Need help with network!

FooJase

Hi all,

I've recently decided to get an Ethernet wire upstairs for the kid's computers. Currently I have a D-Link DSL-2640b and from that I have the crossover wire going upstairs into a Linksys WRT54G v2.2 Cable router.

I had plans of setting the D-Link to 192.168.1.x and the Linksys to 192.168.2.x however i've noted that, on the Linksys under advanced routing I can either set the router to Gateway or Router. I was wondering if someone could clear up what this setting should be because in the help section the Linksys tells me that I should set it to router if I have another router on the network but then it gives me an RIP option??? (them options being "LAN/WIRELESS" or "BOTH" or "DISABLED") All firmware’s current on both routers.

Any help is very much appreciated.

FooJase

Do I even need to enable Dynamic Routing if I set up the routers IP range manually? I guess thats what's confusing me

Taffybiker

I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but I always understood router to router would need a straight cable, not a crossover.

Godders

The only connections that use straight through cables are:
Swich <-> PC, or Router <-> Switch.

The following need crossovers:
PC <-> PC, switch <-> switch, router<->router or PC <-> router

FooJase

Well if I reset the router and plug it in I get an internet light and I'm able to connect to the internet, I assume the advanced routing section is on gateway there hence why I'm not understanding the settings, the manual doesn’t help me understand it any better

Thanks for your reply

Godders

From the model numbers you've given you've got two wireless routers - could you just fit wireless cards to the PC's and just use 1 router?

Godders

RIP is a mechanism of transmitting routing information between devices. In a normal home internet setup your router has two IP addresses, one in the public range (on it's interface connected to the Internet (lets call that E1) and one on a private range (on the interface plugged into your home network (E2)).

If you have a second router it would also have two IP addresses, one on the same range as E2 on your first router, and one on a second interface in a different subnet thus:



RIP is the process where router 2 automatically 'tells' router 1 that to get to the 'other' network it should pass the traffic to it, and router 1 'tells' router 2 that to get to the Internet it should pass traffic to it - this would probably take the form of a 'default route' being installed on router 2 - pointing to router 1 (ie - if you don't know otherwise then give the traffic to router 1)

So from the description of the settings on your Linksys I'm guessing the 'Gateway' option would tell the router to include a default route (technically a route to 0.0.0.0/0) in the routing information it gives to other routers. If you set it to 'router' then it will just tell all the other routers about the networks it is directly connected to.

FooJase

Yes I know it sounds simpler to use wireless, and we were, but the USB wireless sticks went faulty and now the kids have an xbox as well..., I decided to save myself buying two new wireless cards and a £50 wireless card for the new xBox and just use the massive crossover cable (from when we used to have just the two pc's downstairs sharing a usb modem) and the Cable modem, basically I already had the stuff lol.

So router 2 will get a default gateway IP from the private network of router 1 (like a PC would). So am I right in thinking it doesent really matter if I set it to Gateway or Router

Thanks for the help so far Godders, appreciat it

FooJase

So if I do go and set the advanced routing to "Router" would I just leave the RIP disabled? Because I am setting up the subnet's manually and i'll be giving router 2 a static IP on router 1 (or am I missing something lol)

Godders

Fair enough about the wireless then - very MSE

Am I right in thinking the D-Link DSL-2640b is the one connected to your Internet connection, and the other one is just a cable router you had lying around?

Does the crossover run between one of the Ethernet ports on the D-Link into the 'Internet' port on the Linksys? Or is it from an Ethernet port on the D-Link to one of the Ethernet ports on the Linksys?

BTW - you should be able to do this without any dynamic routing

FooJase

Godders wrote: »

Fair enough about the wireless then - very MSE

Thank you

Godders wrote: »

Am I right in thinking the D-Link DSL-2640b is the one connected to your Internet connection, and the other one is just a cable router you had lying around?

Correct, the D-Link goes into the BT phone line, we've had the cable router from new

Godders wrote: »

Does the crossover run between one of the Ethernet ports on the D-Link into the 'Internet' port on the Linksys? Or is it from an Ethernet port on the D-Link to one of the Ethernet ports on the Linksys?

Yeah it goes from the ethernet port of the D-link into the Internet port of the Linksys (not Ethernet )

Godders wrote: »

BTW - you should be able to do this without any dynamic routing

So I'd be good to go by just leaving it as a gateway? But still keeping it on the 192.168.2.x network and the D-link on the 192.168.1.x network? Because they both come default as 192.168.1.1 and wouldn't that cause problems if I tried to access the routers setup page?