Network gurus...LAN setup question

SlowToady · 11-20-2006, 09:09 AM

A friend asked me if I could setup his network in his new office, so I told him I'd give it a shot. It's already been wired and everything, only the computers and network gear needs to be setup. The guy who did the wiring ran one blue jacket Cat-5e wire in the wiring room, and then split it off into multiple drops (in different rooms) for wall jacks somewhere in the ceiling. In the wiring room, that blue cable terminates to a single RJ-45 jack. Here's what I'm assuming the network setup should look like:

The computers plug into the wall jacks which feed to the blue cable in the wiring room.
Plug the switch into the RJ45 jack in the wiring room.
Plug Cisco PIX firewall into switch.
Connect internet connection (don't know what they are getting yet) into Cisco PIX firewall.

Sound about right?

Joeaksa · 11-20-2006, 09:20 AM

Plug each one of the cat 5 cables into the hub or switch, then plug the input from the cable modem or data source into the master input socket (its marked) on the hub or switch.

Start up the computers and depending on the hub or switch then you can configure the network using their program.

Does he have WiFi or is it straight cat 5 cable? If WiFi then make sure that the WEP protection system is enabled.

Its not hard. Did he also have a printer networked? If so it either plugs into the hub or switch or only onto one computer then is shared by the other computers. Make sure that you set the printer to be able to be shared if its plugged into one computer and not the switch.

stevepaa · 11-20-2006, 09:22 AM

You can not split ethernet cable like that. Each computer should have a dedicated line to the switch. Then you can run one line from the switch to the router and one line from the router to your source.

SlowToady · 11-20-2006, 09:24 AM

Basically I think it should look like this:

http://www.fakelife.com/images/network_setup.JPG

stevepaa · 11-20-2006, 09:26 AM

you cannot split ethernet cable like that. Go find out where the cables from each computer drop actually go.

Joeaksa · 11-20-2006, 09:28 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by SlowToady
Basically I think it should look like this:

http://www.fakelife.com/images/network_setup.JPG

Nope. Has to have a switch or hub that each one of the cat 5 cables from EACH computer plugs into, then one cable goes to the firewall or data source. You cannot split a cat 5 cable unless you use a switch or hub as far as I know.

Joeaksa · 11-20-2006, 09:29 AM

Not going to work this way. Put a hub or switch where the cables are joined then it will work.

SlowToady · 11-20-2006, 09:30 AM

I wasn't sure that you could split CAT-5 like that either, so I was kind of surprised. I checked all the wall jacks, and each blue jacket wire went to the jacks marked DATA and gray jacket CAT-5 went to the phones. In the wiring room, there was a ton of gray cable and only one blue cable. So I figured there was a splitter in the ceiling creating a parrllel(sp??!?!) circuit with drops in each room.

Is that scenario not possible?

Maybe each jack was wired up, but not run all the way to the wiring room?

I've setup a ton of networks before, but they all had one CAT5 cable going from each computer the the switch, and then the switch was connected to my internet connection.

SlowToady · 09:34 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Joeaksa
Nope. Has to have a switch or hub that each one of the cat 5 cables from EACH computer plugs into, then one cable goes to the firewall or data source. You cannot split a cat 5 cable unless you use a switch or hub as far as I know.

You guys are too fast!!! Slow down:-P Hehe. That's what I thought, also. Guess I'll be poking around in the ceiling.

Hell, maybe I'll get lucky and they left a switch in the ceiling that joins the cable segments. (Yea...sure..probably not.) If so, I'm in business. If not....Man am I afraid of heights!

Joeaksa · 11-20-2006, 11:39 AM

I have never seen Cat 5 split and joined but who knows, someone might have tried it.

Take a look up there. There has to be something that its plugged into but that box should have power running to it so you can follow the power as well.

id10t · 11-20-2006, 11:56 AM

You can split a CAT5 cable, but it would be out of spec, etc. You can run 10mb network over 2 pair and 2 phone lines over the other 2 pair. Need a hub/switch if you want to connect more than 2 computers, or a crossover cable if you just want 2 computers connected.

The good news is that plenum rated cat5 is cheap and easy to work with. You'll need the appropriate crimp tool to put the connectors on the end though.

widebody911 · widebody911's Garage

The way it should be is

1..n RJ-45 wall jacks are terminated into a patch panel
Each port on the patch panel is connected to a switch.
One of those ports on the switch either connects to a router, or in some cases, the switch also functions as the router
There will be a connection from the router to the outside world; the exact nature of this connection is dependent on the type of service.

masraum · 11-20-2006, 12:10 PM

Exactly, you can split it out (but shouldn't), but with the cost of the cable etc... these days you have to be a lazy, half-A55ed monkey to do it that way.

Hopefully there's at least a hub in the ceiling. Then you can replace that with a switch and you'll be good to go.

How many drops? The PIX 501 has a built in 4 port switch.

SlowToady · 11-20-2006, 05:48 PM

I should have remembered what happens when you assume things. Apparently, the building was, at one time, one big building, instead of the 5 smaller ones it is now. And, that is when it was wired. The phone company came out today to setup the phones, and found out that not only do most of our phone lines go over into the 3 other offices/buildings, so do all our CAT5 segments. So, the phone co. is taking care of the re-wiring and should be done tomorrow. I probably COULD have figured it out, but I don't think they want to pay me for my learning curve (and they can't afford to pay me to miss my classes).

There are 8 computers (7 workstations + 1 server) so I am going to connect those to an 8port switch and connect the switch to the PIX.

Now I need to work out a backup solution and security*. Apparently I am now on retainer. It's good to be working again.

*The computers and server were already configured because they had them running at their previous location, but security so far is, well, lax.

SlowToady · 10:16 PM

Back from the dead...

Network is setup and running. I need configure the PIX to use a static IP for the DSL. This is just done by

ip address (device name) ip_addy
route 0 0

correct?

How do I enter the DNS server IPs, or do I need to?

Is there anything else I'm missing?

stevepaa · 11-27-2006, 10:10 PM

AFAIK, I think you need to add a router between the switch and pix and let each computer use DHCP to connect. Or you could assign static ips to each computer but you will need a router to provide subaddressing to your computers.

SlowToady · 11-27-2006, 10:19 PM

DHCP is provided by a Win2k3 server (serving private class addys). The PIX takes the static IP from the DSL connection and does NAT to allow the computers to access the internet. The PIX acts as the gateway.

Joeaksa · 11-27-2006, 10:32 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Wayne at Pelican Parts
Ahh, I remember the good ole' days when I was just learning networking...

-Wayne

Do you remember how long it took as well? Dammit, I remember the time I started, using the old cable with the round connectors on it.

Boat anchor tech at best but it was better than swapping a floppy between computers I guess!

dhoward · dhoward's Garage

Thicknet?
Broadband?
Frequency-agile modems?
Head-end alignment?
You must be old...

SlowToady · 11-28-2006, 01:26 PM

Well, here's the deal...Last Wends. I called WindStream Tech support and was informed that our DSL acct. has a static IP (would have been nice to know earlier). Then they transferred me to their dedicated internet help desk, who never picked up. So while I knew we had a static IP, I had no idea what it was. I went on break, came back Sunday, fast forward to today. I call a few times in the morning, and no one picks up. Decide to fix PeachTree and explore the PIX. Finally get through to tech support, and am informed I don't have a static IP. Tech says sorry for the confusion. So now I'm back to trying to configure it via DHCP. Frustrated, I call a few more times, and get someone who tells me that yes, in fact, I do have a static IP, but that he can't pull up what it is. When queried as to why this is, he informs me that it looks as though they never set it up. But, he assures me, I signed up for a static IP and am being billed for it. Which is good, because that's why I need. But it's bad, because nothing is working. I ask to speak to a supervisor because now I am quite frustrated with my experience with them, and am loosing lots of $$$ every single day that I can't get online. Supervisor says he understands my plight. He does a bit of poking around and tells me "Yea, it looks like they [dedicated internet dept.] never got around to setting up your static IP." THEY NEVER GOT AROUND TO IT?!?!?! OMFG??! I explain to him how much of a pain in the ass this is for me, and if he realizes how much of a problem this is. He again assures me that he does, and says he'll call Tier 2 Dedicated Tech Support, get this squared away and call me with the information I need. That's great!

Except, to the best of my knowledge, he never called. Which sucks. Guess I need to call again...

This would have been so much easier if they just said "your account was ordered with a static IP, this is what it is, and here's your gateway IP." Would have been a matter of throwing 2 or 3 commands at the PIX, and being done.

I'm getting really frustrated...my whole experience with WindStream has been horrible. One tech support person advised me "to just not do anything, and wait until tomorrow until a tech can come out and look at it." I ask her if she realizes this is for a BUSINESS and that is not acceptable; she basically tells me "oh well."

I'm not exactly new to networking (although this is a different environment than what I'm used to) so I doubt her "tech" would tell me something I don't already know. Besides, is he going to say "oh yea gee, the problem is that it's a static IP, and here it is!" Grrr, whatever.

kill -9 rant_mode

Quote:

Ahh, I remember the good ole' days when I was just learning networking...

I wouldn't call it learning. I'm not sure how much of anything (on any subject) I *really* know. People always comment about how "bright" I am, but really, I just guess my way through just about everything. Chem tests, networking, coding, cars, I usually just guess and it works out. Oh well...

I'm not even sure if I should be billing for the time I spent messing with it today, it kinda feels wrong. Yet, it is using my time and energy. But then again, it was supposed to be working 2 weeks ago. OTOH, I didn't have the info I needed 2 weeks ago (and still don't). Who knows....