cfandt
10-22-2005, 04:22 PM
Greetings,
I have a wired network in my house that I am having trouble getting to work correctly. To state where I come from, experience-wise, I probably could be considered an advanced PC user willing to try anything, but certainly not up to the expert level. Basically, I know enough to get myself into trouble but not quite enough to get through some of the more arcane issues. I can find bits and pieces from different websites, but not enough details to get me through to an answer. I hope to find guidance from experts here :)
Anyway, here is the topology as I thought it should be. Please look at the schematic that I found online and am "borrowing" for use in this discussion. It's at this URL:
http://bobcat.elitemonkey.net/images/network.GIF (http://) .
Profuse Thank You's to the person who created it if he's reading this! This drawing just so happens to show exactly what I have setup -except add an HP LaserJet 4050N (with J3113A Jetdirect card) to a fourth port on the "Main Switch" at the top of the drawing. I can print from any machine on the network :)
The Modem and Main Switch is setting on top of the machine which is labeled in the drawing "PC with Net Sharing" (I'll use the shorter term "Main PC") setting in the dining room while the "Secondary Switch" is upstairs in my office. The laser printer is in the dining room along with the main PC.
Hardware used FYI is:
* DSL Modem (Speedstream 5200);
* Linksys LNE100TX Fast Ethernet Adapter(LNE100TX v4) in Main PC which connects to the DSL Modem;
* Belkin-branded 10/100 card (Realtek RTL8139(A)-based PCI Adapter) in Main PC which connects to the Main switch (LAN);
* Main switch, and Secondary switches are Linksys EtherFast 10/100 5-Port Workgroup switches;
* Ethernet interfaces in PC3 and PC4 are a Realtek RTL8029(AS) PCI Ethernet NIC (just 10 MHz speed only) and an on-mainboard VIA Rhine II Fast Ethernet Adapter, respectively.
PC1 and PC2 are laptops, a PIII Dell and a P90 Toshiba, which will occasionally be connected. They are not connected during this discussion. Lord knows there's already enough hardware to mess with in this discussion.
CAT5 UTP is used, keeping the runs away from AC electrical lines.
Until the phone company was in yesterday to replace a suspected defective DSL modem, there had been a Linksys BEFSX41 Cable/DSL Firewall Router with VPN and 4-port switch placed between the DSL modem and the Main PC. The hardware firewall should be located between the modem and Main PC on the drawing.
The TCP/IP setup is as follows:
DSL Modem:
IP: 192.168.254.2
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway: 192.168.254.254
Linksys card in Main PC to DSL Modem:
IP: 192.168.254.2
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway: 192.168.254.254
Realtek card in Main PC to LAN:
IP: 192.168.1.20
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway: 192.168.1.20
PC3:
IP: 192.168.1.2
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway: 192.168.1.20
PC4:
IP: 192.168.1.4
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway: 192.168.1.20
HP 4050N Jetdirect card:
IP: 192.168.1.200
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway: <none>
The IP address of the Linksys Firewall Router is 192.168.1.1.
The Modem and Linksys Ethernet card are set to the same IP address.
This part is interesting. The instructions for the Modem tell us to set the properties to Obtain an IP address automatically, but the telephone tech found that statically setting the Modem's IP address into the Properties, as shown above, allowed the Internet to be accessed. I presume setups may be specific to whatever installation. The tech never had contact with a network configured like mine, usually simple home nets with just one or two computers. :confused:
It should be noted that the Main PC, PC4 and one of the laptops (the Dell PIII) run win2kSP4. PC3 and the second laptop both run win98SE.
My ISP uses PPPoE connection protocol.
Now, the problems at hand:
1. I cannot get ICS running after many tries, trying a couple of different topological setups, and after searching help-related websites. Please note: ICS setup activity was last tried weeks before the new modem was installed. :confused:
2. The network, as is, generally ran okay except after my phone company replaced the modem yesterday. However, I cannot get the printer to work anymore unless I disable the LAN Ethernet card and then immediately re-enable it. :confused:
3. The Linksys Cable/DSL Firewall Router will not work with the modem anymore :mad:
As to trying to get ICS setup, I found Microsoft's instructions within win2k and on the web too, IIRC, to be slightly lacking -especially the lack of mentioning that a second Ethernet card is needed in order to achieve ICS. I found several websites on setting up ICS which never exactly were consistent in how to setup ICS. Plus, they usually never addressed anything more complicated than a simple modem, host and client setup through just a single switch. My setup is a bit more complex.
I'm looking to the collective knowledge in this forum to help sort out my network to achieve the following goals:
1. Enable Internet access for PC1 through PC4. ICS or what?
2. Get my network printer working reliably again.
3. Insert the hardware Firewall Router back into service.
4. Enable Internet surfing activity monitoring from the Main PC thru future-purchased software.
5. Internet surfing by our son to be done through a new PC (#PC5) to be under the control of the monitoring mentioned in item #4, above. Then he can trash his own machine and I'll have a disk image stored on PC4 ready to reinstall. ;) I archive important stuff upstairs on PC4. It's sort of a mirror with a pair of matched robust HDDs.
The appeal to my wife and I of using ICS is that we have a 12-year-old son who has, with help of his friends, discovered p*rn and other decidedly adult websites. Surfing activity could be monitored and even controlled by the Main PC by using any of several parental control packages we've glanced over so far.
A lot of detail is in this posting and it is probably too danged long, but I hoped to give enough to help you picture precisely what I have.
I presume the best tactic may be to simply start over with what I've got in order to achieve the five goals stated above based upon advice from this community. After all, I would guess that in a small office network those five goals I have set are probably the same and exactly this has been done before. But, naturally, I have not found that particular forum discussion as of yet.
Note: I can't afford anymore hardware/software until I get employed again :(
Thanks in advance for your input, everybody. :)
-Chris F.
I have a wired network in my house that I am having trouble getting to work correctly. To state where I come from, experience-wise, I probably could be considered an advanced PC user willing to try anything, but certainly not up to the expert level. Basically, I know enough to get myself into trouble but not quite enough to get through some of the more arcane issues. I can find bits and pieces from different websites, but not enough details to get me through to an answer. I hope to find guidance from experts here :)
Anyway, here is the topology as I thought it should be. Please look at the schematic that I found online and am "borrowing" for use in this discussion. It's at this URL:
http://bobcat.elitemonkey.net/images/network.GIF (http://) .
Profuse Thank You's to the person who created it if he's reading this! This drawing just so happens to show exactly what I have setup -except add an HP LaserJet 4050N (with J3113A Jetdirect card) to a fourth port on the "Main Switch" at the top of the drawing. I can print from any machine on the network :)
The Modem and Main Switch is setting on top of the machine which is labeled in the drawing "PC with Net Sharing" (I'll use the shorter term "Main PC") setting in the dining room while the "Secondary Switch" is upstairs in my office. The laser printer is in the dining room along with the main PC.
Hardware used FYI is:
* DSL Modem (Speedstream 5200);
* Linksys LNE100TX Fast Ethernet Adapter(LNE100TX v4) in Main PC which connects to the DSL Modem;
* Belkin-branded 10/100 card (Realtek RTL8139(A)-based PCI Adapter) in Main PC which connects to the Main switch (LAN);
* Main switch, and Secondary switches are Linksys EtherFast 10/100 5-Port Workgroup switches;
* Ethernet interfaces in PC3 and PC4 are a Realtek RTL8029(AS) PCI Ethernet NIC (just 10 MHz speed only) and an on-mainboard VIA Rhine II Fast Ethernet Adapter, respectively.
PC1 and PC2 are laptops, a PIII Dell and a P90 Toshiba, which will occasionally be connected. They are not connected during this discussion. Lord knows there's already enough hardware to mess with in this discussion.
CAT5 UTP is used, keeping the runs away from AC electrical lines.
Until the phone company was in yesterday to replace a suspected defective DSL modem, there had been a Linksys BEFSX41 Cable/DSL Firewall Router with VPN and 4-port switch placed between the DSL modem and the Main PC. The hardware firewall should be located between the modem and Main PC on the drawing.
The TCP/IP setup is as follows:
DSL Modem:
IP: 192.168.254.2
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway: 192.168.254.254
Linksys card in Main PC to DSL Modem:
IP: 192.168.254.2
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway: 192.168.254.254
Realtek card in Main PC to LAN:
IP: 192.168.1.20
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway: 192.168.1.20
PC3:
IP: 192.168.1.2
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway: 192.168.1.20
PC4:
IP: 192.168.1.4
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway: 192.168.1.20
HP 4050N Jetdirect card:
IP: 192.168.1.200
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway: <none>
The IP address of the Linksys Firewall Router is 192.168.1.1.
The Modem and Linksys Ethernet card are set to the same IP address.
This part is interesting. The instructions for the Modem tell us to set the properties to Obtain an IP address automatically, but the telephone tech found that statically setting the Modem's IP address into the Properties, as shown above, allowed the Internet to be accessed. I presume setups may be specific to whatever installation. The tech never had contact with a network configured like mine, usually simple home nets with just one or two computers. :confused:
It should be noted that the Main PC, PC4 and one of the laptops (the Dell PIII) run win2kSP4. PC3 and the second laptop both run win98SE.
My ISP uses PPPoE connection protocol.
Now, the problems at hand:
1. I cannot get ICS running after many tries, trying a couple of different topological setups, and after searching help-related websites. Please note: ICS setup activity was last tried weeks before the new modem was installed. :confused:
2. The network, as is, generally ran okay except after my phone company replaced the modem yesterday. However, I cannot get the printer to work anymore unless I disable the LAN Ethernet card and then immediately re-enable it. :confused:
3. The Linksys Cable/DSL Firewall Router will not work with the modem anymore :mad:
As to trying to get ICS setup, I found Microsoft's instructions within win2k and on the web too, IIRC, to be slightly lacking -especially the lack of mentioning that a second Ethernet card is needed in order to achieve ICS. I found several websites on setting up ICS which never exactly were consistent in how to setup ICS. Plus, they usually never addressed anything more complicated than a simple modem, host and client setup through just a single switch. My setup is a bit more complex.
I'm looking to the collective knowledge in this forum to help sort out my network to achieve the following goals:
1. Enable Internet access for PC1 through PC4. ICS or what?
2. Get my network printer working reliably again.
3. Insert the hardware Firewall Router back into service.
4. Enable Internet surfing activity monitoring from the Main PC thru future-purchased software.
5. Internet surfing by our son to be done through a new PC (#PC5) to be under the control of the monitoring mentioned in item #4, above. Then he can trash his own machine and I'll have a disk image stored on PC4 ready to reinstall. ;) I archive important stuff upstairs on PC4. It's sort of a mirror with a pair of matched robust HDDs.
The appeal to my wife and I of using ICS is that we have a 12-year-old son who has, with help of his friends, discovered p*rn and other decidedly adult websites. Surfing activity could be monitored and even controlled by the Main PC by using any of several parental control packages we've glanced over so far.
A lot of detail is in this posting and it is probably too danged long, but I hoped to give enough to help you picture precisely what I have.
I presume the best tactic may be to simply start over with what I've got in order to achieve the five goals stated above based upon advice from this community. After all, I would guess that in a small office network those five goals I have set are probably the same and exactly this has been done before. But, naturally, I have not found that particular forum discussion as of yet.
Note: I can't afford anymore hardware/software until I get employed again :(
Thanks in advance for your input, everybody. :)
-Chris F.