networking help....wack

ok here's the dealy...

i got a USB dsl connection on my machine... and my bro wants to tap in...

i've setup on many lans b4 using hubs and switches but never a pc to pc crossover one..

anyway..

i didn't have the crimping tool so i went to some little shop and got them to do it.. so i examine the work and they only crimped 4 of the cables and cut off the rest cuz supposedly they're not needed.. fine whatever...

i take it home and set it up... it's 18m about 59 ft


with my on board lan. to his nic.. i get the connection blinnking on and off... like stays off for 5-10sec then comes on for 1or2 then again..

so i disabled on board and threw on a pci nic identical to his...

now there's a connection (green light stays on) but they just don't see each other...

i've tried everything i can think of... i'm a+,network+ and MCP certified so i'm not a total dumbass....

both rigs are WinXP pro...

i've tried the setup wizard, i've tried static ip's with the same doman name, ip range gateway etc etc....

tried all of the protocols...

i haev sharing on and everything... fire wall is off

i can't get the 2 comps to see each other on the network let alone ICS...

hell i can't even ping each other...

i figured it was the Cable... so i went back and griped... they claim that 18mtrs is too long for a crossover cable with no hub... i think that's bs personally...

wire config is like this:

pin 1 orange -> pin 3
pin 2 green -> pin 6
pin 3 blue -> pin 1
pin 6 brown -> pin 2


help would be much appreciated...

p.s. i don't have a voltimiter so i can't check the connections either.. but if it's blinking green shouldn't that mean it's ok?

I'm just wondering can the both of the computers surf the net. and also I thought you still need all 8 cables when you make a cross over. its just one side has to be opposite from the other connector. I have done cat 5 cables before and thats what I did with mine. Also on the blinking green light I thought it should be solid unless data is being sent to the computer. And is one of the computer hosting the interent?

It sounds like it's the cable. Ethernet cable can span up to 100 metres, crossover or straight-through. I don't know what they're talking about with only needing 4 wires, you need all eight of them for proper grouding/noise reduction. I'd say by a premade crossover cable, at least you know it's crimped right.

-DarkArctic

Your configuration seems to be right. Crossover cable is correct. The lenght is just like DarkArctic said: 100 meters is the limit for it.
No hub/switch is needed. Hub/switch would be needed if you had computers seperated by 200 meters.
Then you would have:

comp1<----------100m cable--------->Hub/switch<---------100m cable------->comp2


As for networking configuration, you only have to configure static ip, something like this:

Comp1 - 192.168.0.1
mask - 255.255.255.0

Comp2 - 192.168.0.2
mask - 255.255.255.0


Remember also to put them both in the same workgroup name.
It should work just fine.

My vote is for the cable too. There was a priliminary protocol that could use four of the eight cables but LAN's need all eight now. Get the cable redone and the distance is fine, you have almost 300ft of travel with CAT5 before you need a repeater/hub/switch.

Wedo

I say you chew out those dumb-*sses at the shop for trying to do business without knowing their stuff.

Soy

they claim to have made many cross over cables with only 4 wires b4 and that it's worked

AFAIK only four of the wires actually transmit and recieve data. So only four are actually needed at each end of the wire. So you could use one wire, to make two fully functional conenctions out of it. It's not that there are only four wires in all, it's just that there are four wires being used in the end caps.

They do work for 10baseT, mind you, wet string works for that. One of my old buddies used to use phone wire. If you can force them to 10Mbit mode it might work, but I guess you want 100Mbit. The 4 wire one's I've seen work and have working here are just short hookups though like a max of 3 meters.

If you can't be bothered arguing with the store any more, and they do something like hang a 10baseT tester on it and say "See, it's fine" then try pulling out the 4 ends, stripping them, twisting them together then trapping them under a case screw. Kinda ghetto, but if you want it working....

Road Warrior

You only need 4 lines to connect ethernet, and as far as what pins are connected, that looks right, but: They didn't connect them in pairs. Pin 1,2 are a pair, and should be connected to a twisted pair of wires. (For example solid orange and striped orange). Same with pins 3,6. They are your other pair and should be connected to a pair of wires, not different colors.

The twist in the pairs cancels out most electromagnetic interference. It is unlikey that this is why your cable isn't working over only 18 meters, but it could be.

Well, if you can't even ping the machines something is wrong..

I guess this is a trivial question if you are network certified, but I'm asking just to make sure..

You have TCP/IP installed, right? because you'll need that to ping a computer..

Make sure firewalls are off
Install tcp/ip
set ip to 192.168.0.1 on your computer (the one with the net connection) , 192.168.0.x on the other.

Set subnet mask to 255.255.255.0 , set same workgroup.

Try to run, ipconfig /all

in the command prompt and check you got an ip and subnet mask..

then try to ping the other computer.. still no go?

well i re did the wire myself, crimped and all...

the network cards show connectivity.... so i know the cord is ok...


but i manually set the ip's and it's still a no go...

ipx tcp/ip sharing, client for microsoft, it's all isntalled...:/

i'm goin mental,

i did the manual assign right?

they still can't see each other ping each other nothin...

the nic card on my comp the activity light blinks like mad... data sent.. but no data recieved.. and the other comp's nic card activity light doesn't blink, unless i try pinging for example....

both are XP pro SP1, i'm goin mental....
it just doesn't make sense, i'm gonna end up breaking something at this rate!?!?!?!


DOES ANYONE HAVE 2 XP MACHINE'S NETWORKED WITH ONLY A CROSSOVER CABLE???

The problem you're experiencing is related to split pairs.

There are several aspects of a cable that must be done right. One you've gotten, where pins 1,2 swap with 3,6. If you've gotten this correct, you will get a link-active port (link-active state is detect by whether or not either device is seeing voltage on the line).

The other is the fact that the 1,2 pair of wires must be of the same color (Orange and Orange-white) and the 3,6 pair must be of the same color (Green and Green-white). If this is not the case, then the sending/receiving devices will run into too much interference to transmit (but you may still be link-active)

try wiring this way...

pin 1 orange -> pin 3
pin 2 orange-white -> pin 6
pin 3 green -> pin 1
pin 6 green-white -> pin 2

hmm


i followed the diagrams on this page here:

http://www.wtvi.com/teks/exchange/crossovercable.html

Ottoman said:

DOES ANYONE HAVE 2 XP MACHINE'S NETWORKED WITH ONLY A CROSSOVER CABLE???

Click to expand...

i have the same setup...
2 comps on XP pro
usb DSL modem
connected via x-over cable

but i bought a premade x-over cable and it worked just fine...
the only problem i encountered was with the zonealarm in my host comp...

did you try any other cable?

Ottoman said:

hmm


i followed the diagrams on this page here:

http://www.wtvi.com/teks/exchange/crossovercable.html

Click to expand...

Looking at that page, the second diagram just looks patently wrong. The first one looks okay though.

The wiremap that you gave in your first post is also wrong because you have split the pairs (orange/white-orange, green/white-green, etc) up.

Check your wire-map again. Even if both computers are showing link lights (link active) you could still have split pairs.

The problem that you're experiencing sounds EXACTLY like a split pair problem: Link active connection but no throughput.

I've made a large number of Cat5 strait-though and crossover cables, and the wiremap from my last post is the way that it has work for me EVERY time.

Verify by holding the connector, with the cable hanging down to the ground and the clip facing away from you. Look at the wires, pin 1 is the first terminal on the left. From left to right on one end it should go
orange
orange-white
green
blue, blue-white
green-white
brown
brown-white

On the other connector, it should be
green
green-white
orange
blue
blue-white
orange-white
brown
brown-white

If 1,2 aren't of a single color pair (like orange and orange-white) and 3,6 aren't of another single color pair (like green and green-white) then it just won't work.

man... this is so anal....

looks like i'm gonna hafta try this again.... good thing i bought 8 pairs of connectors thinking it wouldn't work right the first time

thanx for the input jason, hope your right....