you (especially since none of us would be yet appreciating our new DSL connection).

Still can't get a game to play on our LAN but I'll be back here to troubleshoot that problem later on, when I know more specifics (we are only trying Crimson Tide and the two machines we are using can't "find" each other to play).

 

Phil

Ask your Tech what he had to do and post back.

Mike

 

That'll take a few days (since I didn't get his email address) but OK. I know that he downloaded some firmware upgrades for the DSL modem and Linksys router. He also configured our LAN and assigned individual IP addresses to each computer. The biggest problem I don't think even he knows why it got fixed: tech support for SBC/Yahoo indicated he HAD to use their software to access the account. He had no success connecting through the router UNTIL he used another DSL account's login info, connecting successfully. Then when he tried our login info (unsuccessful up to that point) it worked. He was really just trying to make sure that everything was connected correctly, and then it all worked properly. His diagnosis: "go figure! "

SBC/Yahoo said it wouldn't work without using their software. It is working without any of their software installed on any of our computers.

 

Say no more was probably the account settings. Too much to have to go thru now.

As for the manual settings that would have been my next suggestion for you if tech not called.

In the past I have had this. And usually if the maual settings work then you can change it back to auto and it will then work. But with only 4 computers static setting are just fine.

Don't bother! Get to work and enjoy.

Mike

 

Hi everyone:

I hooked up a microsoft base station router the other day to dsl connection.
I had to transfer the physical address of the network card that was origionally connected to the dsl modem to the router/base station In my case there was an option to clone the address of the network card to the router. some pppoe connections use the physical address of the nic card to connect to.

Once the connection is made it evidently uses the same nic card address to connect every time.

There may be a place in the router to enter this address.

Go to run type winipcfg hit ok then more info the address of the network card is in there.

Or winconfig in xp i think not sure on that one.

Hope this helps.

 

roger - with all the NT systems, cmd prompt and ipconfig. Not as pretty as the gui with winipcfg but lots more options.

 

Thanks Newt:

Don't know much about NT Or xp But trying to learn since everything will have xp on it soon.


Roger