networking problems

[Dbomb101]

i have recently created a network for three pc using a netgear hub, while everyone else can connect to it fine, i get limited connectivty. here is the ipconfig it is connection 2

C:\Documents and Settings\Darren>ipconfig

Windows IP Configuration


Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : cat-internet.co.uk
IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 10.7.50.116
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 10.7.50.254

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection 2:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
Autoconfiguration IP Address. . . : 169.254.16.208
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.0.0
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . :

any help would be much appreicated

[smargh]

A hub? Router? DSL router? Switch? Model/make of each? Which OS? Static or DHCP on all/most PCs?

[Dbomb101]

Netgear FS605UK 5 Port 10/100 Switch connecting 3 computers all using windows xp sp2 on a LAN , and i think it is DCHP although not absolutely sure and not quite sure how to check either, kinda of a networking noob lol

[alsenior]

what you have gone and done there is bought yourself a switch. have you connected the modem to one of the pc's and then all of then to the hub using internet connection sharing or have you connected all 3 mahiners and the modem to the switch. the address that the adapter has it a apipa address this is what windows uses when it is connected to a network but cannot get an address.

[Splash]

Looks like you're trying to use ICS or somethign similar to share the connection from your PC with the others - is that right?

[Dbomb101]

well the thing is that it is a dorm so we all have our own internet connection, but there is a modem directly connected to a pc and am pretty sure there is some internet sharing going on, plus also not sure if am using an ics all i did was use network wizard

[peterb]

You seem to have two LAN configurations there. The first one is from an Internet Service Provider and that looks reasonable.

The second is a default adress that Windows computers default to when there is no DHCP server present and the IP address hasn't been configured manually.

Does your computer have two network cards fitted? (Probably not)

Is the switch connected to a router that is connected to the internet or does that computer normally connect via a USB modem (The USB connection is spoofed as an Ethernet connection)

If you are using a USB modem, AND you want all three computers to see both the internet and each other, you will need a combined modem and router.

I have just looked at the Cat-internet home page, and I see that it is cable, and normally the computer just plugs into a data port "in your room". If that is the case, it is unlikely that you will be able to connect multiple computers easily. A cable router (not ADSL) might to the job - that would 2buffer2 the incoming IP address and allow the three computers to be on their own LAN and the use the cable connection as a gateway to the internet. It might be against the terms and conditions of cat-internet though.

[Dbomb101]

no my computer doesnt lol , goes straight through the ethernet port in my room and we just want to create a LAN to play games and share files internet sharing isnt nesseary, although someone on the network has a two ethernet ports one connect to the LAN and another to a adsl modem

[peterb]

OK - Is this a University room? The IP address you quoted (10.7.50.116) is a private class A address which has been sub-netted. This implies thatthere is a router at the other end of the data port, therefore the only way you can share that connection with three other computers in your room is with a router of your own, so you establish your own private LAN.

If you wish to share files with other people on that same subnet (10.7.50.0) you only have to allow file shareing on your computer, rembering that there are potentially 253 other computers on that subnet.

[Dbomb101]

well i have bought a private modem with a switch connected, my mates can connect to each other fine it is just mine being an epic fail, i looked at their settings and saw that i dont have a physical address, the right subnet mask, only the ip was was, tried configuring manually but doesnt help

[Dbomb101]

well i have managed to get onto the network, but there is one problem though which is that am leeching my on my mates internet connection, and three ppl sharing a 2mb internet just.. . lame is there anyway i can connect to the network but still use my internet cause everytime i try and connect to internet i get a limited no connectivety warning

[peterb]

I'm still not clrear in my own mind what you are doing. You have one data port that gives internet access, but you want three computers to talk to each other, but only one to have access to the data port that gives internet access?

If that is the case, connect the three computers via a switch, and connect the switch to the data port. Then configure the two computers that you don't want to have internet access to have no default gateway. That way the three can still communicate but only the one with a gateway configured will send packets out to the data port. It is convoluted, but I think that will work. The switch is a layer 2 device (in the OSI model) and will direct packets based on the MAC addresses of the computers, only the machine sending packets to the data port (which is connected to a layer 3 device) will be able to send data out. You will need to play with the config settings on the to non internet computers and manually assign IP addresses to them, and you may need to establish a second vitual lan connection linked to the same physical NIC (which it appears you have done) with that same subnet.

It isn't something I have done, so I wopuld need to try a set up myself before I could be certain it would work.

[Dbomb101]

ok thanks for that man but the one problem there is a adsl router in one room which i think is interfering with the network, but i will try your idea out and see if it works