Home Network - Router behind Router? Can I make Router act as a switch?

[quentinmacdougall]

Please help. Here is my network diagram:
http://torch.cs.dal.ca/~quentin/network.JPG

The Cable Modem, LinkSys Router, and Linksys switch are all located in
the basement. I have a single ethernet outlets in 5 bedrooms. With
PCs in all 5 rooms, all machines can ping and access each others
shares.

I want to put 2 computers in 1 bedroom where there is only 1 ethernet
outlet. This is the Question mark part of my diagram. I only have 1
ethernet jack in my bedroom. Im sure I could simply put a switch in
that bedroom and everything should work magically, but I do not have a
switch. I do have an extra D-Link 704P router however. I was hoping I
could use this router as a switch somehow and still have all the
machines able to do SMB file sharing. Is this possible?

So far Ive been unsuccessfull. I was able to setup a second private
using the Router's NAT in bedroom 5. I plugged the D-Link router in,
gave it a static WAN IP of 192.168.0.2. I then gave it a LAN IP of
192.168.1.1. I plugged 2 machines into this router and gave them
192.168.1.x addresses. These machines had internet access, but the 2
machines plugged into the router could not access any file shares from
any of the other computers on the network.

Anyone know the proper way to configure such a network? Or can this
simply not be done with a second router?

 

[Steve Winograd [MVP]]

Please help. Here is my network diagram:
http://torch.cs.dal.ca/~quentin/network.JPG

The Cable Modem, LinkSys Router, and Linksys switch are all located in
the basement. I have a single ethernet outlets in 5 bedrooms. With
PCs in all 5 rooms, all machines can ping and access each others
shares.

I want to put 2 computers in 1 bedroom where there is only 1 ethernet
outlet. This is the Question mark part of my diagram. I only have 1
ethernet jack in my bedroom. Im sure I could simply put a switch in
that bedroom and everything should work magically, but I do not have a
switch. I do have an extra D-Link 704P router however. I was hoping I
could use this router as a switch somehow and still have all the
machines able to do SMB file sharing. Is this possible?

So far Ive been unsuccessfull. I was able to setup a second private
using the Router's NAT in bedroom 5. I plugged the D-Link router in,
gave it a static WAN IP of 192.168.0.2. I then gave it a LAN IP of
192.168.1.1. I plugged 2 machines into this router and gave them
192.168.1.x addresses. These machines had internet access, but the 2
machines plugged into the router could not access any file shares from
any of the other computers on the network.

Anyone know the proper way to configure such a network? Or can this
simply not be done with a second router?

Yes, it can be done. Configure the D-Link router as a network switch
only, bypassing its routing capabilities:

1. Using one of the connected machines, go to http://192.168.1.1 and:

A. Disable the router's built-in DHCP server.

B. Configure it to obtain a WAN address automatically.

C. Change its LAN IP address to a 192.168.0.x address
that's outside of the Linksys router's DHCP pool.

2. Configure both machines to obtain an IP address automatically.

3. Connect the Ethernet jack to one of the D-Link router's LAN ports.
Don't connect anything to the WAN port.
--
Best Wishes,
Steve Winograd, MS-MVP (Windows Networking)

Please post any reply as a follow-up message in the news group
for everyone to see. I'm sorry, but I don't answer questions
addressed directly to me in E-mail or news groups.

Microsoft Most Valuable Professional Program
http://mvp.support.microsoft.com

 

[Chuck]

Please help. Here is my network diagram:
http://torch.cs.dal.ca/~quentin/network.JPG

The Cable Modem, LinkSys Router, and Linksys switch are all located in
the basement. I have a single ethernet outlets in 5 bedrooms. With
PCs in all 5 rooms, all machines can ping and access each others
shares.

I want to put 2 computers in 1 bedroom where there is only 1 ethernet
outlet. This is the Question mark part of my diagram. I only have 1
ethernet jack in my bedroom. Im sure I could simply put a switch in
that bedroom and everything should work magically, but I do not have a
switch. I do have an extra D-Link 704P router however. I was hoping I
could use this router as a switch somehow and still have all the
machines able to do SMB file sharing. Is this possible?

So far Ive been unsuccessfull. I was able to setup a second private
using the Router's NAT in bedroom 5. I plugged the D-Link router in,
gave it a static WAN IP of 192.168.0.2. I then gave it a LAN IP of
192.168.1.1. I plugged 2 machines into this router and gave them
192.168.1.x addresses. These machines had internet access, but the 2
machines plugged into the router could not access any file shares from
any of the other computers on the network.

Anyone know the proper way to configure such a network? Or can this
simply not be done with a second router?

Plug the D-Link router in, as a switch. Don't connect anything to its WAN.
<http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/06/file-sharing-on-lan-with-two-routers.html>
http://nitecruzr.blogspot.com/2005/06/file-sharing-on-lan-with-two-routers.html
# Change the LAN on the D-Link from 192.168.0.2, to 192.168.0.254 (or any other
address not in use, and not part of any DHCP scope).
# Disable the DHCP server on Router 2.
# Are you using DHCP on your LAN? If so, make sure that the DHCP server, on the
Linksys router, has a scope defined large enough to service all of the
computers.

 

[quentinmacdougall]

Thanks Chuck! That URL explains everything perfectly. Too easy

 

[Chuck]

On 29 May 2006 12:37:32 -0700, (e-mail address removed) wrote:

Glad to help, Quentin. Thanks for the feedback!