Before I ask my question I should tell my LAN setups story. I'm using two linksys wireless G routers. One router is setup normally (as a router) and I have several computers hooked up to it. The second router has updated software and is being used as an access point. I found a thread in linuxquestions (I think) that showed how to make this combo work. Per the thread here is the setup of the second router, the local ip address is 192.168.1.129 with a subnet mask of 255.255.255.128 and a Gateway of 192.168.1.1 (The first router). The first router is 192.168.1.1 on subnet mask 255.255.255.0. Here is my problem. My bedroom desktop is attached to the "access point" and my laptop is over wifi to the main router. I can VNC/SSH/Telnet to my laptop from my desktop but I can't go the other way. I think it's because the second router has setup a seperate DHCP server off of it's 192.168.1.129 ip address. How do I work around this. I hope somebody knows.

Never did a setup like this but I would think both routers should use a full class C 255.255.255.0. This should allow both to be in the same network. I believe the use of dividing a subnet is cuasing your problem. It has no problem going from a partial class C to a full class C but going from a full class C to a partial class C address requires a router to route correctly.

I at first thought maybe you need to open the ports on the second router but don't think this is the issue. You may give it a try. It may depend on the router setup that maybe wireless is not a true bridge to the lan switch side of the router. Doubt this but worth a shot.

Is there a link you followed for a setup like you have?

Brian1

The previous post is on the rigth track. The routers are connected in a daisy chain of sorts, and the second router that is subnetted is connected to the initial router with the original subnet. When a device on the second router is looking for an ip address if that IP address is not found it sends it to the default route which in this case goes up to the first router being that it is a private IP address it finds it on the first routers IPs. Working the other way does not work unless you have a special route setup. i.e. the router knows that traffic looking for an IP address with a certain subnet ge through a certain gateway to get there. I don't know if your routers can do the dynamic routing like that. But the easiest thing to do is turn off the DHCP server on the one you are using as an access point and let all addresses come from the 192.169.x.x with subnet of 255.255.255.0 The wireless devices wll get their IP from the first router and problems should be solved.

Alex

I'm a little new to networking, and I get most of what your saying but I'm not sure how to configure my router the way you are telling me to. I have tried disabling DHCP and assigning the subnet mask back to zero while leaving the ip address of the 2nd router 192.168.1.129 but I lost all activity. If your interested maybe you can disect the instructions I used to get a better idea of what I did and why I did it.

HOWTO: Use Linksys WRT54G as a wireless ethernet bridge

Did you do what step 10 on that link of yours?

Brian1

I can't believe I missed step 10. Thanks I'll try it out and report back. Thanks.

I have finally gotten around to trying step 10 and nothing. I've put the command into my router and I get nothing. I wonder if it's any different because instead of just using the alchemy firmware I'm using the freeman firmware which is basically equivalent to the talisman firmware which I believe (which is why I'm using it) that it is an upgrade to the alchemy firmware.

Try this since step 10 of the instructions didn't work. Take the second router that you are using as an access point and turn on internally as a gateway i.e so that it is doing NAT like with a WAN IP of 192.168.0.128 and then internally have the network setup like 192.168.5.x with subnet of 255.255.255.0 Now make sure all the firewall stuff is off on the access point router. Then go to your main router and telnet in then type the following

route add -net 192.168.5.0 netmask 255.255.255.0 gw 192.168.0.128

that should add an entry in the main routers' routing table to tell it that when it recieves a request for an address in the 192.168.5.x network to send it to the access point which will know where to send that request.

I know itis different than the way you've been going about it but try it it may work/ should work as linksys routers run a modefied version of linux.

Alex

I will try it, but I have only one problem. Every time I try turning off the firewall the router stop functioning (probably something in the firmware), it stops blinking to indicate the router is done and then not only do I lose internet on the connected computer but I can't get back into the router setup either.

another problem. the main router is not mine. I do know the password and therefore have all the priviledges of the administrator I can't change the firmware. (Plus the fact that is based on VxWorks not linux). Anyway apparently linksys doesn't not have an option to let you telnet or ssh into the router.

Ok after some research I have found out that all current models of the linksys model except the GL run VxWorks, However, all is not lost. If you login as administrator and go to the setup of the router and then the Advanced routing tab you have the ability to add a static route! click on static routes and then add the information I entered before. i.e. in the IP area add 192.168.5.0 then subnet 255.255.255.0 then enter the address of your router i.e. 192.168.0.128 then choose the interface of LAN/Wireless, and finally name it like say RobsComps then save it and view the routing table to verify it is in there. All traffic trying to reach anything connected to your wireless router should be routed to your router to go to the appropriate computers. As for the firewall issue still working on it.
All this info came from the user guide for the linksys router I found at http://www.linksys.com/ so these options should be available to you from the web based administration.

Alex

Now for the firewall/connectivity issue.... My search so far has not been fruitful I can't seem to find reference to it anywhere, the best I've come up with so far is that the freeman firmware can be buggy. Is there anyway to leave the firewall enabled but allow all traffic through? I think telnetteing in you probably could provided it uses ipTables but I don't know for sure. If there is a way to allow all traffic through the firewall try enabling that and see what happens, if not make a rule to let ping through, or even better something like http then try getting it from a computer on the main router and see if the routing works like it's supposed to. I'm going to do some more research

Alex

P.S. some issue with the fireall and iptables have been fixed with freeman v 1.0.4 so if you don't have that version or the latest version try updating and trying it again.

Ok, I am going to guess there's nothing to be found regarding your firewall issue. Since the most pages I come across are 5 and I looked through every link. Since Freeman is a modefied linux firmware there are two ways I might go about leaving the firewall running but allowing all traffic.

Mind you I have never used this model router but have had interaction with linksys routers and have expereince with linux and do have a B.S. in Computer Networking. Nor have I used the freeman firmware, so i don't know 100% of what it is capable of.

But option 1)
If possible in the web interface on the router add a default accept all policy by using wildcards (on the wireless inteerface,) if you can, if this is not possible by the web interface try option 2

Option 2)
telnet into the router (and I don't know the syntax for adding iptables rules) but clear the iptables rules and add a default accept all rule (on the wireless interface) I'm sure man iptables could provide how to do this.

You need to accept all traffic coming to the router otherwise it will be discarded and never reach the internal host. If you get the firewall rules to accept all then when your linksys recieves the request for anything on it's internal nat'ed network it will know where to send the request.

Alex

While looking through my linuxquestions unanswered questions email I came across this which has something from iptables that might help you get the iptables code needed to get the accept all policy you need working on the linksys http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...hreadid=480150