PIX501 cabling - crossover question

[mjboardman]

I'm installing a PIX 501 in an environment where the T-1 first passes through a router over which I have no control, then to my PIX, and on to the clients. (I can't place the PIX any further upstream than this).

The documentation says to install a crossover cable between the internet (or the router in my case) and the PIX, and straight-through cables everywhere else.

When I do this, nothing works. However, when I use a straight-through cable from the router to the PIX, and a crossover from the PIX to a client, it works.

I can't imagine the docs are wrong (someone would have noticed by now).

Why does my configuration not work as depicted?

Do I need to get crossover cables for all clients behind the PIX? (Tell me no, please).

Thanks for the help.

[bfetzer]

First of all. You are probably going to be connecting the PIX to a switch or something like that and then allowing your clients to connect to that correct? You must remember that the PIX is just a "computer" anyways. Open that sucker up (unless it voids the warranty ;) ) It just has an Intel processor and some ram in there (very basic description of course).

Go back to your basic rules of thumb. Like devices should have a crossover cable in between them. So in a way you were trying to connect two "computers" with a straight through cable. Not gunna work. You wouldn't expect a pc with a network card to be able to connect to your pc with a network card right? The pix just has a network card in it that you are connecting to.

You will be setting up your pix something like this correct ?

PIX----->Switch(basic/layer3)------>clients if this is the case, you shouldn't need to worry about connecting each client with a crossover cable.