HELP!! Network => 2wire and Linksys (x3) at arts co-operative in Bristol

[mulch]

Hey guys n gals...

My first post here... some background information for you firstly...

I am in the process of setting up a network at our artist studios in Bristol UK. The building is quite complex and the walls are thick in places, but I think I have managed to work out the best areas to sit an initial install of wireless routers and switches. I have laid cables ready for everything to work but as you will discover as you read, I have pulled all the routers back to try and test them in one room.

Our ISP is currently BT Business Broadband (forgive us, not my choice) and they have supplied the 2wire 2700hgv modem.

The service was ok in the first month and then I started laying out the network and problems started to happen. Connection to the ISP dropping out and although bandwidth was relatively high (average 8mbpsDownspeed), browsers would freeze in mid-load and we initially thought it was BTs fault. When I started to lay more network down, in the form of another wireless router, the network pretty much stumbled to a spasmodic halt. After much wrestling with BT (who never once asked whether I had other routers in the network) it dawned on me that we could be having some router conflict issues. So, now... I have unplugged everything and we are back to square one. Primary router seems relatively happy and seems to have been achieving a consistent connection to isp for about 4 days now. However, i am now in the position of trying to get the network up and running. I understand this means getting the routers setup correctly. If anyone can help it would be great. Here are some more details.

We have anything up to a maximum of about 25 devices connected (rarely). On average though, about 9-12 PCs using a combination of OS's - Apple , XP, Windows7, Vista, iphones and android phones. Ideally, we want the linksys routers to provide wireless zones and allow us to plug into the back with CAT5 if someone does not have wireless.

Here is as concise a 'map' of our existing network as I can write down.

1 - Primary Router (BT's 2wire hgv2700)
IP - 192.168.1.254
Pretty much all default settings except for I have turned off Openzone and BTfusion. Note that the DHCP range is from 1.64-1.253
As far as i am aware, this router is responsible for DHCP.

2 - Secondary Access Point - Linksys WRT54GL WhiteRussian (RC5)
Kernel Version    Linux version 2.4.30 (nbd@ux-2y02) (gcc version 3.4.4 (OpenWrt-1.0)) #1 Sun Mar 26 19:02:04 CEST 2006
IP - LANside - 192.168.1.2
WAN - Connection Type : disabled
This router is fed from Primary Router and cable feeds into port 1 here (not using the WAN 'internet' port)

Now then... I want to stop there because i dont want this to get too confusing. So to summarise, the finished network will ALSO include an 8port switch and 2 more Linksys Routers hanging off the main router. For the purposes of testing this and making it a step by step simple operation to make best use of any help anyone here can offer, I have stripped down the network so the 2 items listed in bold above are the only ones active at the moment. All other routers are unplugged for now.

If anyone can hold my hand through the basics here it would be greatly appreciated. I have very basic knowledge but i am methodical and patient. And if i can get you any more info to make helping easier, just ask!!

yours hopefully - mulch

PS - almost forgot to mention the current symptom - so... I am currently getting good internet connection from Linksys (via ethernet) but not via wireless (even though I can SEE the linksys via wireless)

[mulch]

JUST NOTICED that the Wireless Status on the Linksys currently says:
eth1      IEEE 802.11-DS  ESSID:"IC-RK1" 
          Mode:Master  Frequency:2.412 GHz  Access Point: 00:16:B6:D9:34:2C   
          Tx-Power:19 dBm   
          RTS thr=2347 B   Fragment thr=2346 B   
          Encryption key:off


not sure if that helps or not.
:]

[Simon]

I can't help with the tech stuff, sorry, but I'm sure someone will be around soon with some advice, or questions!

[mulch]

thanks... makes me chuckle and wonder how on earth you got so many posts and not picked up tech knowledge!!!

mulch :]

[Steve]

 

Not an expert either but it looks right, bridge routers are outside DHCP range of the primary, DHCP . I guess DHCP and NAT are off on the secondary routers. Not sure why the wireless isn't working puzzled by that one. My other thought was to link the bridge secondary routers via the switch to the primary in my mind you should get better throughput from the primary router that way.

[mulch]

cheers guys.... not totally sure what you are getting at there Steve. i am probably much more out of depth than you... I have yet to spy any Nat settings on the Linksys here in the office (although I notice the 2wire has Nat settings - i dont properly understand implications of these yet)

anyway... I shall come up with some solutions influenced by your suggestions and post them here sometime soon so you can check whether i understand your ideas..

In the meantime i notice the 2wire seems to have stopped providing wireless...generally this is a problem with the Linksys routers but now it has happened to the 2wire!!! (nothing really surprises me now though!!)... This Could have something to do with me plugging in another of the Linksys Routers down the hall and seeing if i could connect to internet... (just troubleshooting and experimenting)... cable to that Linksys seems fine (because i can unplg the ethernet feed from Linksys and plug direct into laptop and internet is right there)... but cant get anything through that one... cant even get onto the console!!! (192.168.1.2 doesnt work for that one down the hall)

anyway/// i am loathe to power down the 2wire but perhaps tomorrow... i am tired... bed calls... nice to meet you all...

mulch :]

[mulch]

mornin all!!

ok. here is an interesting symptom.

Just booted the desktop here in the office and couldnt connect for some reason.

Ran an 'ipconfig' and noticed that the default gateway was 192.168.1.2.

This is the IP of the Linksys (i forgot that it was sat here hanging off the 2wire via ethernet cable.)

I am not sure why the linksys would be acknowledged as the gateway in any case with this setup. after all I disabled all WAN settings within it..... errr..... perhaps its a 2wire setting that would look to another router to gain WAN connection??? i am confused!!



anyway. I disabled the network adapter and unplugged the linksys. now gateway back to 192.168.1.254 (the 2wire)

this may be pointing to the main problem somehow???

mulch :]

[Ray]

  mulch.

[Steve]

Is the dhcp server turned off on the Linksys? Your original description sounded ok with the 2wire acting as wan access and DHCP server, your secondary router (although router is not the best term) is purely acting as a wifi/ethernet access point , all functions disabled dhcp,firewall etc and you gave it a static IP outside of the primary DHCP server. There may be some oddities with the 2wire which I'm not familiar with, This setup normally works,currently I'm using a Billion 7800N with a Apple Extreme base station connected via ethernet cable.The Billion is the DHCP server and the AEBS is in bridge mode,static IP and provides me with an additional 5GHZ wifi Network. In my case AEBS TCP/IP settings are static IP 192.168.1.99 (outside of DHCP) subnet mask 255.255.255.0 router(gateway) address 192.168.1.254. No modifications to the Billion settings were made.

[Rik]

Welcome to the forum, Mulch.

[mulch]

Hey Steve... thanks for info...

Well there is no specific option for me to turn off the DHCP server in the linksys router. I am assuming the closest setting to this is within the NETWORK // WAN Configuration menu, The drop-down options for Connection Type are : None / DHCP / Static IP / PPPoE.... i have selected NONE.

From your post I will try and mimic those AEBS settings.... because currently i have the Linksys setup as an Access Point. - doing this may not help me, but  i like experimenting...

A vaguely related question - is it necessary that the router nearest the WAN (the primary) manages the DHCP leasing? If not then feasibly i could try making one of the linksys the DHCP server? Sounds like complex territory to me... especially since i cannot even bring up the console on the other two Linksys...... (but THATS a problem for another day i think!)

Anyway... onwards to discover more!!!

mulch :]

[psp83]

This might help you out : http://www.voipmechanic.com/turning-off-dhcp-wireless-router.htm

[mulch]

Thanks psp83...

however, these Linksys routers have been installed with White Russian OpenWRT... i am not really sure of the intention of the person originally setting this up, but either way, the menu system is not similar to the one indicated in the link you sent... There is no menu called simply DHCP... interesting reading nonetheless...

mulch :]

ps - i still cannot connect to the 2wire from my Dell XP laptop, however, the iMAC G5 desktop seems happy connecting through 'airport'....

anyway... back to the mission....

[mulch]

while thinking about it... perhaps its worth restoring these Linksys back to factory settings... any comments about that process?

Ive heard mixed opinions about being able to achieve this...

These Linksys Routers are - Linksys WRT54GL v1.1
Wireless-G Broadband Router with 4-port switch
all with Serial Numbers starting thus: CL7B1

WHITE RUSSIAN details from Router Info page of the Linksys console:
Firmware Version - WHITE RUSSIAN (RC5)
Kernel Version - Linux version 2.4.30 (nbd@ux-2y02) (gcc version 3.4.4 (OpenWrt-1.0)) #1 Sun Mar 26 19:02:04 CEST 2006
Current Date/Time - Sat Jan 1 02:39:47 UTC 2000

[mulch]

Hey Steve... just realised something.... when you referred to 'give it a static IP outside of the primary DHCP server'... do you mean make the 3rd number (as in the '1') a different number?

for example, should i name this first linksys 192.168.2.2 for example? if not then it is certainly out of the range of the 2wire because the 2wire (primary) is ranged at 1.64 and above...

mulch :]

[Steve]

No the static IP was correct. I think your setup is beyond my abilities as if I'm correct your running multiple DHCP servers on the same network. My setup essentially converts the secondary router into an ethernet switch with a wifi access point.



Any use http://wiki.openwrt.org/doc/recipes/bridgedclient#step.2disable.the.dhcp.server


http://martybugs.net/wireless/openwrt/

https://forum.openwrt.org/viewtopic.php?id=4427&p=1

[MisterW]

for example, should i name this first linksys 192.168.2.2 for example? if not then it is certainly out of the range of the 2wire because the 2wire (primary) is ranged at 1.64 and above...

No , you are correct with it at 192.168.1.2. It must be in the same subnet 192.168.1.x as the 2700 but outside of its dhcp range I.e < 64. I think Steve has hit the nail on the head, you need to disable the dhcp server on the linksys, and just let the 2700 be the dhcp server. Steve's first link show how to disable it.

[mulch]

brilliant....

however, how do i write to the router?>?? the instructions ask me to enter code!!! not sure how to do that... i will have a deeper look and see where i enter the codes...

thanks guys... hopefully getting somewhere...

mulch :]

[Steve]

Presumably via telnet

[mulch]

cool...
i am looking into it now....
at first i thought i would need to enter code from the command prompt console!!
Telnet you say... ok... im already confused!!! but persevering...
The instructions Steve linked to are as follows:
*******************

Step 2: Disable the DHCP server

Since the device is operating as client in another network and relays all communication from the associated Access Point to its LAN hosts, the local DHCP server should be disabled to avoid collisions.

Edit /etc/config/dhcp and set the predefined LAN DHCP pool to ignore:
config 'dhcp' 'lan' option 'interface' 'lan' option 'start' '100' option 'limit' '150' option 'leasetime' '12h' option 'ignore' '1'

Apply the change by restarting dnsmasq:
root@OpenWrt:~# /etc/init.d/dnsmasq restart

*************************
Very confused!!   Mulch :]

[Steve]

The file modifications can be performed by Telnet/SSH, the text editor 'vi' is installed by openwrt but in my brief linux experience I didn't find it easy. You should be able to see all the files  and edit via WinSCP

Instructions for Telnet/SSH are here http://mattventura.net/openwrt-stuff/ plus use of PuTTY and WinSCP ( it's GUI and easy to use.) Obviously you telnet/SSH into the static IP you assigned earlier.

"First, you need to connect to the router. By default, on 8.09 wireless should be enabled, but it will be disabled for earlier versions. So if you don't see a wifi network called "OpenWrt," grab an Ethernet cable and connect to your router. Open up a command line and run 'telnet 192.168.1.1′. You will get in without a password if you have not set one. You should really set one by running 'passwd' on the router and typing a password, if you don't set one, by default, outside attackers can't hit either the router's Web UI (for 8.09+) or SSH. Now, close your telnet session and make sure you have an SSH client. For windows, you can use PuTTY, available at http://the.earth.li/~sgtatham/putty/latest/x86/putty.exe. Log into the router (192.168.1.1) using username 'root' and the password you set in the telnet session or in the web interface. You should now be logged in. Now, if you know how to use a unix text editor (vi is the only one that comes standard on OpenWRT, see the 'installing software' section if you don't like vi) you can use one. If you don't, I recommend downloading WinSCP (available at http://winscp.net/download/winscp419.exe), which will let you browse and edit files and folders with a commander-style GUI, and will make many parts of this much easier if you aren't familiar with traditional Unix text editors since it has a built in text editor. WinSCP connects to your router through SSH, so just connect to 192.168.1.1 with username 'root' and the password you set. You will see your computer's files on the left and the router's files on the right. You can change it from commander-style to explorer style if you are more comfortable"

[mulch]

wow!!! this is great!!! see you on the other side!!

thanks all!!!

mulch :]

[mulch]

well... i have disconnected everything. Powered down XP desktop. Powered down Linksys.

Plugged ethernet in Linksys.

Powered up pc and Linksys.

Open Command Prompt.

typed: telnet 192.168.1.2

my firewall asked me to allow the traffic. I did and it said
login failed
connection to host lost
(infact i disabled my firewall and tried again.... it also failed)

Hmm... i am getting ever closer to thinking about purchasing new routers.... its been over a week of trying to get these things to get along with each other... grrrr.... if anyone has any inspiration or ideas i am very receptive...

anyway... i will observe Steves links and the telnet instructions further... I can indeed grasp the last post by Steve... but when i encounter errors like this along the way, im likely to get completely stumped.

thanks again folks... i will be back online asap to continue this saga...

mulch :]

[Steve]

From my limited reading 'telnet' should work if you've got the right location what's the result from XP>cmd>ipconfig

Unless of course a previous user due to the lack of security with telnet, it has been disabled and SSH has to be used instead but your then stuck without a password

[psp83]

It does sound like something is wrong with your Linksys routers / firmware.

If this is any help to you, here's how I've set my netgears up.

Current setup :
Netgear DGN2000 (main router) goes to a 8 port switch and also a Netgear DG834G router.

Netgear DGN2000 IP range is 192.168.0.1 > 192.168.0.254

Now the Netgear DG834G router has NAT off, DHCP off, Wireless on or off (depends if its being used), static IP is 192.168.0.200 ( i know your meant to have one outside the main DHCP server range but mine works fine )

Logging into the DGN2000 and viewing the lan setup you see the other router in the list (.200)

I can also enter 192.168.0.200 IP into the browser and can log into the control panel for this router.

DGN2000 Lan setup :


DG834G Status :

[mulch]

thanks for all the info guys... still gonna try a few more times to disable the DHCP on this router...

I managed to get command-line connection via the putty software as advised by Steve. Cool!!!

However, the instructions on Disabling DHCP Server via the link Steve posted is not clear! (excuse my ignorance here folks!):
http://wiki.openwrt.org/doc/recipes/bridgedclient#step.2disable.the.dhcp.server
These instructions show commands that are not recognised by the router. I type help and about 35 built-in commands appear, but none of them are the codes shown in the link:

These are the instructions that Steves link states: if anyone can explain how to apply these from a command line that would be cool!!!
Edit /etc/config/dhcp and set the predefined LAN DHCP pool to ignore:
config 'dhcp' 'lan'
option 'interface' 'lan'
option 'start' '100'
option 'limit' '150'
option 'leasetime' '12h'
option 'ignore' '1'

Apply the change by restarting dnsmasq:
root@OpenWrt:~# /etc/init.d/dnsmasq restart

[mulch]

hey steve... by the way, i tried the cmd>ipconfig and it doesnt resolve with any result.

i typed
xp>cmd>ipconfig
and it created an error so i tried
cmd>ipconfig
and it hangs for ages... i had to terminate the command prompt window!

not sure im entering them correctly!

cheers :]

[Steve]

The options are contained within a file which you need to edit ie /etc/config/dhcp it sounds promising if you managed to connect via PuTTY . I would suggest WinSCP to find and edit the file and then save the changes. Another method as suggested by one other forum member via PM to me was to use a Live Linux Distro then ssh and then gedit,

http://winscp.net/eng/docs/task_edit


Sorry I seemed to confuse you with ipconfig and my shorthand , just enter ipconfig from a command prompt

[mulch]

you are indeed patient!!! i thank you so much!!!... ok i will see the fact that it connects to putty as a positive... and leave it there for the day!!! to be continued... thanks Steve and all..

mulch :]

[mulch]

one last thing... i just tried the winscp tool and it loaded but came up with the following:
Connection has been unexpectedly closed. Server sent command exit status 127.
Cannot initialize SFTP protocol. Is the host running a SFTP server?

then i click 'OK' (there is no 'NO' to click in response to the error) and it takes me back to the main WinSCP Login Screen. So i try again and click 'Reconnect' when i get to the same error message. and then it returns to the error message again.

I notice that the protocol SSH is not available in the File Protocol drop down menu....

anyway... g'night!

mulch :]

[D-Dan]

When you enter the commands try just entering the command itself. eg:

Code Select Expand

ipconfig

At the prompt. Note that if this doesn't work, complaining that there is no such command, and you are running this on the router, try:

Code Select Expand

ifconfig

ifconfig is the linux version of ipconfig. There is no way that ifconfig should hang unless the firmware is bad. If this works:

Code Select Expand

vi /etc/config/dhcp

Then make the edits to the file using the vi editor. Now vi isn't easy to use, but the most basic commands that you will need to know are:

• cursor keys move up/down/left and right.
• To overwrite text press shift-r (for R) and then type - this is overwrite mode. When finished press esc to exit overtype mode.
• To save the file and quit vi type :x
• If you make a mistake and want to undo type u (though this is very limited in that it will only undo the last action).
• If you make a complete hash of things type :q! to quit without saving so that you can start over.

Then restart dnsmasq at the prompt by typing:

Code Select Expand

/etc/init.d/dnsmasq restart

Note that I am simply instructing how to follow the instructions. I have no experience of the router itself so can't vouch for the fix itself working

Steve

[Steve]

Thanks Steve

[mulch]

hey guys..... just downloaded gVIm and yes... its tricky... but i get the idea.

so... i enter the text D-Dan advised in previous post...

"vi /etc/config/dhcp"

the response of VI is to say

"E486 Pattern Not Found: etc"

now then... i am just testing the software here... the router is NOT plugged in...

any advice!??

no rush... im back and forth at this console this evening...

mulch :]

[Steve]

I assume because that file does not exist on the PC you are using,if you enter that command after telnet/ssh into the router you should be able to edit the file. You should also be able to see a directory/file listing ie at the dot prompt (root@Openwrt) type "ls-l" which is Linux CLI command

[D-Dan]

Steve is absolutely correct. The commands are intended to be run on the router, and so depend on the filesystem and structure being present. A quick run through to help you understand what you are doing is probably in order.

"ls" is just the same command as dir (in fact, dir works on Linux, too). You probably won't need the -l switch if you are only using it to check the file exists. "ls /etc/config" will list the files in that folder.

Routers typically run Linux internally (regardless of the OS of the computers plugged into them) and so all commands and changes are done "the Linux way". This is somewhat different than Windows, and significantly for what you are doing, all settings are stored as simple text files, whereas Windows has the registry. Linux has the edge here because it makes custom configuration somewhat easier if you don't have to navigate through endless keys with meaningless names to find the settings that you want.

These text files are stored in set locations in the filesystem, /etc being one of them ("/" in this case refers to the root folder - what you would probably call C: and "etc" is simply a directory (folder) in the root file system. The actual file that you are interested in is dhcp which is inside the config folder in the etc folder - you get the idea).

vi is a commandline text editor - more. No pretty GUI to get in the way etc (hence it's somewhat complicated nature), so typing vi /etc/config/dhcp is akin to opening notepad in Windows and then opening a text file with it.

The final command, "/etc/init.d/dnsmasq" is somewhat like opening the "services" dialogue in Windows and restarting a service. dnsmasq reads it's configuration from the dhcp file, hence it needing to be re-started after changes are made to the config file.

The error suggests that at least vi is working, and seems to simply be complaining that it can't find the file that you are trying to edit (obvious really, since it's on an unconnected router). Things will probably move along swimmingly once you get into the filesystem on the router.

As an aside, if you have never tried Linux and thought that one day you might, please don't assume that this experience is typical, because it isn't. Linux has all the bells and whistles that Windows has when a full desktop environment is included, and using it for day to day stuff is much like using Windows (except that Linux excels at desktop eye candy compared with Windows). As an example, I'm replying to this in Firefox 4 on Linux which has all the same extensions and themes installed as my Windows installation (in fact they both share the same profile folder). I read my email in Thunderbird on both (again sharing a profile folder). In fact, I had no choice but to booted into Windows for most of yesterday as I had truecrypt encrypting my business/client drive and I noticed at one point that I had 5 applications open (Browser, email, media player, IRC and truecrypt), using the identical programs that I use on Linux, configured in exactly the same way and providing exactly the same functionality. Who said Linux had to be hard or so different (especially considering MS copied most of the GUI of Windows from Linux

Steve

[mulch]

Thanks so much for the immense details about 'vi' however, i am probably missing the main method of establishing connection with the router itself. Seems a little aimless when typing in path that 'vi' doesnt recognise...

I guess this is all partly because i am a noob to the depth of this, and i am unsure how to get the SSH link setup to enable access to the /etc/config/dhcp path....

so...

Telnet fails to connect
WinScp seems like it wants to but fails via various methods. oh hang on....
Tried SSH tunnel - doesnt like the password... (wierd) / Tried alternative to SFTP (used instead)... and wow...

wow... that seems to work, even though i'm not sure of the exact settings i used as I was clutching at straws by this point!!! ok.. cool.... i can see in the split screen console of WinScp.... phew... was literally just about to give up!!!

The path you guys mention is there, but there is no DHCP file within (im talking about the /etc/config path), only a file called 'firewall'.. the only folder i can find any dhcp related file in is the /tmp folder... the file is called 'dhcp.leases' and upon double clicking it shows the following info...

946730729 00:19:d2:1a:70:xx 192.168.1.125 CNU6510NP8 01:00:19:d2:1a:70:xx
946728040 00:07:e9:92:a8:xx 192.168.1.145 asls-6 01:00:07:e9:92:a8:xx

they look like MAC addresses (the x's are mine:)... not sure whether the /tmp folder is for temporary items... if so, i imagine this is useless to me. cannot find the dhcp settings anywhere....

am i getting close?? or further away!!???

***********************
ok just discovered another dhcp 'related' file in the path: /www/cgi-bin/webif and the file is called 'leases.sh' and it contains the following info:
#!/usr/bin/webif-page
<?
. /usr/lib/webif/webif.sh
header "Status" "DHCP" "@TR<<DHCP leases>>"
?>
<table style="width: 90%; text-align: left;" border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" align="center">
<tbody>
   <tr>
      <th>@TR<<MAC Address>></th>
      <th>@TR<<IP Address>></th>
      <th>@TR<<Name>></th>
      <th>@TR<<Expires in>></th>
   </tr>
<? [ -e /tmp/dhcp.leases ] && awk -vdate="$(date +%s)" '
$1 > 0 {
   print "<tr>"
   print "<td>" $2 "</td>"
   print "<td>" $3 "</td>"
   print "<td>" $4 "</td>"
   print "<td>"
   t = $1 - date
   h = int(t / 60 / 60)
   if (h > 0) printf h "h "
   m = int(t / 60 % 60)
   if (m > 0) printf m "min "
   s = int(t % 60)
   printf s "sec "
   printf "</td>"
   print "</tr>"
}
' /tmp/dhcp.leases ?>
</tbody>
</table>

<? footer ?>
<!--
##WEBIF:name:Status:2:DHCP

****************

i dont want to confuse too much beyond this, so hopefully someone can tell me to stop wasting my time or perhaps im missing something obvious!!!

thanks all - mulch :]

[D-Dan]

the webif file that you have found is the web interface (it's php I think, looking at it) and is unlikely to be of use for what you want. The /tmp directory is, as you have deduced, a temporary store and again of no use at the moment.

You could try creating the dhcp file in /etc/config with a single entry as detailed and then restart the server. No guarantees, but it may work.

Steve

[Steve]

Alternative methods discussed here https://forum.openwrt.org/viewtopic.php?id=4427&p=1 but you will need telnet for CLI. I thought you managed to get PuTTY to work? 

[mulch]

ok.... im back on the router as root via WinScp...

following the link to OpenWRT forum was helpful.... despite there being lots of code without clear description of where it gets entered... i assume via putty(<--noob me)... however, when i go in as root via putty i can only see the directories mentioned in my last post... i cannot see the etc folder and the other ones viewable via WinScp... perhaps root is not true root??? im lost there!!! anyway...

... upon observing the post about editing the dnsmasq.conf file (which I have copied and pasted below) i realise i can try to edit the file from WinScp... however...
My own dnsmasq.conf file is pretty much exactly the same...

I imagine that the # statements are REM lines (notes to coders?). If so then the active code (lines without # as a prefix) is EXACTLY the same in mine as this. This means that assuming that the information in the forum post represents the correct method to turn off DHCP without turning off DNS, then the router already has this.

If the # statements are code then there are a few differences. i shall list them if needed. Please say...

None of this explains why there is no DHCP file in the CONFIG folder to start with... So perhaps creating one as Steve suggested could be the way forward. but if i create one, what file extension do i give it and what are the EXACT contents of that file?? Do i create it in Notepad?  or from the WinScp console?

not quite got my head around VIM yet, but am prepared to go there thoroughly if it is the last resort...


Hmmmmmm.... anyway... here are the dnsmasq.conf details as posted in the forum.... as always... thanks folks....
ps - the reason i am not pasting the details of my dnsmasq.conf is because all computers except this MAC i am using currently, have been unplugged from the primo router so it would mean typing it out again which i dont want to do (i could use a usb stick to transfer info over yeah... but im worried there is a usb virus in the autorun blah blah.... (reason: in the desperate quest to find out what is causing our broadband connection to drop out sporadically, BT have instructed us to unplug EVERYTHING from the router except ONE computer for 3 days to re-assess the scenario. Obviously they dont want to be liable for any problems downstream of their feed... anyway... a long story there... one which does involve the linksys routers - because i originally thought it was they that was causing the sporadic loss of internet connection.... however, after unplugging them all and only having 3 or 4 computers connected, after a few days of good connection, it started dropping out again.... with no routers connected... BT are suggesting that it could be an issue with computers hanging off the router.... i simply shrug... its been 3 months of this kind of service and im prepared to accept any way forward in the hope of getting a solid connection.... but i doubt some of their conclusions.... sorry to ramble....)

*********************dnsmasq.conf details from forum (https://forum.openwrt.org/viewtopic.php?id=4427&p=1)

# filter what we send upstream
domain-needed
bogus-priv
filterwin2k
localise-queries

# allow /etc/hosts and dhcp lookups via *.lan
local=/lan/
domain=lan
expand-hosts

# enable dhcp (start,end,netmask,leasetime)
#dhcp-authoritative
#dhcp-range=192.168.1.100,192.168.1.250,255.255.255.0,12h
dhcp-leasefile=/tmp/dhcp.leases

# use /etc/ethers for static hosts; same format as --dhcp-host
# <hwaddr> <ipaddr>
read-ethers

# other useful options:
# default route(s): dhcp-option=3,192.168.1.1,192.168.1.2
#    dns server(s): dhcp-option=6,192.168.1.1,192.168.1.2

[Steve]

With WinSCP can you manage this option "I disabled dnsmasq by preventing it from running at boot by renaming /etc/init.d/S50dnsmasq to disable_S50dnsmasq" (taken from your link) , it seems crude but effective.

[D-Dan]

Disablijng dnsmasq as Steve suggests may achieve what you want, and trying it certainly can't hurt (just be sure to remember the filename so that you can restore as necessary).

Should you want to try creating the dhcp file, use whatever text editor you are comfortable with, do not give the file an extension, and add the line:

Code Select Expand

config 'dhcp' 'lan' option 'interface' 'lan' option 'start' '100' option 'limit' '150' option 'leasetime' '12h' option 'ignore' '1'

Then save and restart dnsmasq. If it doesn't work, then just delete the new file (rm /etc/config/dhcp)

[mulch]

Superb.... thanks guys....

i will put this into action next...

one last thing: Is there any way of checking this works without making the router part of the LAN?

Due to the BT request that nothing else touches our network for a few days...

mulch :]

[mulch]

ok... i have done both crude last resort actions. unless there is some way of checking this has worked without joining the LAN then I will wait til the end of the week to check it out.

I assume that restarting the dnsmasq is irrelevant once i have disabled it... (i did try via a console from WinScp -but it didnt like it)...

Getting to quite like WinScp by the way, although VIM is probably hugely more powerful once you get your head around it...

mulch :]

[mulch]

well this is quite funny.... but was annoying!!!

I deduce that I have been successful in making the routers non-dhcp leasing because i cannot even log onto them with a browser now!! I suppose firefox needs the pc to be served an IP before it can connect...

via command prompt there is no host route detected to the IP addresses of the routers themselves.

However, I could connect to the linksys routers when I borrowed a Belkin cable router and put as the first router... this managed DHCP and gave my pc an IP and allowed me to log on to the consoles of the other routers via firefox...

at last... some progress!!!

One router (the 3rd and final Linksys) was proving particularly difficult. I couldnt even get on it from WinScp (although it has always been the problem router) so i think i will ditch that one.... unless anyone can suggest a way in which you can detect the ip address of a router.... hmmm... thoughts of 'knowing the MAC address might help' come to mind...

anyway... more later..... any responses to this or the last two posts appreciated...

mulch :]

[D-Dan]

The IP addresses of the routers should now be managed by the DHCP that you have, so failing all else, take a look at the status of the Belkin which should tell you the IP addresses of connected devices. One of them will be the "missing" router.