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Newbie Switching Question

samreeves
Level 1
Level 1

I am trying to hook up a Cisco 2950 Catalyst switch. I have run cat5e straight-through from the router to the switch. I toned and tested the cabling. It is working fine. However, when I plug it into the switch, the server can't see the network. I tried plugging the Ethernet into port 1, then into the console port on the back of the switch. No network. But if I plug it directly into a workstation, I can immediately get onto the Internet. I've tried replacing the switch, but that didn't help either. Any ideas?

1 Accepted Solution

Accepted Solutions

Because you are connecting from the 3Com hub to the Cisco switch you will need a cross over cable to connect these two devices.

From router to hub can be straigh-thru then from hub to switch make it a cross-over.

View solution in original post

4 Replies 4

ankbhasi
Cisco Employee
Cisco Employee

Hi Sam,

The switch ports are bydefault in vlan 1. So when you connect you switch to the router port do you see the link is up? Also when you connect your server to the switchport they will be on vlan 1? So if you can explain bit more of your topology it will be easy to diagnose the problme.

Regards,

Ankur

Unfortunately, the topology is a little complicated because I am trying to migrate our facility to a Windows 2003 server from the existing 10-year-old Novell system, which consisted of one Linksys router straight-through to two 3Com hubs, two redundant Novell servers, and about 50 workstations and printers. I think it is called a hierarchal star topology. So, when I said that there was straight-through cat5e from the router to the switch, there actually is a 3Com hub in between. In other words, I ran cat5e from an open port on the hub to the Cisco switch until I can get rid of the old system.

As best I understand the term, all devices should be on vlan 1. Now, as far as the router port lighting up, the router port connecting to the hub was lit and the rest of the network was working fine, however, when I plugged the cable running from the hub to the Cisco switch I THINK the LED over the hub port lit green. But I am not 100% sure and I can't check until Monday. When I plugged the other end of the cable into the switch, the LEDs over ports connected to workstations were lit, but not the port with the upstream cable. That is when I moved the cable into the Console port in the back of the switch. But, still nothing happened.

I just assumed you plugged the cable into the switch and were basically ready to go. I am finding out that is probably not the case.

Because you are connecting from the 3Com hub to the Cisco switch you will need a cross over cable to connect these two devices.

From router to hub can be straigh-thru then from hub to switch make it a cross-over.

I knew you had to use a crossover from one switch to another, but it never occurred to me that you would have to use one from a hub to a switch. Makes sense, though. Thank you. I'll try it Monday morning.

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