DSM-G600, DNS-3xx and NSA-220 Hack Forum

Perhaps your DNS-323 needs the router to assign it's IP address (DHCP?)

Try plugging everything into the switch.

[DNS323]--[Switch]--[Router]
                     |
                [Laptop]

Last edited by mig (2007-07-22 01:59:07)

danair wrote:

Tack - I'm a bit of a n00b when it comes to networking, hope you don't mind a quick question.  I was planning a configuration basically identical to yours.  I was just wondering, do things like the FTP server and iTunes server still work.  In other words at present I have:

[laptop]
     |
[wireless ADSL router]-[desktop]
     |
[DNS-323]

and the router forwards anything on port 21 to the IP of the DNS so that it can act as the FTP server.  In the configuration you're using does the router still perform this function?  Once the DHCP server has assigned an IP address is that "job done" for the router so that, for example, two computers connected to the switch can commincate at 1000 mbit, or does the router still have to involved in the 'routing' of traffic, in which case isn't it then restricted to 100 mbit if that's what the router is rated at?

Quick answer - yes as in -  yes it is all GOOD.

Slow answer_
FTP etc all work.
Once lan IPs are assigned, the switch takes over traffic 'direction' between units connected to it, so the router is out of the equation and you get gigabit speed ( well as close as you are gonna get - I get around 240mb/s over my local network ). Just connect all your gigabit capable units to the gigabit capable switch and you are done.
Enjoy

Well, I'm trying the same thing as qwertybnm, and getting the same result -no worky.

With all due respect to you knowledgable guys who responded, you didn't actually answer the question.

I have a temporary setup of [DNS323]----[switch]----[laptop]----[modem via WiFi acting as DHCP server].
So I don't want the NAS to act as DHCP server, I want to assign it an IP address manually, outside the range the modem is allowed to assign.

The DNS323 did work when connected to the modem/router (and does have the default IP address assigned).  So it does work.  But not with the switch.
The laptop can happily communicate with a laser printer via the switch, so that works.

I actually called D-Link support about this, as I first tried DNS323 with the switch as soon as I'd unpacked it and plugged in the drives (2x1TB, raid 1).  The guy who eventually answered (who sounded suspiciously Indian) was no help, other than suggesting I connect it directly to the modem/router.  Yep, that works, but doesn't have enough ethernet ports for me.

The Easy Search Utility can find the NAS box (via the switch), and I can change its IP address.  I see the front panel LED flicker when I do this, indicating network activity.  But when I click on the NAS line in the 'Network Storage Device' window, the 'Configuration' button greys out.  I can select Volume_1 in the bottom window, but can't successfully map a drive to it.  I can't even ping the IP address of the DNS323.  (Yes, it is on the same subnet as the laptop.)

So what obvious thing am I missing here?
It must relate to the TCP/IP settings somewhere.  I'm running Windows XP Home Edition, using the Windows firewall (which can be off and it still doesn't work).

Thanks for your reply fordem.  You are partially correct.

I tossed and turned in bed last night thinking about this and decided it had to be routing, and I might have to add a route to the routing table so the laptop could find the NAS.
It turned out to be simpler than that.  The ethernet port has picked up its IP address from Windows (which is pretty dumb about such things), not the modem/router.  It was on a different subnet!

So I changed the IP address for the (wired) ethernet port to the same as my WiFi port and NAS box.  Now it works.  However I had to add a route to the modem via WiFi.  I might need a script which does this automatically on startup, using either wired or wireless NIC. -Will experiment with this a bit.

Thinking along your train of thought, all network adapters on all computers would be on different subnets, which of course is not the case.  I need all ethernet connections in my house to be on the same subnet.

Your second layout is exactly what I intend to use.  The first will be used when I unplug the laptop and use it out on the back verandah in the nice sunshine on a cool day. (Screen is hard to see though.)  But before I physically moved my modem and re-arranged phone connections (using VOIP), I wanted to make sure the switch connection worked.

One has to wonder at the search utility.  It must try using each network adapter on the PC in turn, to find the NAS.  Because it does find it.  But then it is too stupid to actually connect.  What it should do, is add a route to the routing table which works (since it must have temporarily done that to find the NAS). The other silly behaviour it has, is to disable the Configure button once you select the NAS.  OK it has a reason for that, ie it hasn't actually allowed the user to connect to the box.  But how the user is supposed to know that is beyond me, given that the NAS appears there every time.

Note to D-Link: fix that!
Second note to D-Link: Add this scenario to the 'cheat sheets' used by your (Indian or whatever) help-desk people.  -That is, NAS and network adapter are on different subnets.

Hopefully my stumble here will be a warning to others.  Check that your ethernet port and the NAS box are on the same subnet.  (Yeah, I know, dummy me should have checked that first up.)  It is probable that this issue only arises on laptops using WiFi as well as wired ports (or PCs with two or more NICs fitted).

Thanks for that fordem.

Yes, if I use separate subnets for the adapters on my laptop, I wouldn't have to do any route adjusting -provided I was connecting to the NAS from the adapter on the same subnet.  I'd be in trouble if I swapped from wired to wireless.  So I figure I might as well put everything on the same subnet, and add some route info.

I am using a static IP address on the NAS, have done from day one.  By the time I've finished setting up, I'll have static addresses on all the network adapters in all my computers.

The broadcast must still be getting sent on all adapters, so the search utility must be enumerating them on the PC.  (It is probably broadcasting over the Bluetooth adapter as well.)  A broadcast sent only on the WiFi adapter for example, wouldn't find the NAS.  So why does the search utility choose a 'default' network adapter which doesn't connect to the NAS?

I'm new here.  Is it appropriate to have 'discussion' like this on the forum?