switch 2 networks

[Bisirat Amanuel]

My computer is connected to a switch (used as a router). If I give my
computer a static IP I can access my switch. If I don't give my computer a
static ip, it will get it from the dhcp router behind the switch and I won't
be able to access my switch. Is there any networking settings I could set to
access both networks at the same time?

Thanks

 

[Robert L [MVP - Networking]]

Are they in different subnets?

Bob Lin, MS-MVP, MCSE & CNE
Networking, Internet, Routing, VPN Troubleshooting on http://www.ChicagoTech.net
How to Setup Windows, Network, VPN & Remote Access on http://www.HowToNetworking.com
My computer is connected to a switch (used as a router). If I give my
computer a static IP I can access my switch. If I don't give my computer a
static ip, it will get it from the dhcp router behind the switch and I won't
be able to access my switch. Is there any networking settings I could set to
access both networks at the same time?

Thanks

 

[Bisirat Amanuel]

Correct. The static IP is 192.168.2.1/24 and the dhcp gives 172.17.x.x/21
Are they in different subnets?

Bob Lin, MS-MVP, MCSE & CNE
Networking, Internet, Routing, VPN Troubleshooting on http://www.ChicagoTech.net
How to Setup Windows, Network, VPN & Remote Access on http://www.HowToNetworking.com
My computer is connected to a switch (used as a router). If I give my
computer a static IP I can access my switch. If I don't give my computer a
static ip, it will get it from the dhcp router behind the switch and I won't
be able to access my switch. Is there any networking settings I could set to
access both networks at the same time?

Thanks

 

[Gerald Vogt]

Correct. The static IP is 192.168.2.1/24 and the dhcp gives 172.17.x.x/21

Then assign the switch an IP address in your 172.17.0.0/21 subnet.

The alternative would be to assign the computer two static IP addresses,
one in each subnet.

Gerald

 

[Bisirat Amanuel]

how would I assign the computer (xp home) two static IP addresses?

 

[smlunatick]

how would I assign the computer (xp home) two static IP addresses?









- Show quoted text -

Are you using only one network adapter? You may have better success
by adding a second network adapter, one for tyou switch and the second
for the DHCP server???

 

[Bisirat Amanuel]

yeah, I'm using only one nic. I was just hoping there is a way to change
settings in XP or maybe add static routes to make it work with a single nic.

 

[Gerald Vogt]

how would I assign the computer (xp home) two static IP addresses?

Why don't you change the IP address of the switch? That would be a
better idea.

I don't know if there is a GUI to configure two IP addresses on a XP
machine. I don't know if it works on XP Home. It does on XP Prof. SP2.
Start with the GUI and configure the first fixed IP address.

Then open a command prompt window as administrator. At the prompt enter
"netsh". You should see the "netsh>" prompt now. Enter "interface ip".
Enter "show config" and check the exact name of the interface for which
you have to configure the second ip address. Then add the second address
with the "add address" command.

Type "add address" to see the help.

Add a address, e.g.:

add address "Local Area Connection" 172.17.0.10 255.255.248.0 172.17.0.1

With 172.17.0.10 the IP address, 255.255.248.0 the netmask and
172.17.0.1 the gateway.

Gerald

 

[Bisirat Amanuel]

Ok, thanks. Setting the switch IP fixed the problem. (I always thought a
switch could route between two different networks, but I guess not)

 

[Gerald Vogt]

Ok, thanks. Setting the switch IP fixed the problem. (I always thought a
switch could route between two different networks, but I guess not)

A switch is a switch unless it is a router. In that case it is a router
and not a switch even if someone calls it a "level 3 switch". IMHO a
"level 3 switch" is just a wrong word for a router and does not make it
a switch. A switch switches between nodes in a single network. If it is
a VLAN switch you can separate several virtual LANs although the basics
are still identical. Only a router is able to route between two
different IP networks.

It would have been easier, if you simply posted what device exactly it
is (brand, model, version). If it is a actually a router then you should
be able to setup routes on the router to address both local networks.

However, I don't understand at all why you use two different subnets.
You gave reasons why. It would be much easier to assign the switch an IP
address in side the main DHCP-assigned network.

Gerald

 

[Bisirat Amanuel]

Sorry about that, the device is a U.S. Robotics 5461 wireless router. Reason
for keeping different subnets is that network admin doesn't want me setting
static IP's. But it works now so, everything is good.

 

[jameshanley39]

My computer is connected to a switch (used as a router).

By the way. You can't use a switch as a router, or a router as a
switch. It's possible for something marketted as a switch, to be a
router.

If I give my
computer a static IP I can access my switch. If I don't give my computer a
static ip, it will get it from the dhcp router behind the switch and I won't
be able to access my switch. Is there any networking settings I could set to
access both networks at the same time?

If it's truly a switch , one tends not to access a switch. It just
does its job.

There are more expensive, Cisco switches, and it's my understanding
that they have a port to connect a computer with a cable, to access a
web interface whereby the physical ports (nothing to do with virtual -
tcp- ports) can be enabled or disabled .


It sounds like you might be speaking of a Router with the DHCP server
turned off. But that'd be strange too in this instance..

It sounds like your setup is the wrong way around. Is your set up

Comp--device1---device2--wall

device2=router
device1="switch" (router with DHCP server turned off).

The answer is turn it should be the other way around!!!!!

Comp-Router1-Router2-wall

Router2 would have to be a router/modem..

Else you'd need an additional modem. (I'm in the UK. Cable modems are
all over the place, and DSL modems seem to be almost non-existant).

Router1 would have a dynamic ip, getting it from a DHCP server.
Router2 would be the DHCP server.

 

[Bisirat Amanuel]

Well, strange or not I have a router with dhcp turned off, so it is
funcitioning like a switch. But I don't see the difference between your
diagrams, they are both Comp-->Router1-->Router2-->wall. Anyway the way I
have my setup is Comp--->switch--->Router--->Internet.

 

[Gerald Vogt]

Well, strange or not I have a router with dhcp turned off, so it is
funcitioning like a switch. But I don't see the difference between your

No. A standard broadband router embeds several hardware components: a
router, a dhcp server, a dns forwarder, a firewall, maybe an wireless
access point, and often a (dumb) multiple port LAN switch. Turning off
the DHCP server does not make a switch out of a router. It is still a
router and works as a router if it is still connected as router.

The only time when the router comes "close" to being a switch is when
basically anything you do not connect the router's WAN/Internet port,
i.e. you only utilitze the LAN ports on the broadband router. In that
case the wired connections are only running through the switch as the
router function is between the LAN and the WAN.

A wireless router would still work as simply wireless access point with
this kind of setup.

However, with this kind of setup there is no real need to connect to the
broadband router anymore, once the basic configuration is done. Why do
you have to connect to the router?

Gerald

 

[Bisirat Amanuel]

You are right, I am not connecting to the WAN port. Just LAN ports to use it
as a switch.

You asked the right question: I needed to connect to the router because it
is also a print server(US Robotics 5461). And the only way I could access
the printer is through http://routerip:port/printer. Now the setup works if
I change the router IP(originally 192.168.2.1) to match the subnet provided
by the dhcp above the router. But I just needed to know if there was another
way.

 

[jameshanley39]

Well, strange or not I have a router with dhcp turned off, so it is
funcitioning like a switch. But I don't see the difference between your
diagrams, they are both Comp-->Router1-->Router2-->wall. Anyway the way I
have my setup is Comp--->switch--->Router--->Internet.

top posting is a bad idea.

where are you getting your definition of router and switch?

a "router with dhcp turned off " is not functioning like a switch.

A router does routing. Routing is a function.

A switch/bridge does bridging, or I suppose, switching, which is a
function.

a DHCP server, is another device/function.

A modem is another.

A typical thing marketted as a router , also contains a DHCP server.

Routers look at ip addresses, switches look at MAC addresses. It's a
different thing.

I should read up about VLANS, but I think the things marketted as
routers a.k.a. "home routers", (maybe "small business routers" too, I
don't know) contain a switch to give multiple ports (unlike more
expensive routers). And it's a VLAN and sort of has ip addresses, i'd
have to look into it.

The 2 different setups are to do with which "home router" has DHCP
turned on.

I just realised I did describe the same setup twice when I said the 2
were different way arounds.. My confusion lay in

the following..

I would also make
comp-router1-router2-wall

router2 the DHCP server.

router1 should have an ip on the subnetwork of router2.

But then I wouldn't give router1 a static ip on the subnetwork of
router2. I'd tell router1 to get the ip through DHCP, from router2.


When you "said" you got router1 a static ip, I wrongly thought it was
near the wall, so couldn't get it from the DHCP server router. So now
I only question why you gave it a static ip rather than getting it
from router2, but the question could go the other way to. I guess
doing it manually(rather than DHCP) as you have is slightly more fun/
technical.

I haven't ever tried configuring my computer with a static private ip
instead of getting it from the router.. I guess running a DHCP server
full stop can be turned off - for fun! Though it makes things more
automated and it works.

 

[Bisirat Amanuel]

Why is top posting a bad idea?

comp-router1-router2-wall
No i'm not setting static ip's for fun. Cable from router2 is connecting
into router1's Lan port not Wan port therefore, it cannot get a dynamic IP.
When I said static ip - i was just changing the default ip given to it
originally(192.168.0.1 in most routers). But it is ok that you think setting
static ip's is fun.

 

[jameshanley39]

Why is top posting a bad idea?

The reason is repeated thousands of times all over google, better than
I could explain it, and in all the detail one could ever need. If the
googlable explanation was unsatisfactory or hard to put together, and
I knew a better reason, i'd have written it, to add to what is
googleable on the subject.

However, i'll try

i'll say-
think
-order of conversation
-inspersing discussion

the latter point hasn't arisen here, but could. The former point
stands.

I am having to go back to previous posts quite a bit to see what you
wrote, which isn't ideal, but I don't mind that so much. It is less
necessary when people don't top post. With top posting the only way
it can be readable is if it's just a post and a reply. No developing
discussion can be neatly held in the post.

comp-router1-router2-wall
No i'm not setting static ip's for fun. Cable from router2 is connecting
into router1's Lan port not Wan port therefore, it cannot get a dynamic IP.
When I said static ip - i was just changing the default ip given to it
originally(192.168.0.1 in most routers).

I'm wondering if router2 is a router/modem. I guess it isn't if it's
plugged into router1 too.. I've never tried that.

where does the modem fit into this?

Your setup isn't
comp-router1-router2-wall
/
" Comp--->switch--->Router--->Internet "

'cos you just said that Router2 is connected into Router1's LAN port.

Now I wonder if router2 is a router/modem? You do show it as
connnecting to the internet.


Is it cable or DSL?
'cos
in the UK, we tend not to get separate DSL modems.. So router/modems
are common. For Cable, people tend to have calbe modems (I haven't
seen combo router/modems for cable)

But it is ok that you think setting static ip's is fun.

My point is that it seems unnecessary. It was a technical point I was
making. But i'm intrigued as to your set up. It's not typical..

 

[Bisirat Amanuel]

The reason is repeated thousands of times all over google, better than
I could explain it, and in all the detail one could ever need. If the
googlable explanation was unsatisfactory or hard to put together, and
I knew a better reason, i'd have written it, to add to what is
googleable on the subject.

However, i'll try

i'll say-
think
-order of conversation
-inspersing discussion

the latter point hasn't arisen here, but could. The former point
stands.

I am having to go back to previous posts quite a bit to see what you
wrote, which isn't ideal, but I don't mind that so much. It is less
necessary when people don't top post. With top posting the only way
it can be readable is if it's just a post and a reply. No developing
discussion can be neatly held in the post.




I'm wondering if router2 is a router/modem. I guess it isn't if it's
plugged into router1 too.. I've never tried that.

where does the modem fit into this?

Your setup isn't
comp-router1-router2-wall
/
" Comp--->switch--->Router--->Internet "
Correct


'cos you just said that Router2 is connected into Router1's LAN port.

Now I wonder if router2 is a router/modem? You do show it as
connnecting to the internet.


Is it cable or DSL?
'cos
in the UK, we tend not to get separate DSL modems.. So router/modems
are common. For Cable, people tend to have calbe modems (I haven't
seen combo router/modems for cable)

Lets just say router2 is connected to cable modem, not that it matters or
anything, it just has a cat5e coming out of it.

 

[jameshanley39]

err correction to self.. moving away from the wall it's normal. And
that's what you meant. When I say A connected to B, in these contexts,
I usually mean towards the wall. I'll think more generally next time !

Correct

I guess you mean it is. 'cos you said

"
the way I
have my setup is Comp--->switch--->Router--->Internet.
"

<snip>

makes sense

But, as I asked before.. Why set router1's ip manually. You clearly
don't find it fun.

A similar question could be asked regarding computers connected to a
router.

Why not let it / them receive IPs from router2 DHCP server?