SUN networking problems - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

26 Mar 2001

New details on the SUN networking issue became available yesterday evening
when the second SUN decided to boot once more (we still don't know how that's
possible as it had claimed to have lost its battery-buffered Setup
information last time we powered it up a few months ago). However, both SUNs'
transceivers and the cable work as each SUN can detect the other's presence. The
printer cannot be pinged or sent data to, no matter which SUN tries or to which of
the both remaining transceivers it is connected. 

Peter Turnbull wrote:
...
 Have you tried pinging the printer by it's IP
address instead of
it's name?  Try a broadcast ping? 
No, not yet, but I will when I get home in the evening. Luckily, I found the
IP adresses in a stack of handwritten papers we were given together with all
that stuff. As we're not too familiar with the commands, how is a broadcast
ping done?

...
 Have you checked the printer settings to make sure
it's using the 
correct IP address?  Is that set from its panel, or by RARP/BOOTP/ 
DHCP?  If the latter, it needs a server to boot. 
Tony Duell wrote:
...
 That printer isn't attempting to get information
(IP address,
software, whatever) from a server, is it? 

We're trying hard at the moment to find the printer manual. We know we have
it somewhere, but it's buried...

Peter Turnbull wrote:
...
 If the Sun didn't get a valid signal from the
transceiver when it
booted, it might not have enabled le0, or there might not be a route 
through it.
Not necessarily, it might not have brought up the le0 interface if the >AUI cable
was disconnected when it powered up.

We switched off everything before reconnecting the cable and when we booted
the next time, we did not get any le0 errors. Besides, the SUNs can see each
other over the network, so the connection must be  enabled.

...
 However, if there is an LED for either transmit or
receive, it 
should flash when you try a ping.  If it doesn't, either the Sun 
isn't sending the packet or there's a short circuit. 
...
 Both LEDs?  I'm guessing as to what the LEDs do,
but that probably
means it's transmitting something.  Maybe an ARP or BOOTP request.  >It
depends on what the LEDs do.  One might be for collision, in
...
 which case there's a cable fault if it flashes. 
More likely one is 
transmit and the other receive, in which case what you see is 
correct, it transmits a packet and simultaneously detects what it's
transmitting. 
...
 Hmm...  What are the LEDs on the transceivers labelled?
 Mine have 5
LEDs: Power, SQE, Transmit, Receive, and Collision. (I also have 
several transceivers with no LEDs, or just one for power, but none 
with three.) 
No, there isn't. The LEDs on the transceivers are only PWR (Power), SQE (as
on yours) and COL (which must be Collision). Nothing for TX or RX, although
that would be much more helpful for troubleshooting.

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