Strange problem
 

Hello,

We have a small network at work. We have a machine running Unix which provides our stock control and accounting, a machine running Netware which is our main file server and we have a separate machine that is our mail server and database server.

We have anumber of wireless clients and wired clients connecting to all three of these machines through a router and various switches/hubs and 1 cable changer that connects cat5 to old coax ethernet.

After the storms in London on Tuesday, we cannot connect or even ping the machine running Unix; nor can that machine ping anything else on the network apart from a standalone print server. Everything except this print server is either wireless or cat5 wired. The printer server is connected with old 10Mb coax cable.

What could cause this? More to the point, what do we do about it?

Any thoughts appreciated.

Regards,

Babu.

Re: Strange problem
 

MY best advice would be to upgrade from the 50ohm coax to cat5 ethernet.

Unfortunatly, that is not what you want to hear, so I'll do my best....

Things to try:

• Check the convertor which converts COAX to Cat5
• Check the configuration of the Cat5 PORT that connector is hooked up to
• Check the configuration of any programable switches on your network, incase they have been reset to defaults after the storm.
• Check the configuration of your router (as above)

At work, we use Cisco routers, cores and switches which are all programable.
If I make changes to one of them and dont remember to WRITE the changes then everything runs just fine right up until the power is interupted, then the unit will drop back to it's 'last save'.

There is every chance this COAX network is plugged in to a programable switch / router which no longer has the correct details.


HTH.

Re: Strange problem
 

Are things like the cable converter protected by filters. I've seen humble switches killed by power spikes that didn't affect other electronics.

Re: Strange problem
 

Thanks Stuart & Rob,

I added a new network card, re-linked the kernel and rebooted. Everything is back to normal now. The lightning on Tuesday blew the on-board network card.