Topic: SME 5.1.2 servergateway behind Linksys router

[Oluf Nissen]

Hi,

I'm puzzled by this. I have IDSL with a SpeedStream in Bridge mode providing access. Behind that I have a Linksys BEFVP41 router and hub. I also have a 5.1.2 SME box that I want to use for VPN access (in servergateway mode).

I plug the SME's internal NIC into the hub, everything is dandy. Then I plug it's external NIC into the SpeedStream and nobody on the LAN can get on the Internet anymore. Unplug the external NIC from the SpeedStream and Internet access is back immediately. No configuration changes anywhere. What am I doing wrong?

[Dub Dublin]

I don't know what's wrong, but I hve a similar setup working fine with another type of DSL bridge/router and see nothing like this.  I'd be suspicious of the SpeedStream at this point...

[Chris Meredith]

Let me see if I understand what you are doing.  Are you using the Linksys as your DHCP server/Gateway for the LAN?  If so, are you then unplugging the router from the DSL modem to plug in the SME server?  If so, thats your problem.  You are losing your gateway.  If you have SME configured to act as DHCP/Gateway, just do a release and renew on the clients after you swtich from the Linksys to the SME box.

Also, is the SME box configred to connect over the DSL?  DHCP/Static/PPoE?  Can you connect to the internet directly from the SME box?

Sorry if I am asking dumb questions, I am just trying to look for the simple answer first.

[Oluf]

Chris Meredith wrote:
>
> Let me see if I understand what you are doing.  Are you using
> the Linksys as your DHCP server/Gateway for the LAN?

Yes.

> If so,
> are you then unplugging the router from the DSL modem to plug
> in the SME server?

No, the Linksys stays as the gateway. I plug the SME in parallel to the Linksys (the SpeedStream has a built-in hub, so it now has both the Linksys and the SME external NIC in it). And that's when the whole LAN loses Internet access/connectivity.

> If so, thats your problem.  You are
> losing your gateway.  If you have SME configured to act as
> DHCP/Gateway, just do a release and renew on the clients
> after you swtich from the Linksys to the SME box.

So this is not the problem, I think. SME is not my DHCP/gateway.

> Also, is the SME box configred to connect over the DSL?
> DHCP/Static/PPoE?
SME is configured with a second static IP using the same gateway as the Linksys.

>  Can you connect to the internet directly
> from the SME box?
I can't remember if I've done this step. Good point. I'll check that out later this week.
 
> Sorry if I am asking dumb questions, I am just trying to look
> for the simple answer first.
And right you are. Look for the obvious first. No dumb questions. Only dumb answers (I hope mine are not).

My ISP is Speakeasy.net by the way.

[David Woolley]

Another dumb question.  The two WAN IPs Lynksys and SME are different?


>>SME is configured with a second static IP using the same gateway as the Linksys.

[Oluf]

David Woolley wrote:
>
> Another dumb question.  The two WAN IPs Lynksys and SME are
> different?

Yes indeed. They have different IPs. One is xxx.xxx.xxx.206, the other xxx.xxx.xxx.176

>
> >>SME is configured with a second static IP using the same
> gateway as the Linksys.

[Oluf]

Oluf wrote:
>
> Chris Meredith wrote:
> >
> > Let me see if I understand what you are doing.  Are you using
> > the Linksys as your DHCP server/Gateway for the LAN?
>
> Yes.
>
> > If so,
> > are you then unplugging the router from the DSL modem to plug
> > in the SME server?
>
> No, the Linksys stays as the gateway. I plug the SME in
> parallel to the Linksys (the SpeedStream has a built-in hub,
> so it now has both the Linksys and the SME external NIC in
> it). And that's when the whole LAN loses Internet
> access/connectivity.
>
> > If so, thats your problem.  You are
> > losing your gateway.  If you have SME configured to act as
> > DHCP/Gateway, just do a release and renew on the clients
> > after you swtich from the Linksys to the SME box.
>
> So this is not the problem, I think. SME is not my
> DHCP/gateway.
>
> > Also, is the SME box configred to connect over the DSL?
> > DHCP/Static/PPoE?
> SME is configured with a second static IP using the same
> gateway as the Linksys.
>
> >  Can you connect to the internet directly
> > from the SME box?
> I can't remember if I've done this step. Good point. I'll
> check that out later this week.
>  

Internet connection from SME didn't work. I tried setting up a simple Win98 box with the same static IP as the SME, and when plugging that into the SpeedStream everything is OK. Maybe my SME configuration is wrong. Do I need to set the Master DNS address? Do I need to run _private_ servergateway, since Linksys is doing the firewalling?

-Oluf

[Oluf]

Oluf wrote:
>
> Oluf wrote:
> >
> > Chris Meredith wrote:
> > >
> > > Let me see if I understand what you are doing.  Are you
> using
> > > the Linksys as your DHCP server/Gateway for the LAN?
> >
> > Yes.
> >
> > > If so,
> > > are you then unplugging the router from the DSL modem to
> plug
> > > in the SME server?
> >
> > No, the Linksys stays as the gateway. I plug the SME in
> > parallel to the Linksys (the SpeedStream has a built-in hub,
> > so it now has both the Linksys and the SME external NIC in
> > it). And that's when the whole LAN loses Internet
> > access/connectivity.
> >
> > > If so, thats your problem.  You are
> > > losing your gateway.  If you have SME configured to act as
> > > DHCP/Gateway, just do a release and renew on the clients
> > > after you swtich from the Linksys to the SME box.
> >
> > So this is not the problem, I think. SME is not my
> > DHCP/gateway.
> >
> > > Also, is the SME box configred to connect over the DSL?
> > > DHCP/Static/PPoE?
> > SME is configured with a second static IP using the same
> > gateway as the Linksys.
> >
> > >  Can you connect to the internet directly
> > > from the SME box?
> > I can't remember if I've done this step. Good point. I'll
> > check that out later this week.
> >  
>
> Internet connection from SME didn't work. I tried setting up
> a simple Win98 box with the same static IP as the SME, and
> when plugging that into the SpeedStream everything is OK.
> Maybe my SME configuration is wrong. Do I need to set the
> Master DNS address? Do I need to run _private_ servergateway,
> since Linksys is doing the firewalling?
>
> -Oluf

Okay, I answered my own question. I did need to change the configuration from public servergateway to private servergateway. No other changes. Now Win2K clients can VPN in and computers on the LAN can still get out. I guess private servergateway removes certain filtering/forwarding rules that prevented connectivity in public servergateway mode.

Thanks to everyone for all their help! Maybe this post will help some others with similar problems.

[newvibe]

I am having a "similar" problem...

I am using an ADSL connection for the Internet. I set up SME Server as the LAN Internet connection. I set it up to use DHCP (send ethernet address as client identifier) to get the IP from the ISP. It doesn't get Internet access when I test Internet access. When I do an IP command at the console, device eth0 (my external NIC) has no IP and no record.

To get around this I've had to switch the Internet CAT 5 cable over to a Win2000 box. I then do an IPCONFIG /release and /renew and get an IP. I switch the cable back to the SME and then set SME up with a static IP, using the IP the Win2000 box just got assigned. I now have Internet access with the SME box. It works, but this is really difficult because every 4 days the IP lease expires and I end up having to do the whole thing again.

Anyone have any help they could offer?

Thanks.

newvibe@hotmail.com

[Oluf Nissen]

newvibe,

Are you sure you need to send your MAC address? Some DSL providers require a user name and password for authentication and assign the IP based on that, I think. Just an idea.