[markrubin]

I have been trying to troubleshoot some ethernet problems in my HT and wonder if the experts here can help:


I have 4 Netgear Prosafe Gigabit switches: 3 are 16 port, one is 8 port: about 50 ports are used


They feed a dozen RTI touchpads, various RTI remotes & processors, and the rest BD players, DSS boxes, and various other AV gear: also connected is a D Link wireless 4 port router and some wireless extenders. Most devices have static IP addresses.


There are no IP conflicts I can identify, and usually everything works fine


However I am beginning to see lockups which require me to repower the Netgear switches to fix it


I cannot figure out what is causing it: happens once or twice a week


What I need are some guidelines to help me identify the problem


TIA

 

[anthem]

Are you seeing this behaviour on all the switches or just on one particular switch ?


I have seen quite a few netgear switches go bad (and linksys) so it isn't beyond the realm of possibility that something is just going bad on the switches. This will probably not be the problem if all three are locking up.

Quote:
Originally Posted by markrubin /forum/post/18235931


I have been trying to troubleshoot some ethernet problems in my HT and wonder if the experts here can help:


I have 4 Netgear Prosafe Gigabit switches: 3 are 16 port, one is 8 port: about 50 ports are used


They feed a dozen RTI touchpads, various RTI remotes & processors, and the rest BD players, DSS boxes, and various other AV gear: also connected is a D Link wireless 4 port router and some wireless extenders. Most devices have static IP addresses.


There are no IP conflicts I can identify, and usually everything works fine


However I am beginning to see lockups which require me to repower the Netgear switches to fix it


I cannot figure out what is causing it: happens once or twice a week


What I need are some guidelines to help me identify the problem


TIA

 

[S-dogg]

Could be a power issue. I used to come home to complaints of no internet access, because a

 

[markrubin]

thanks for the suggestions so far


I did find one switch that was not on a UPS and just corrected that


the switches are relatively new and replaced netgear fast switches: I bought the new gigabit switches thinking I might have had a bad switch:


there is still something going on though...and I can't determine if it is any one particular switch


let me ask you: each switch is connected to a port on another: is there a better way to do this?

 

[anthem]

Well, from an enterprise point of view, you connect edge switches to backbone switches - but you're talking three switches here so not something I'd bother with. Here are some things off the top of my head when working with netgear/linksys switches (they go bad at strange moments).


Are you losing connectivity on a single port or all ports. If it's single ports, then you may want to see if the switch port is dying for whatever reason or switching ports. If it continues to be that host that gets 'locked up' - try locking the port to a particular speed rather than "auto negotiate". Some ports/switches don't like the autonegotiation.


If you are losing it on all ports, then it is highly possible its something with the switch. Whether its a bad switch, bad power supply - whatever. Even a rogue machine on a switch should never take down a switch if its working correctly.

Quote:
Originally Posted by markrubin /forum/post/18237383


thanks for the suggestions so far


I did find one switch that was not on a UPS and just corrected that


the switches are relatively new and replaced netgear fast switches: I bought the new gigabit switches thinking I might have had a bad switch:


there is still something going on though...and I can't determine if it is any one particular switch


let me ask you: each switch is connected to a port on another: is there a better way to do this?

 

[video321]



Quote:
Originally Posted by markrubin /forum/post/18237383


let me ask you: each switch is connected to a port on another: is there a better way to do this?

Personally, I always connect my backend equipment (servers, routers, etc.) to a single switch so they can take advantage of the backplane. Then, connect each other switch to a port on that same switch (the one with the servers, etc.) This allows for less port contention where every device on switch #2-4 needs to go through the same port on switch #2. Basically, every switch has its own connection to the "main" switch.


I hope that makes sense.


...from reading what you said, I really hope that doesn't mean that every switch has a connection to every switch

That will cause spanning issues.

 

[Maverick151]

Is this something that has always occured but is now getting worse or something that just recently cropped up with no new hardware configurations?

 

[markrubin]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Maverick151 /forum/post/18243122


Is this something that has always occured but is now getting worse or something that just recently cropped up with no new hardware configurations?

I have added stuff and it is getting worse: am looking at each individual device in order of last added


what I don't understand is how a single device can lock up the whole switch? unless it is a wiring issue


some of the switches are connected by 12 year old in wall CAT5 wiring: I ordered some CAT6 cables to replace those runs


Thanks to all who are helping: appreciate it

 

[Techphil]

check to make sure you don't have two wires uplinking one of the switches.that is having two wires from one switch to two ports on another switch. that can cause havoc.

 

[Neurorad]

Maybe one of the experts can answer this question - how often does EMI affect network traffic in a home LAN? I guess that would just cause slow speeds, not a lock up requiring a reset.


There are probably very specific things you should do to troubleshoot your network problem, including command line tools. I wish I new any of those things.


I'd find a network forum, and search there. Then, I'd get frustrated, and post the question in that forum. After a couple weeks without results, I'd then hire a local commercial network installer.


Edit - can you turn off the wireless LAN, and see if the problem persists? You can string some ethernet cables across the room if you must, for troubleshooting. Is the router on a UPS?

 

[tcwong128]

You might want to check the MAC addresses of your devices and ensure they are unique. Sometimes manufacturers goof up on programming the MAC's correctly.

 

[S-dogg]

Another thought - check the router's DHCP settings. You say you're using around 50 ports. I've seen a number of home routers that are configured to only provide 50 DHCP addresses out of the box. To get more, you need to change a setting on the router's config page. Since this problem started when you added devices, it's possible some addresses are being reused, which can cause problems.