A switch and a WinXP PC...

[Gunn]

Here at work, I have a computer running WindowsXP professional. I also have a Dell PowerConnect 5524 24-port 1Gbps switch. Eventually there will be 4-5 more XP and 1 Linux computer connected to this switch. But currently, its just the one...

The computer recognizes the connection as 1Gbps. The status shows it has sent packets, but not received any. I'm unsure of how to setup the network TCP/IP properties to get it to work.

At this time, I'm unsure of the IP address of the switch...it is not 192.168.0.1. It was a hand-me-down from another group and I'm trying to locate the admin password to the switch and this type of information so I can proceed.

But in the meantime, can someone help me with the TCP/IP settings of this computer and what they need to be? Things like IP address, Subnet Mask, Gateway, DNS...

When I run the Home Networking Wizard, it suggests a Workgroup name. I'm assuming that is fine, but what about a domain name?

As you can tell, I'm a newbie at this stuff and we just want to setup a small internal non-internet-connected network here in the office.

Thanks,

[Ghost_Hacker]

At this time, I'm unsure of the IP address of the switch...it is not 192.168.0.1. It was a hand-me-down from another group and I'm trying to locate the admin password to the switch and this type of information so I can proceed.



A snipit from the manual of the Powerconnect 5324

"
If a password is lost, the Password Recovery procedure can be called from the Startup menu. The procedure enables entry to the device once without password.

To recover a lost password for the local terminal only:

From the Startup menu, type 3 and press <Enter>.
The password is deleted.

http://docs.us.dell.com/support/edocs/network/pc5324/en/UG/note.gifNOTE: To ensure device security, reconfigure passwords for applicable management methods.


Go here for more details and to read up on getting to the startup menu: http://docs.us.dell.com/support/edocs/network/pc5324/en/UG/config.htm#1126081



When I run the Home Networking Wizard, it suggests a Workgroup name. I'm assuming that is fine, but what about a domain name?


A workgroup name is all you need for peer to peer networking with Windows computers. A domain can only be setup if you have a Windows server.

But in the meantime, can someone help me with the TCP/IP settings of this computer and what they need to be? Things like IP address, Subnet Mask, Gateway, DNS...



Since you are not interested in Internet connectivity you won't need a gateway or DNS server. (These are only needed if you have a large network or are trying to access a remote computer/network).

Heres an example of what i would use.

Routers IP information
192.1.1.1 (ip address)
255.255.255.0 (subnet mask)


Computer A
192.1.1.2 (ip address)
255.255.255.0 (subnet mask)

Computer B

192.1.1.3 (ip address)
255.255.255.0 (subnet mask)




You should get the idea here http://www.pcguide.com/ubb/smile.gif

The computer recognizes the connection as 1Gbps. The status shows it has sent packets, but not received any. I'm unsure of how to setup the network TCP/IP properties to get it to work.



With only one computer attached to your network you will not be seeing any traffic headed back to you. Attach another PC and try to connect to your first one then you will see "received" packets.

EDIT: or open a session to your switch via a telnet terminal or web browser. :)


Hope this helps http://www.pcguide.com/ubb/smile.gif