Questions about my Linksys Switch

[Relztrah]

I recently purchased a Linksys mini 5-Port Switch model EZXS55W to expand my wired home network. I tried it with 2 machines, one with Windows 2000 and the other with XP. Both work fine when connected directly to my router.

I strung a cable from the uplink port on my router to the uplink port on the switch and connected both machines to available ports on the switch. (Neither going into the port next to the uplink port.) Recycled the power on modem, router, and switch and fired up both machines. No connection on either.

When I run ipconfig /renew and release on the XP machine I get:
Windows IP Configuration

An error occurred while renewing interface Local Area Connection : unable to contact your DHCP server. Request has timed out.

When I do the same with the machine running Win 2000 I get:

Windows 2000 IP Configuration

All adapters bound to DHCP do not have DHCP addresses. The addresses were automatically configured and can not be released.

Both are set to obtain the IP address automatically and in IE under Tools>Internet Settings>Connections tab>LAN settings, Obtain settings automatically is checked.

Is there a setting on the switch or something I'm overlooking? I thought a switch was plug-and-play.

Any advice will be appreciated.

Relztrah

[Paul Komski]

AFAIK you must connect Switch Uplink to Router Downlink with a straight through cable or connect Switch Downlink to Router Downlink with a cross over cable.

I may have got that wrong and there are likely to be differences with different specific hardware. It it works - good. If not - wait for a Networking Nerd.

[classicsoftware]

You need to from the uplink port on your switch to a regular port on your router.

[Relztrah]

Classicsoftware, I'll try that when I get the time. However in the Quick Install guide for my router I read:

Port 1 can act as the Router’s uplink port. If you are connecting Port 1 of the Router to a hub or switch, press the Uplink pushbutton. If you are connecting Port 1 of the Router to a PC, make sure the Uplink pushbutton has not been pressed.

So that's why I pressed the uplink button and connected from the uplink port on the router to the uplink port on the switch. BTW, both are labeled "uplink" on the devices themselves. I'm not sure what you mean by "downlink".

Thank you both for your suggestions.

Relztrah

[Paul Komski]

I'm not sure what you mean by "downlink".These devices have "two sides" to them. An uplink or WAN side and what I have somewhat jocosely called downlinks or a LAN side. Each "side" of a switch (a router is a specialised switch is it not?) has a different set of IP addresses - a different LAN if you like.

When you add a switch to extend the scope of your network you need to therefore integrate the new device into the existing LAN and not attach it to the WAN/Uplink side of the functioning router that you wish to expand. If you use up both uplink ports by connecting them together then how would you access a WAN from your LAN?

[classicsoftware]

You can't use the uplink port on both units......

[Paul Komski]

From the Quick Install pdf Guide (http://www.linksys.com/servlet/Satellite?c=L_Product_C2&childpagename=US%2FLayout&pagename=Linksys%2FCommon%2FVisitorWrapper&cid=1115416836711)
To connect a computer directly to the Switch, plug one end of the cable into any available port marked 1-5 on the back of the Switch, and then plug the other end of the cable into the computer's network adapter.

When connecting the Switch to another networking device, attach a UTP Category 5 cable to the Uplink port on the back of the switch and connect the other end to any regular available port on the back of the network device. Using the Uplink port will automatically disable port 5, which is directly next to it, since the Uplink port is a shared port. You cannot use port 5 and the Uplink port at the same time.

So just dont use the Switch's Port 5 for anything but connect the uplink port of the Switch to any regular port (in other words not the uplink port) of the Router.