A7N8X Deluxe dual-lan problem

[Jonlandy]

I have an Asus A7N8X Deluxe mobo, and I am unable to get both ethernet ports to work at the same time. Whichever port (either the 3M or the Nvidia) has the direct connection to my DSL modem will work fine, but the other will show an x-ed-out networking icon, and will say "Cable unplugged or hardware undetected". I want to use the other port to connect my Xbox, which connects directly to the modem just fine. I do have a router, but one of the features I bought this board for was to take advantage of dual-lan. Is this a hardware issue, or a WIndows XP Home Edition issue. Help!

 

[addiarmadar]

Have you tried connecting the router to one port and the DSL modem to the other port to see if windows recognizes connections of both? Make sure you have the latest bios rev too. Other than that you may wanna contact AUSUS on this issue for a compatibility check.

 

[Jonlandy]

If I connect the modem to one port, and the router to another, how would Windows recognize the router connection (since the router would not be connected to the modem)? Maybe I don't understand what I'm doing- but i thought the purpose of the dual-lan ports was to allow the user to share a single internet connection with two machines- is that right? My thought was that maybe I need to do the Windows network set-up to allow one port to act like a server, and the other port to be a client? I'm fairly savvy about computers, but this networking stuff is making me feel like a complete newbie!

 

[Maverick494]

Why it has a red X in Device Manager is a good question. First are both NIC's enabled in the bios? Next did you load all the drivers?

the problem is that the XBOX has a NIC in it just like the PC. The thing that you have to do in order to use a NIC to NIC connection is you have to have a special CAT 5 Network cable called a "cross over" cable. That cable has the send and recieve wires crossed at the other end so that it is connected properly.

Does you DSL require a Username and Password to connect or is it always on?

If it is always on use the router, it is simple and less of a hassle.

Plug the DSL modem's network cable into the WAN port of the router and then the XBOX into one of the other slots and the PC into another one. All your ISP will see is 1 IP address of the router. Everything else will be done by the router and they will never know. I run a router with a Desktop, Laptop and my XBOX on my cable modem and it works great.

EDIT:

Also if you use the windows home networking it will ask you which one you use for the internet and which is the home network, but if you do what I stated above you won't have to worry about that. What I said above will connect everything to the internet all at the same time without the hassle.

Just a computer junky<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by Maverick494 on 07/17/03 01:55 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

[Jonlandy]

Thanks, Maverick!! I really appreciate the advice. I do need to log on to my ISP- it's not always on. I used to have my router connected, and I know you're right about it being a lot less of a hassle (always on, no NIC conflicts etc) but I had a feeling that it was causing a slight lag, maybe because of the web-based firewall or something. It was very slight (maybe it was all in my mind!) but you know how it is when you're on your computer- 1 second feels like a huge delay!!
I am going to try your suggestions, just to see if I can make it work- the dual-lan feature was the main reason I chose the Deluxe over the regular model (which had one port).

 

[pIII_Man]

go under your network/dial up connections in the control pannel and remove/disable any connections that you are not using this is why you are getting that annoying little red X.

There is no smell better than fried silicon

 

[rebturtle]

A slightly simpler explination: 1.Windows sees that you have two network ports. 2.Windows sees that one port st unconnected to a network. 3.Windows alerts you to what it determins to be an error worthy of your attention.

As long as your computer is turned on, the X-Box should be able to access the internet via your PC and a simple Cat5 patch cable. If you want to get on the net without the PC on too, you're going to have to install the router after the modem, and split the signal to the PC and X-Box from there (this solution does not require the second port on the mobo, which you can disable either in the BIOS or device manager in order to get rid of the annoying icon). You may want to delve into some of the older networking articles on Tom's for more details & references on home networking.

Don't regret buying the deluxe version just because you may not need dual LAN. The onboard audio is better and uses less system resources than most PCI cards, and the SATA is a good investment in future compatablity w/ faster SATA drives. You also get voice post reporter, which is a great troubleshooting feature.

p.s. The router <i>should</i> auto sense, and adjust accordingly, between straight and crossover signal requirements. -no special cables required, just regular Cat5 patch cables. I'm unsure whether the network jacks on the mobo will do this also. I'll have to do some reading on it.



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[Jonlandy]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions!! This is the absolute best community for problem-solving! You have all had very helpful suggestions.

 

[rebturtle]

I'm glad to help and open to corrections/suggestions.

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<A HREF="http://www.rebturtle.com/turtletech.htm" target="_new">My System</A>

 

[Jonlandy]

After all the suggestions, I went home last night and decided to re-install my router, since I don't want to have to turn on my PC just to get online with my Xbox. When I last had this router hooked up, I was using my previous rig with Windows 98. (the router is a Network Everywhere, which is made by Linksys).
When I had installed this router before, under Windows 98, the install wizard worked perfectly, and had my "network" up and running in no time. But my install last night (under Windows XP) was a nightmare! I confirmed that all my cables are good, and I was able to configure the router using the wizard, so I know the communication between router and PC is OK. However, I cannot get the router to communicate with the modem (I think). When I make all the hookups, I get a message that the PC is not connected to the internet. In all my fruitless attempts to make things work, I neglected to see if my Xbox would connect through the router (it connects just fine when plugged in to the modem). I think my next step will be to call Verizon (my ISP) and have them step me through it- their techs are actually pretty good, if you can wait in queue long enough to get through to one!) I must admit I hate it when things will go so smoothly under one OS, and then be problematic under the new, "improved OS!!

 

[pIII_Man]

is this a cable/dsl router...because if not it will not dial on its own.

There is no smell better than fried silicon

 

[Jonlandy]

It is a cable/dsl router. And it dialed on its own just fine under Windows 98.

 

[rebturtle]

You may run into one potential roadblock: ISPs generally will not give you any support for routers. In fact, you often have to disconnect your router and connect your computer directly to the modem before they will help you. As far as they're concerned, you're only paying for 1 IP address, and that's all theyre going to help you with. Hopefully you'll have better luck, but this has been my experience with both COX and RoadRunner.

What model # is the router? Perhaps I can look up your issue for you. I've been very happy with Linksys, and in fact I won't buy anything else when I'm doing side-jobs for friends.

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<A HREF="http://www.rebturtle.com/turtletech.htm" target="_new">My System</A>

 

[Jonlandy]

Thanks, Rebturtle! Its a Network Everywhere NR041 Cable/DSL 4-Port Router, made by Linksys.

 

[Syndil]

I used to do this kind of troubleshooting for years.. Worked in the commercial dept of a cable/dsl/dialup ISP. Basically the only diff between commercial and residential was that commercial supported routers. Anyway, I have all kinds of ideas as to what the problem might be, but before you bother resetting, reinstalling, and reconfiguring, I would call up the ISP and see if the Max CPE limit on the modem has been reached.

The Max CPE (consumer premisis equipment) limit tells the modem how many different machines are allowed to talk to it. It remembers the 12 digit MAC address of any device that has ever been connected to it, and once it reaches the maximum number of devices (set by the ISP), any new device with a previously unlisted MAC will not be allowed to access the internet. It could be that the CPE limit has been reached, and the MAC address of the router is simply not on that list, so the modem is simply refusing to grant it access to the internet. Since you've had it working before, you might have had to do this before and not remember doing it, or maybe the ISP did it without you knowing about it. But if everything looks like it should be working but it just isn't, this is the first place to look. And if one machine seems to be able to connect just fine, but another just won't for no apparent reason, then thats a huge indicator that the CPE limit has been reached. Its a very simple fix from the ISP's standpoint, they just punch in your modem's MAC and hit the CPE reset button. And if this <i>is</i> the cause of your problem, you can troubleshoot til you go stark raving mad, but you won't be able to fix it. I've seen it happen.

Anyway, let us know what you find out. I actually kinda miss the challenge of troubleshooting these things...

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