networking problem?

Question

Hi guys...and girls 2...im having network problems, well i have 2 routers one connected to my cable modem(is the dhcp server) and the other router is connected via ethernet cable to the WAN port. Is there any way that i can get all of my comps on the same subnet? this would make the network easy to deal with....

maybe im not doing something right.....oh and the second router has has dhcp relay, but even after entering the info it still has problems

thx very much~sam

i have two 4 port routers......but i have 6 machines that i want to put on the network but i would like them to be on the same subnet...is that possible

Answer 1

I'm not sure that I'm getting you right, but from what I'm getting, your topology looks something like

http://digitalfreestyle.net/stuff/answerstopology.jpg

If this is the case, then no, you cannot keep all the machines on the same subnet. If it is necessary for you to have both routers on your network (though I don't see why it would, if you say you're connecting the WAN port on router2 to an ethernet port on router1), you need a topology something like the following.

http://digitalfreestyle.net/stuff/answerstopology2.jpg

And your addressing scheme could be set up like

Router1 > Router2 - 192.168.2.1/24
Router2 > Router1 - 192.168.2.2/24

Router1 > Switch - 192.168.1.1/24
Router2 > Switch - 192.168.1.2/24

DHCP pool - 192.168.1.3/24>192.168.1.*/24


You can assign your hosts different gateways. If for some reason you needed services on router2 for some of your hosts, set their gateways as 192.168.2.2 and set the default route (route of last resort, quad zero route, whatever you want to call it) on router2 as 192.168.2.1/24, and you'll have internet connectivity through both router1 and router2.

Answer 2

Set the non-cable connected router for BRIDGE mode and set the WAN port to connect in DHCP mode. You will still have to consider it a separate subnet and set up the computers accordingly. To make the second router completely transparent, turn off the firmware firewall, and enter port forward and port triggering for ALL the ports.
Otherwise replace the second router with a hub or switch...

Answer 3

If I understand you properly, you have two routers connected to one cable modem? Disconnect the USB port, you should not use both of them. Connect all your computers to the one remaining router. Use expansion hubs if you have more computers than places to plug them in. You should only have 1 DHCP server, preferably the router.