I posted this question over in the Networking/Distribuiton forum, but thought I would also seek the guidance of someone here, as I think it's probably more related to an Apple thing than anything else.
I am trying to add an Escient SE-D1 to my A/V system, along with a Sony 400 changer. But my problem is that I cannot get the escient to go out on the internet. I keep getting an error that it could not find the DHCP server.
My computer is a Powerbook w/ an Airtport Exteme. My service provider is AT&T via a dsl modem.
At the present time I have only 1 computer accessing the internet, but on tuesday I have someone coming out to install a panel in the basement with a switch(his words, not mine) to have hard wired access around the house to the different zones.
Can someone enlighten me on what I need to do. I'm sure it's something that needs to be done on the computer end. But I don't want to scdrew up my wireless ability.

It's less an Apple thing than it is just typical home network configuration stuff--meaning:

1) do you have your Airport extreme basestation set up to use DHCP and "be" a DHCP server?
2) is your Airport basestation behind your modem?
3) do you have any encryption or password set up on the basestation to restrict access to your network? It can be open and advertising its presence or closed and not advertising--which means any device trying to access it must know its name, type of encryption and/or password;
4) are you restricting access to the basestation by Wi-Fi type--there are different settings you can choose, you can have an "n" or "g" only network, so something with a slower card, like an iBook with the original Airport card eouldn't be able to join, or you can have a mixed network, etc. All that's in the airport configuration utility.

If you're on your Powerbook on the network at the moment, just open System preferences > Network > Airport > TCP/IP and in there you'll see if you're set up to configure "using DCHP" automatically or not. Check there, if it's set up to do DHCP automatically, then other devices trying to access the network should just automatically be assigned an address. If that's not happening, next go into Airport configuration utility and see how you have that set up to accept other devices onto the network.

I'm not familiar with DSL modems or providers, so I don't know what's involved with getting multiple computers in a household onto the net simultaneously with them. Perhaps your DSL provider is the problem, or the modem is trying to act as DHCP server? We get our internet from Comcast, and like you I have an Airport basestation behind my Comcast modem, and the Airport acts as a DCHP server for all our wireless clients (a Macbook and two Powerbooks.) I also have a gigabit switch plugged into the Airport basestation--and 3 other Macs are hardwired into that switch. The basestation serves up addresses to them as well, and the switch just automatically recognizes when two gigabit-capable Macs are talking to each other. All that takes place behind the Comcast modem, and it was very easy to set up.

I'm also unfamiliar with the Escient, but after you make sure the basestation is functioning as your DHCP server, and that the DSL modem isn't, you can examine the particular requirements and idosyncracies of that device. Maybe there's something in its software which is the problem.

Good luck with your new gigabit switch, you'll love it.

I have gone into the network settings and I see Location-> Automatic w/ a drop down menu and then Show ->Network status w/ a drop down. And below that is Airptort w/ a Green dot and Internal modem w/ a red dot.
When I highlight the Show I can access Airport. Once Airport is now in show I have 4 headers Airport -TCP/IP - Apple Talk and Proxies.
With airport hightlighted here I see a box whcih is greyed out listing an Apple Id # and below that is By default, join and that says Automatic.
When I highlight the TCP/IP header, the entire box below is greyed out, but it reads,
Configure IVP4->Using DHCP
IP address w/ a number string and then off to the right a bubble reads Renew DHCP lease
a bunch of other stuff, but nothing in the DHCP client ID space.
I'm sure I'm in the right place to make the necessary changes, I just don't know what to change and what not to. If you could be so kind as to lend your advice, it would be much appreciated.
i want to have this all figured out when the guy comes on Tuesday, b/c I don't know how much he knows about the Apple stuff, I'm pretty sure he's PC guy. but since he's only networking stuff, I'm hoping it's oranges to oranges LOL

I'm sure I'm in the right place to make the necessary changes, I just don't know what to change and what not to.

Don't forget to also go into the Airport admin utility as well--and the three tabs you want to look in for your settings are Airport, Internet and Network.

Oh, and before you try to change anything, a quick test you should try is turn Airport off on your Powerbook and connect directly to the basestation via built-in ethernet (in other words pretend the Powerbook is the Escient.) Are you getting online?

Do you have lit LEDs at both ends of the Ethernet cables? Did both sides of the Ethernet cable negotiate the same speed? (10/100/1000). Is your powerbook IP address of the form 192.168.x.y or 10.0.0.x? If so the Airport Express is set up for NAT and is serving DHCP addresses. Is the SE-D1 set up for DHCP? It should be out of the box. According the the Escient quick set-up your network should have just worked, however...