Cisco Ethernet Switch

[Mr20]

I am a beginner, so please forgive this question.

I have a cisco ethernet switch, and I was wondering if the switch has to be assigned and IP address and connected to a router in order for clients connected to the switch to communicate. I thought that the switch could route using MAC addresses. Right now the switch is not connected to a router and I can't ping any of the other devices on the ethernet switch.

Like I said I am a beginner.

Thanks

 

[InDenial]

Mr20,

The ip-adress on a switch is for management only (talking layer 2 switches here) so the devices connected to the switch should be able to connect to eachother.

There are some things that could cause the devices not being able to see eachother:

-speed/duplex on devices are different from the settings on the switchports
-wrong cables
-devices are in different vlan's
-ports are shutdown
and so on...

InD.

CCNA

 

[sbonete]

Mr20,

be sure that all the hosts belong to the same ip net and their subnet mask are identical.

Cheers.