Linksys BEFSX41 router + DHCP server requests

[Phil Schuman]

We have a plain old original Linksys WAP11 for wireless access,
and a Linksys BEFSX41 router for the LAN and WAN connection.
The router has DHCP enabled....
However - For the Win XP wireless laptops with DHCP,
I can't pull an IP address from the router thru the WAP11 -
I have not put a protocol analyzer on the LAN side
to see if the DHCP request broadcasts are making it thru
from the wireless access point.
Any ideas ?

Well - I pulled out my NT 4.0 Server laptop
which has a protocol analyzer on it,
and plugged it into 1 of the 4 router ports to watch the traffic.
I also upgraded the firmware on the Linksys BEFSX41 / BEFSR41
now at version 1.45.3
Also - re-verified that the DHCP is "enabled" and setup with addresses,
etc

Ok - here's the story from the protocol analyzer -
The Win XP laptop -
now hardwired to the router via Ethernet - wireless disabled -
and setup for DHCP -
sends out the DHCP Discover packet - no reply - it sends this 4 times -
no reply from the Linksys router

As a controlled test -
I turned on the MS DHCP Server service on the NT4.0 Server laptop.
I then repeated the test -
The Win XP latop sends the DHCP Discover,
and the NT4.0 Server laptop replies to the Discover packet -

It seems like the Linksys BEFSX41 / BEFSR41 is not even trying
to process the DHCP Discover - and yes - it is "enabled" -
Also - nothing in the Linksys log

Any other thoughts ?????????

[John Loop]

Post by Phil Schuman

We have a plain old original Linksys WAP11 for wireless access,
and a Linksys BEFSX41 router for the LAN and WAN connection.
The router has DHCP enabled....
However - For the Win XP wireless laptops with DHCP,
I can't pull an IP address from the router thru the WAP11 -
I have not put a protocol analyzer on the LAN side
to see if the DHCP request broadcasts are making it thru
from the wireless access point.
Any ideas ?

Well - I pulled out my NT 4.0 Server laptop
which has a protocol analyzer on it,
and plugged it into 1 of the 4 router ports to watch the traffic.
I also upgraded the firmware on the Linksys BEFSX41 / BEFSR41
now at version 1.45.3
Also - re-verified that the DHCP is "enabled" and setup with addresses,
etc
Ok - here's the story from the protocol analyzer -
The Win XP laptop -
now hardwired to the router via Ethernet - wireless disabled -
and setup for DHCP -
sends out the DHCP Discover packet - no reply - it sends this 4 times -
no reply from the Linksys router
As a controlled test -
I turned on the MS DHCP Server service on the NT4.0 Server laptop.
I then repeated the test -
The Win XP latop sends the DHCP Discover,
and the NT4.0 Server laptop replies to the Discover packet -
It seems like the Linksys BEFSX41 / BEFSR41 is not even trying
to process the DHCP Discover - and yes - it is "enabled" -
Also - nothing in the Linksys log
Any other thoughts ?????????

Make sure the address range for DHCP is not zero. This happened to me once,
and on a Linksys I think.
J--
www.pccitizen.com Safe Computing, Home wired and wireless networking tips.
...You spend your whole life figuring out what you should have done with it,
let alone what it was all about. And then your children get to do it all
over again..

[Duane Arnold]

Post by Phil Schuman

We have a plain old original Linksys WAP11 for wireless access,
and a Linksys BEFSX41 router for the LAN and WAN connection.
The router has DHCP enabled....
However - For the Win XP wireless laptops with DHCP,
I can't pull an IP address from the router thru the WAP11 -
I have not put a protocol analyzer on the LAN side
to see if the DHCP request broadcasts are making it thru
from the wireless access point.
Any ideas ?

Well - I pulled out my NT 4.0 Server laptop
which has a protocol analyzer on it,
and plugged it into 1 of the 4 router ports to watch the traffic.
I also upgraded the firmware on the Linksys BEFSX41 / BEFSR41
now at version 1.45.3
Also - re-verified that the DHCP is "enabled" and setup with addresses,
etc
Ok - here's the story from the protocol analyzer -
The Win XP laptop -
now hardwired to the router via Ethernet - wireless disabled -
and setup for DHCP -
sends out the DHCP Discover packet - no reply - it sends this 4 times -
no reply from the Linksys router
As a controlled test -
I turned on the MS DHCP Server service on the NT4.0 Server laptop.
I then repeated the test -
The Win XP latop sends the DHCP Discover,
and the NT4.0 Server laptop replies to the Discover packet -
It seems like the Linksys BEFSX41 / BEFSR41 is not even trying
to process the DHCP Discover - and yes - it is "enabled" -
Also - nothing in the Linksys log
Any other thoughts ?????????

Use some different protocols with TCP/IP. I use NWlink IPX/SPX compatible
as wireless never worked on Linksys 11S4 V1 router and NETbeui while WEP
was enabled.

Try using a static IP.

Take the router back and get another as it may be defective.

Duane :)

[Lars M. Hansen]

On Wed, 18 Feb 2004 16:09:48 GMT, Phil Schuman spoketh

Post by Phil Schuman
It seems like the Linksys BEFSX41 / BEFSR41 is not even trying
to process the DHCP Discover - and yes - it is "enabled" -
Also - nothing in the Linksys log
Any other thoughts ?????????

If you have disabled SSID broadcasts, try enabling it. That did fix the
DHCP not working for my Linksys wireless network.

Lars M. Hansen
www.hansenonline.net
Remove "bad" from my e-mail address to contact me.
"If you try to fail, and succeed, which have you done?"

[Bill M.]

On Wed, 18 Feb 2004 16:09:48 GMT, "Phil Schuman"

Post by Phil Schuman

We have a plain old original Linksys WAP11 for wireless access,
and a Linksys BEFSX41 router for the LAN and WAN connection.
The router has DHCP enabled....
However - For the Win XP wireless laptops with DHCP,
I can't pull an IP address from the router thru the WAP11 -
I have not put a protocol analyzer on the LAN side
to see if the DHCP request broadcasts are making it thru
from the wireless access point.
Any ideas ?

Well - I pulled out my NT 4.0 Server laptop
which has a protocol analyzer on it,
and plugged it into 1 of the 4 router ports to watch the traffic.
I also upgraded the firmware on the Linksys BEFSX41 / BEFSR41
now at version 1.45.3
Also - re-verified that the DHCP is "enabled" and setup with addresses,
etc
Ok - here's the story from the protocol analyzer -
The Win XP laptop -
now hardwired to the router via Ethernet - wireless disabled -
and setup for DHCP -
sends out the DHCP Discover packet - no reply - it sends this 4 times -
no reply from the Linksys router
As a controlled test -
I turned on the MS DHCP Server service on the NT4.0 Server laptop.
I then repeated the test -
The Win XP latop sends the DHCP Discover,
and the NT4.0 Server laptop replies to the Discover packet -
It seems like the Linksys BEFSX41 / BEFSR41 is not even trying
to process the DHCP Discover - and yes - it is "enabled" -
Also - nothing in the Linksys log
Any other thoughts ?????????

Another long shot, but I seem to remember that the router's DHCP
server is disabled if you've changed the router's operating mode to
"Router" rather than the default "Gateway" mode.

[Phil Schuman]

Post by Phil Schuman
It seems like the Linksys BEFSX41 / BEFSR41 is not even trying
to process the DHCP Discover - and yes - it is "enabled" -
Also - nothing in the Linksys log
Any other thoughts ?????????

tried the old standby solution - POWER OFF & ON -
yup - finally fixed it -

[Warren]

Post by Phil Schuman

Post by Phil Schuman
It seems like the Linksys BEFSX41 / BEFSR41 is not even trying
to process the DHCP Discover - and yes - it is "enabled" -
Also - nothing in the Linksys log
Any other thoughts ?????????

tried the old standby solution - POWER OFF & ON -
yup - finally fixed it -

It's amazing how often that fixes things, yet how unwilling people are
to try it. I've even fixed a microwave oven with a keypad that caused
unexpected results by power-cycling the oven. I had a car with a messed
up instrument panel that never had another problem after disconnecting,
and reconnecting the battery.

It doesn't matter if we're talking a PC with a software OS, or an
appliance with an embedded chip. Power-cycling should be, if not the
very first, one of the early steps used to resolve a problem. It's so
amazingly simple, yet some people will not just balk, but get irrational
to the point of making personal insults about the person who suggests it
as a step to take.

It's good to see another success story.
--
Warren H.

==========
Disclaimer: My views reflect those of myself, and not my
employer, my friends, nor (as she often tells me) my wife.
Any resemblance to the views of anybody living or dead is
coincidental. No animals were hurt in the writing of this
response -- unless you count my dog who desperately wants
to go outside now.
Blatant Plug: Spend your Amazon gift certificates here:
http://www.holzemville.com/mall/associateshop.html

[John Brock]

Post by Warren

Post by Phil Schuman
tried the old standby solution - POWER OFF & ON -
yup - finally fixed it -

It's amazing how often that fixes things, yet how unwilling people are
to try it. I've even fixed a microwave oven with a keypad that caused
unexpected results by power-cycling the oven. I had a car with a messed
up instrument panel that never had another problem after disconnecting,
and reconnecting the battery.
It doesn't matter if we're talking a PC with a software OS, or an
appliance with an embedded chip. Power-cycling should be, if not the
very first, one of the early steps used to resolve a problem. It's so
amazingly simple, yet some people will not just balk, but get irrational
to the point of making personal insults about the person who suggests it
as a step to take.
It's good to see another success story.

This calls to mind an "AI koan" from The New Hacker's Dictionary:

http://www.hack.gr/jargon/html/sections/ai-koans.html

A novice was trying to fix a broken Lisp machine by turning
the power off and on.

Knight, seeing what the student was doing, spoke sternly:
"You cannot fix a machine by just power-cycling it with no
understanding of what is going wrong."

Knight turned the machine off and on.

The machine worked.

(Tom Knight was an early developer of Lisp).

[John D Loop]

--
Check my web site for tips on insuring safe computing in wired and wireless
homenetworking environments!
www.pccitizen.com
You spend your whole life figuring out what you should have done with it,
let alone what it was all about. And then your children get to do it all
over again.

Post by Phil Schuman

Post by Phil Schuman
It seems like the Linksys BEFSX41 / BEFSR41 is not even trying
to process the DHCP Discover - and yes - it is "enabled" -
Also - nothing in the Linksys log
Any other thoughts ?????????

tried the old standby solution - POWER OFF & ON -
yup - finally fixed it -

Shame be upon you, Phil! power cycle should be the first thing you try!
I have experienced it with the linksys myself, even when they say a reset
should fix it.
J