Network configuration (hardware) problem

[metrophage]

Hello, peoples!

I've got a problem that I am desparately trying to solve.

I purchased a new Netgear JFS524 switch for our network and put it in. Everything seems to be connected together correctly, but I can't access anything through that switch.

Physical network:
Server
|
|-Switch #1-|
|-Switch #2
|-Switch #3

(if the diagram doesn't show it, switches 2 and 3 are plugged into switch 1)

It is switch #3 that isn't working, although it's at the same level as the other switch. I'm kinda stumped.

I thought about cross-over issues, but the JFS524 is auto-crossover sensing and I've tried it from the server side both ways.

Does *any* body have any ideas for me to check?

I've rebooted the laptop several times both while connected and while not connected. It's not even seeing the network. I know that the cable coming from the server works as I've plugged that directly into the laptop and it works.

Help!
TIA,
Mike

one.great.big.festering.neon.distraction
m3+r0p4@93

 

[sturm]

Havent messed much with switches but does each switch have an uplink port on it? Does the laptop work off of switch 1 and switch 2? Have you tried running switch 3 off of switch 2 instead of running both off of switch 1?
Basicaly try the laptop off of each switch by itself and make sure it works. May just be a bad switch.

 

[Cloaked]

just an innocent question, why do you need 3 switches running? Unless you want to isolate traffic on network segments you would be better off having one large switch, or as the above said, using the uplink port to link them all together, but in the same subnet.

 

[McDouglas]

Uplink ports have nothing to do with subnets....

And with cheap switches the uplink port is simple port with the same speed as the normal ones, but the wiring is crossed.

Now, to check things out, do the following:
take switch1 and connect 2 cross over cable to 2 NORMAL (so not uplink) port. Now connect the other end of one cross over cable to switch2's one NORMAL port (not uplink), and the other crossower cable to switch3's one NORMAL port (not uplink, again). It should work now, and if it does, then you messed up with cabling somewhere (my guess is that, u utilised switch1's uplink port when connecting to switch2, and u used normal port to switch3).

NOTE: i didnt use uplink ports to be more simple. (u can use straight cables and connect them to switch2 and 3 uplink port, but dont want to mix it up 4 u.)

If its working, then go learn about crossover/straight cables and uplink ports, before u do something dumb.

And as it mentioned before, you should use one switch with more ports, if its not geographic problem. Since u use switches, not hubs not even the segmentation could be a reason. And i suppose u use low end devices, so the uplink speed wont be suficient.