Confusing Network Setup.

[Kjonnnn]

Please forgive me if this is in the wrong place. Its rather lengthy, but any incite would be helpful.


I’m hoping someone can walk me through what’s going on in this particular situation. I’ve done networking with 200 to 300 computers but this situation has me baffled, and it only involves 3 computers.

This is a small office set up with Vista as the OS:

Players and Parts are:

Comcast Cablebox/Router (In Front Office)
DLink Router (In Back Office)
Locked Pastor Office (Back Office)
PC1 (with shared folder)
PC2
PC3

PC1 is located in an office in the front of the church and is connected directly to the Comcast Cablebox. PC1 shares a finance folder that PC2 needs access too. When looking at the network settings, PC1 sees no other computers.

PC2 is located in an office in the back of the church. PC2 needs to get files from the shared folder on PC1. PC2 could no longer see PC1 or get internet access for some reason, BUT could see PC3. PC2 has an Ethernet cable connected into the network card, and a wireless card (disabled). Viewing the “network” from PC2; PC2, PC3 and the DLINK Router can be seen.

PC3 is in the locked Pastor’s Office. Also in that office is a DLINK router. I haven’t been able to get into that office to see what’s connected.

In the office where PC1 is, there is the Comcast Cablebox. PC1 and a Printer are connected to this Box by ethernet. I noticed that it had an Ethernet cable that was disconnected. So, I plugged the cable back into the box, and PC2 (in the office in the back) can now get the Internet. BUT, PC2 cannot get the shared file on PC1. The cable connected to PC2’s network card goes into the wall and into the Locked Office below it. So I can’t tell if that cable is connected directly to the Comcast box or connected to something else in the Locked Office.

On PC2, there a DLICK connection “with limited connectivity” in addition to a LAN connection. If I disconnect the DLINK , PC2 can no longer see PC3 or the internet. If I disconnect the Ethernet cable, PC2 can no longer get the internet, but can still see PC3. PC2 also this installed “ Network Bridge – MAC Bridge Mini Port.” I read that the “MAC Bridge Mini Port” is suppose to be a software bridge for a computer with two cards. BUT if the wireless is disable why is this necessary.

Im not sure who set all of this up, nor do I see the purpose. It would seem easier, to have just connected the offices in the back with a switch, and added all to a work group.

Does any one understand what is going on here?

 

[cajuntank]

So why 2 routers?

 

[sampko]

Depending on your comcast device, I have seen it where you can not route traffic between ports, pc on port1 can not see pc on port2. The ports are setup to just route traffic directly out to the internet instead of to another port. I say comcast device, because with out the model, there is no way of knowing if it is a modem with a router built in, or if it is just a multi-port modem(this device will not share traffic across ports). So whats the model of the comcast device?

 

[tlcscousin]

Comcast router probably on a different subnet than the two dlinks.
Depending on the comcast router some show as using a 10.0.0.x addressing where as dlink usually uses 192.168.0.x
So in essence the one behind the dlink have no route to the computer at the 10.0.0.x address.
The easiest way ( and i could be wrong) is to have the two dlinks bridged (if the routers actually support bridge mode) so they let the computers get an IP from the comcast router, which then puts all computers on the same subnet and allows sharing files.