What the HUB

[XFalloutX]

Ok this business has a server room that has two switches in it. There is a cable that runs from there to the book keeping office where it goes into a 4 port HUB then goes out into a 24port switch. I can not bypass this HUB it is slowing down that side of the network. I can go straight from the switch in the server room to the one in bookkeeping and it will not work.
Do you have any idea why this HUB is there? How can I get rid of it?
By the way this is a new 24port switch.

 

[PCSupportGlasgow]

Has someone before isolated the booking room office from the rest of the network? eg put in a router (your hub) so that office on a different network?

 

[Martyn]

It doesn't make sense. Have a look at all the ip addresses and where the dhcp server is. The obvious thing is to take the hub out of the equation(it's not isolating anything) but you need to clarify 'will not work'.

They may have the hub there to monitor traffic off one of the ports but I doubt it.

 

[XFalloutX]

By not working I mean that the computers will not automatically obtain an IP. I'm sorry I should have mentioned that. My bad
The workstations in bookkeeping are not on a different IP then the rest of the computers in the building.
When I take the HUB out the computers will no longer obtain an IP.
The DHCP server is in the server room.
I also want to note that on the switch in bookkeeping there is only one light that is green and the rest are orange. I belive the one pluged into the port with a green light is an internal webserver.
I want to try unhooking it and the HUB and then see if the computers will optain an IP then, but I have to wait to after 5 to try.

*Edit nvm the green light just means what is connected to it is using the gigabit speed. I feel dumb
So I'm still at a lose why this HUB is needed

 

[COB]

Hi,

How long is the cable run between the book keeping office switch, the hub and the server room switches? Is it possible that they used it as a sort of repeater to overcome a limitation in the cable?

And when you state that they computers in the book keeping office do not obtain an IP address. Does this occur if you connect them to the server directly or through the bookkeeping room switch?

Cathal

 

[Frank]

You said that the PCs will not obtain an IP from DHCP. Have you tried assigning a static IP go test communication with the rest of the network?

 

[XFalloutX]

I would say its probably around 80 feet from the server room to bookkeeping. I think on Tuesday I'm going to hook my cable tester to it to check the wiring.

If I go straight from the server room to the switch I get no activity light on the switch on either end. Its like they do not see that they are connected together.

 

[Steve202]

How old it the switch in the book keeping office?

Older switches don't auto negotiate the ports like they do now and so don't know whether they are connected to a PC or another switch. Years ago to connect like for like devices you would need a crossover cable, so I'd try that.

 

[XFalloutX]

How old it the switch in the book keeping office?

Older switches don't auto negotiate the ports like they do now and so don't know whether they are connected to a PC or another switch. Years ago to connect like for like devices you would need a crossover cable, so I'd try that.

The switch that was in there went out and I just replaced it with a new Netgear gigabit 24 port switch. Thats when I noticed the Hub. I also thought about a crossover cable and tried it and it didnt do anything else.
The two switches in the sever room are the expensive cisco server rack switches. There is a managed one and a none managed one. Its originally put in the none.

 

[XFalloutX]

I figured it out. I got my cable tester and tested the cable from the server room to the bookkeeping and it was not wired correctly. I redid the ends and tried it....still wouldn't work. I then tested the patch cable in the server room from the switch to the patch panel and it was also wired wrong. I replaced it and now it is working the way it should. How in the world it ever did work I don't know lol.

 

[Martyn]

I figured it out. I got my cable tester and tested the cable from the server room to the bookkeeping and it was not wired correctly. I redid the ends and tried it....still wouldn't work. I then tested the patch cable in the server room from the switch to the patch panel and it was also wired wrong. I replaced it and now it is working the way it should. How in the world it ever did work I don't know lol.

Nice one, glad you got it sorted. Thanks for letting us know.

 

[NETWizz]

Always buy a big box of patch cables in bulk, so this doesn't happen. Any newly installed cabling shoudl be tested...