Routers vs Switches with dsl modem What's the diff?

[loninappleton]

I am trying to set up a simple 2 client (peer 2 peer I suppose) network to share the dsl connection. I have not done any networking before.


Repeated attempts to run an application upload (bitcomet) at PC1
and process mail sending continues to fail with an error 421:
SMTP connection not found or 'went away' on PC2

Everything else works, so the traffic out via the Trendnet
broadband router I have _or_ the linksys 50ft straight through cable has to be the problem.

This run of cable is only 50 ft between rooms. Could that be the problem? Or the fact that it is straight through?

Would a switch connection-- one which would allow uploads and mail out solve the bottle neck problem and allow the upload to work at full speed unless queried by
the mail program to allow connection to SMTP?


What would be the correct device to do this?


Or is it a configuration of hardware devices problem?


I have used 2 mail programs (Mozilla SeaMonkey and Pine 4.64) to test the software. Identical errors display under both softwares, so i figure the problem is elsewhere.

[johnwill]

Tell us exactly what equipment you have, make/model. You mention a router, can I presume that each machine is connected to the router? Do you have Internet connectivity on each machine? What works, and what doesn't?

[loninappleton]

Originally Posted by johnwill

Tell us exactly what equipment you have, make/model. You mention a router, can I presume that each machine is connected to the router? Do you have Internet connectivity on each machine? What works, and what doesn't?

Ok:

PC1: Tyan Trinity motherboard with Slot 1 P2 400MHz
Linksys 10/100 NIC model LNE100TX ver. 5.1

PC2: Mach Speed X-caliber w/Celeron D and
on board ethernet connect

dsl modem Actiontec GT701... the Actiontec
specifies that it's passward must be the same as
that registered at the ISP. That's true. I've gone to
Actiontec to look at setup and used my ISP name
and password for that.


Trendnet Broadband Router ( looks like a toy-- sorry)
model number TW100-S4W1CA . IIRC the Trendnet
gave me problems when trying to access the IP address
specified for setup.



Linksys 50ft straight through cable.. do I need the pinout? Ok.

Pin connects:

(from the retail package)

1 > 1
2 > 2
3 > 3
6 > 6

Pins 4, 5, 7 and 8 not used

Pin number wire color on both ends:

1= Orange/White
2= Orange
3= Green White
4= Blue
5= Blue/White
6=Green
7=Brown/White
8=Brown

made in China ;-)





I have a general question about recommendations for broadband routers which I will make a separate post.

[crazijoe]

Your Actiontec modem has a built in router. You do not need to use the Trendnet router.

[loninappleton]

Originally Posted by crazijoe

Your Actiontec modem has a built in router. You do not need to use the Trendnet router.

Nope,

The Actiontec GT701 has no extra eth ports.

The connections are (one each)

Eth
USB
wall wart

plus an on off switch.



To answer more on the first question,

When all the devices are plugged together, I had the
eth from PC1 in the first 'lan' socket and PC2 plugged at the 'lan' 2 socket.

Performance of upload function seemed to deteriorate
when both PC1 and PC2 were connected.

No word from anyone here as to whether the straight through cable may be a bottleneck or the trendnet.

My Actiontec has operated fine with stand alone PC1 or PC2.


I had some success in working both PC1 and PC2 with the
Actiontec and Trendnet if, on the upload machine, I throttled back the speed in the transfer program to about half of what is the normal full rate for this connection which has not exceeded 40Kbps very often.


OTOH benchmark tests of my connection show upload rate of 280 possible and about 170 download.

[crazijoe]

Is this modem supplied by your ISP?

[loninappleton]

Yes, supplied by the company. It's not wireless, it's not...
anything but as I described.

I prob'ly can't trade it for something better. :-(

Is Actiontec an "off-brand"? I don't even know. But
only names a I see regularly are D-link and Linksys at
the Best Buy.


I have no interest in Wireless.

[johnwill]

Well, the Actiontec is a router, it just doesn't have the switch section most broadband routers have. You can simply connect an inexpensive Ethernet switch to the single Ethernet output of the router, or you can use the second router with the following configuration.


Connecting two SOHO broadband routers together.

Configure the IP address of the secondary router to be in the same subnet as the primary router, but out of the range of the DHCP server in the primary router. For instance DHCP server addresses 192.168.0.2 through 192.168.0.100, I'd assign the secondary router 192.168.0.254 as it's IP address.

Disable the DHCP server in the secondary router.

Setup the wireless section just the way you would if it was the primary router.

Connect from the primary router's LAN port to one of the LAN ports on the secondary router. If there is no uplink port and neither of the routers have auto-sensing ports, use a cross-over cable. Leave the WAN port unconnected!