Network problem?

[atarionly]

We are networking a small school to have a SHARED internet
connection. We do not want anything else but a internet connection.
Here is what we have.

Office= Cable MODEM-Wireless(WRT54GS)-Cantena
Building(125' away)-Range Extender(WRE54G)
Same building(60' from Extender)- 13 Computers connected to one
computer with wireless

1st Trailers(200' from range extender)- Bridge with 5 port
switch(WET54GS5)-3rooms with hard wire from bridge

HERES where the problem starts:

2nd Trailers- Hard wired from 1st trailers(180')to a 8 port wired
switch(EFAH08W)-to 3 rooms then leaves goes 175'to a switch(EFAH08W)- 6
rooms

The problem is that the bridge will only feed the 3 rooms in the
trailers that it is located in(wired). Once it leaves the bridge and
goes 180' we get nothing. We strung out a cable that connectors were
put on and nothing. Does anyone know what the bridgees wired ports are
good for in length. WE assumed it was still good for the 328' after it
hit a switch then another 328 after a nother switch.

All the equipment is Linksys and the numbers of the equipment are
shown. Any help will be appreciated.

Don

 

[Kurt]

Check that your cables are wired correctly (EIA/TIA 538A or B). You'll need
cat5e to run 100m at maximum distance reliably. You can have cabloes wired
so that they'll pass a continuity test, but fail when you hook them up. They
should be wired (starting at pin 1):

white-orange
orange
white-green
blue
white-blue
green
white-brown
brown

for a straight thru cable. For a TX crossover, swap white-orange with
white-green and orange with the green on one end. For T4 crossover you need
to swap the blues with the browns also. This standard wiring insures that
you won't have "split pairs". If you switches are not auto MD/MDX, you'll
need crossover cables between switches.

....kurt

 

[atarionly]

Both the bridge and the switch say they are auto MD/MDX. And Ive tried
a crossover cable.

UPDATE:

We got the bridge to work with a 5 port switch. Its able to send the
connection to the other trailers. We know the connection is good since
we can plug a computer into it and we get the internet connection. But
as sson as we plugin another switch that is needed we get nothing out
of the switch. The switch is auto sensing and we have tried a
crossover cable. Still nothing.

Any help would be arppreciated.

Don

 

[Kurt]

More info. Do you get link lights? Do the activity lights go berzerk when
you plug in the other switch? If you plug a computer into the 5 port and
"ping -t" does it stop getting a reply as soon as you plug in the other
switch? Have you tried a different switch other than the one that appears to
be causing the problem? etc.

....kurt

 

[atarionly]

The light on the Wireless bridge for the port we plug into goes crazy.
Non stop flashing. AS soon as we plug in the other switch the that
switch we just plugged in does not responde. Yes we have tried another
switch and still the same problem.

Correct me if Im wrong in saying that you after you leave a router you
can plug into a switch then plug that switch into another switch then
another. Ids this correct?

Router-----switch-------switch------switch------switch
| | | | | | | | |
| | |
C C C C C C C C C C C C

C=Computers out of switches

Should be able to use the ports of each switch to attatch computers or
another switch if needed?

Thanks for responding to my problem.

Don

 

[Kurt]

Yes, you can daisy chain switches to a point - there is a ttl even at the
ethernet level (7, I believe). So, let me get this straight. You plug a
wireless bridge/router (heretofore known as "router") into a switch and a
computer into the same switch, then you can ping the router. You connect a
second switch to the first switch and the computer plugged into the first
switch can no longer ping the router?

....kurt

 

[atarionly]

That is correct. As soon as the second one is connected it dies.

Don

 

[CJT]

That is correct. As soon as the second one is connected it dies.

Don

You aren't accidentally plugging in to an "uplink" connector that's
actually the same port as something else is already plugged into
(but with a crossover), are you?

 

[atarionly]

No, weve tried uplink port with computer plugged into 1-7 and all have
the same response. Weve tried xover cable and straight cable both have
no response.

Don

 

[CJT]

No, weve tried uplink port with computer plugged into 1-7 and all have
the same response. Weve tried xover cable and straight cable both have
no response.

Don

I don't see any response to the question about how the cabling is
terminated. Who did the cables? Did they terminate them according
to the standard?

 

[CJT]

Both the bridge and the switch say they are auto MD/MDX. And Ive tried
a crossover cable.

UPDATE:

We got the bridge to work with a 5 port switch. Its able to send the
connection to the other trailers. We know the connection is good since
we can plug a computer into it and we get the internet connection.

If I understand correctly what you're saying, that doesn't prove the
cabling is good. Was it professionally terminated? Is it Cat5 or
better?

But

 

[atarionly]

Yes everything is terminated with Levition RJ-45 jacks and cable ends.
The cabling was also rung out with a RJ-45 tester. The cables were
terminated using T568B. All cable is CAT5e.

 

[CJT]

Yes everything is terminated with Levition RJ-45 jacks and cable ends.
The cabling was also rung out with a RJ-45 tester. The cables were
terminated using T568B. All cable is CAT5e.

That's a puzzler. Is there any chance that the combination of wired and
wireless devices is leading to a closed loop (rather than the intended
tree structure) in the network? That would account for the constant
flashing of the status lights and, by overloading the network, could
bring useful traffic to a halt.

 

[Kurt]

That is an excellent observation, and I have actually seen that happen. I
had a Cisco wireless link to a building and would get spanning-tree shut
down of the wired switchport whenever the wireless link came up. Don, what
brand/model switches are you using? Do they support a spanning tree? A
broadcast storm or loop will cause the lights to blink like mad and pretty
much shut you down.

 

[atarionly]

No closed loop. The last building does not have any other connection
leaving the building. Since we are having alot of problems we decided
to run hard wire around. Here is the equipment we have.
Modem Terasys

All other equipment is Linksys
Router WRT54GS
5 port switch SD205
8 Port switch EZXS88W
Wireless Bridge WET54GS5

The wireless may have to be removed, now that people are around it
seems cellphones and the people are greatly affecting the signal with
constant drop outs.

Linksys has be NO help at all. I can not believe the people that they
have for Tech Support. That answer simple questions like how many
switches can be plugged into each other. Or does the switch regenerate
the signal so you can go another 328 feet. I think these are simple
questions but havent found any tech person or linksys themselves that
could answer the question. I understand the high end equipment does but
what about regular consumer products.

Don