Hi everybody! You might remember me from such threads as:
New Router Killed my Server
and
Cannot directly access files from server via browser on FTP
and
ProFTP and Postfix
(That's a Simpson's joke FYI )
Well I am here because I just threw my new box onto my router and am completely unable to get it to hooked up to network with anything. The NIC is a Linksys NC100u (tulip I believe is the driver?). The router is a Linksys BEFSR41.

I've tried different ports on the router just to see if that was the problem, but to no avail. I've tried setting it up using both DHCP and a static IP. I cannot ping the router, nor the other computer on the network.

I don't know what kind of info you guys will need at this point, but whatever you need let me know, I'll be happy to provide it.

Thank you!

How do you go if you plug the machine straight into the network the other machines are on, or using a crossover cable to connect to them...how do pings go then? If they still don't work, sounds like you have the same problem as I do...(see my thread in Linux-Networking...NIC Issues..)

If I plug the WAN line straight into my card, I still get nothing. My ISP configures my IP dynamically via DHCP. I tried using DHCP to get an IP this way, but it didn't work either.

Thanks for the suggestion though

Cool

Draw us a cute little ASCII picture like this:

client1----\
client2---router---{Internet}
client3----/

of your network, then list them all like this:

*router: slackware 8.1, 56k to internet, 100bt to the hub everyone else is on. DHCP server running for them.
192.168.98.1/255.255.255.0

*client1: 98 box, dhcp from slack router, works
192.168.98.41/255.255.255.0

*client2: XP box, dhcp from slack router, works
192.168.98.50/255.255.255.0

*client3: NT 4/Slack 8.1 box, static IP, works
192.168.98.251/255.255.255.0

(OK so thats my home network but do yours instead)

then hop on one foot while holding a chicke....

er uh I mean

I have no clue what a BEFSR41 is so is the "router" your cable modem, or DSL modem (I know, technically they aren't modems, its a buzzword thing.) Does one port go to one machine and it goes to a hub with everyone else or does the router have 4 or 5 ports and you plug all your computers into it?

-what are all the settings on the broken machine (ifconfig /a or ipconfig -a) and on a working machine and on the router.
-does the driver load? lsmod and look for tulip or whatever, check ifconfig -a for an eth0 or eth1
-if it's not another box that needs a static IP on your home network then comment IPADDR and NETMASK and uncomment USE_DHCP in the "first Ethernet card (eth0" section of /etc/rc.d/rc.inet1 or just run netconfig and follow the same text gui that runs during install

PS would it be easier if the post button just popped my phone number up for you or what MasterC?

Yes, yes it would! ha ha ha,

Here's my best shot at a pic:

Client1----\
Router (Linksys BEFSR41)
Client2----/

Client1: Slackware 8.1(and Mandrake 9.0, WinXP, LFS 4.0) working great (thanks ), using a Realtek 8139 NIC. using IP 192.168.1.50/255.255.255.0

Client2: Slackware 8.1 only, not working at all, tried both the linksys card mentioned above, and recently swapped in another Realtek card just to check, still no luck. It's using IP 192.168.1.69/255.255.255.0

Router: It's a standalone router, not a linux box. It's the Linksys BEFSR41 router, the small blue box ones ( Here's the product page ). It's IP is 192.168.1.1/255.255.255.0 It also has the WAN IP from my ISP, which is gained via DHCP.

The driver is loaded on the downed box, I can ping the address of the box iitself (192.168.1.69 can ping 192.168.1.69).

On the downed box (Client2) ifconfig shows:
inet addr:192.168.1.69 Bcast:192.168.1.255 Mask:255.255.255.0

On the good box (Client1) ifconfig shows:
inet addr:192.168.1.50 Bcast:192.168.1.255 Mask:255.255.255.0

I've tried running DHCP on it, but to no avail. I get network unreachable.

Thanks for your help so far

Cool

So how far can you get?

Can you ping a local address like your router 192.168.1.1?
If not then you have problems with either netmask or cabling or what you are trying to ping isn't working. Or maybe your IP address is being used, you can run into this if you pick IPs for your network and give two machines the same one, OR if you have a DHCP server (your linksys is a DHCP server) giving out IPs it may not know which IPs you assigned manually.

Can you ping past your router? (64.179.4.146 is LQ.com's address)
If not then do you know about the router in your tcp/ip settings? is it set as a gateway?

Can you ping names like www.slackware.com?
If not then you need a nameserver also called a DNS server, these get listed in /etc/resolv.conf

Your short answer is to assign all this info by hand, but I'd suggest you either figure out why the DHCP server on your Linksys router isn't working and fix it so it does work or shut it off so it doesn't step on all the clients you set up by hand.

I suggest you get the Linksys working though, it's got the capability to do everything, if it's working properly you should be able to set a computer for DHCP, plug it in, and surf. If you have to manually assign IP addresses to every machine then you aren't getting from it what the thing is supposed to do which means it's broken. I am looking at the product page from your link and if it is working like they advertise (and there isn't any reason why it shouldn't) then you should be able to plug in anything with ethernet and tcp/ip from a Windows box to a Slackware box to a PowerMac to a toaster with a network card and see The Internet. Your Linksys should even have an option to assign DHCP addresses based on MAC address, this means you tell it the network address of your HTTP/Web server (it looks like 00:10:4B:97:62:16 which happens to be my MAC address) and that it should always give 192.168.1.50 to this computer and nobody else. I imagine you probably paid good money for the Linksys I'd make them help you get it to work.

I'd also think it's the router too, except this router has worked fine using DHCP on my first box (client1) when it was just by itself. However, if you still think it's the router, I will be happy to call up Linksys and have them run me through it.

Thanks for the reply

Oh, and I cannot even ping my router. I cannot ping anything except the IP I assign to the card. I thought cabling as well, however I swapped in another cable that definitely works, but nothing.

I will give the Tech support a call shortly, thanks again.

The linksys should have activity lights, do they flash when you ping? can you ping any box at your house? it's also possible it is a media link problem, something like your linksys trying to go at 100bT but your netcard trying to go 10bT in which case they won't talk.

But still work towards the linksys getting dhcp working, dhcp is a standard, it doesn't matter what OS is using it, if the dhcp server (the linksys) is giving out the right info you will have connection.

Hope you have luck with their tech support. I have no idea how linksys support is since a) I don't own any of their products or help friends who do b) I not only did networking tech support but taught networking classes for a tech support staff so I doubt those guys would do me much good `(:

Still, live phone support could get you going much faster than the message boards.

I had a similar problem once when I had some systems using DHCP (using the BEFSR41 router DHCP server) and some with static ips. One day, plugged in a new box with a static IP and it would not work! Turned out the static IP I had used was in the DHCP assignment range of the router. Maybe that is your problem. Seemed that the router ignored the address if it was in its' DHCP range and not assigned.

EDIT: nevermind; I see you've already tried DHCP...

Sort of an update...

The thing is, this same router has worked for both DHCP and static IP's on another box. I tested to make sure it does still work like that, and it does. I've tried giving the exact same settings to this new box, but it will not connect regardless of the distro (I threw on some live CD's). I tried the known working port on the router, and with the non-working box, it still doesn't connect. But as soon as I plug back in the known working box, it connects just fine.

The activity lights on the router do sort of 'stutter' when I ping something, but it's not the same blinking as when the known working box is sending/recieving information.

I am starting to lean alot more towards a hardware problem, maybe a conflict of some sort on the pci's? However, you guys are the guru's so I will try whatever you suggest. If you want I can take a picture of my setup, although it's pretty messy, maybe it would help to suggest solutions

Cool

Bad hardware is a possibility too, guess I kind of assumed you had the system working in some other configuration like mandy or windows at some point and knew the hardware was good already

So heres some stuff to try:

If you can get into your linksys router config, try and find out the range of IPs it gives out and move it around to free up some addresses that you can use for manual IP settings. So for example if it gives out 192.168.1.2-192.168.1.254 then change it to the range 192.168.1.2-192.168.1.200 and use 192.168.1.201-192.168.1.254 for manually configured machines. This makes sure DHCP doesn't give out an address that steps on your static ones.

Then set a static IP for the network interface (NIC) on your "broken" machine and plug it in.

Now open up tcpdump on the broken box with your other box surfing the net and see if you see ANYTHING from other hosts. With tcpdump going try to ping an unused address on your subnet from the dot 50 machine and leave it running, you should see the ARP requests in tcpdump like this:

"...arp who has 192.168.1.100 tell 192.168.1.50"

Also, if your linksys router has all the ports switched, as opposed to pooled like a hub then there may be a problem when you move the network plugs around (a real switch switch aka layer 2 switch remembers the hardware addresses of NICs and sends data out to only that port so if you swap ports and it hasn't figured out the NIC is on a new one, it sends data for that NIC to the old port!) If you aren't sure, leave everything plugged in and power it all off including the linksys router then powerup the router and after it settles down (my switch does a post just like a PC and all the lights cycle when it's done) then power up the machines. You should see activity on the router when the machines boot and initialize their NICs. If you did this go back up and try the continuous pings again. If the linksys truly switches all the ports then you won't see computer to computer data in tcpdump unless it's sent to that computer but still there are broadcasts to see like ARP broadcasts.

If you are getting no data from the network then it could be hardware.

Now hardware could be anything from wrong media setting like 10bT instead of 100bT or even full duplex instead of half duplex to an interrupt problem to broken NIC. If you aren't sure try the NIC in another box and/or another NIC in that box, or in a different PCI slot. Read the above paragraph about switched ports again if you change NICs. Also verify that the model of card you are using is really compatable with the driver you are using, it may be a newer card and will load but not function right.

Thank you for that very intricate answer! Without making my attempts seem half-assed, I am letting you know I had no luck. I have given my mobo away and am going to get a new one maybe later on this week. I do believe it may have been a hardware problem on the old mobo, and I also was sorta lookin for an excuse to get a better one anyway

As soon as that comes, and I get it all setup and back to this point, if I run into the same problem, believe me, I'll post back Thank you very much again, and I'll see ya on the board!

Cool