Hello,
I have what I consider a very basic understanding of networking. I work for an IT solutions provider and a restaurant chain which we support needs to fix a PCI compliance issue. The network at the location was put in place a year ago with little documentation. My goal is to move a DVR device for CCTV system away from the PoS machine, because the DVR requires a port open which is not good for PCI compliance if both are behind same router.
I apologize for ignorance or lack of any details you might need to help me, if there's some info I need to dig up,I'd be happy to find it. I'm in a rough spot trying to fix this. This is how they are set up.
They have a bridged modem which is the first thing that the DSL line comes into. My impression is that the proper way to use multiple routers with a bridged modem is to have a "main router" which will be the director, if you will. All the other routers should then plug into that main router, as opposed to having multiple routers plugged into a bridged modem. I've confirmed that for whatever reason, TWO Linksys Firewall Routers are plugged into this bridged modem which is a Netopia. Again I apologize but I don't have the model numbers. This brings me to my first couple of questions.
1. If two routers are plugged into the same bridged modem, how would they behave? Wouldn't they be fighting for control to be the "main router"?
2. Is it possible to set up two routers to connect to the same modem if some advanced configuration is made? I actually would like to AVOID using a main router with the other routers connected to that, if possible.
One of the routers has desktop PC and a Point of Sale system connected to it (Router A, if you will), the other has some IP phones connected to it (Router B). Router B always times out when I try to access the console, and I've been told that in order to fix that I need to reset the router. The problem is I can't afford to lose all those settings because I don't know how the company who installed IP phones configured that one. The reason I mention this is to further stress that I don't want to have to reconfigure the existing routers.
However, even though it times out when I try to access console, it will assign me an IP properly. I don't know what that really means. I made sure to double check the gateway IP for that router is correctly typed into web browser.
At the moment, the routers seem to be somehow working fine even though they are both plugged into a single bridged modem. What I would like to do is add a third router that will only have the DVR device plugged into it. My guess is that since Router B does have connectivity (it gives me an IP and I can connect to internet when plugged into it), I should set up this third router (Router C) plugged into router B, and go ahead to configure Router C however is necessary for the DVR to function correct (Give Router C a different gateway than the others, forward the port that the DVR needs, etc.). Is this a viable solution?
Some of my concern is that I'm getting mixed messages from AT&T technicians I have talked to. Supposedly when there are routers connected to a bridge, at least one of them need to have the PPPoE Username/Password (johndoe@att.net) entered on it.
3. In a situation like this, does router A and B BOTH need to have PPPoE user/pass entered? What about Router C? Since router C is plugged into router B, does that eliminate the need to enter PPPoE info?
4. Is it possible to only use the routers in static mode (as opposed to PPPoE with user/pass)? For example, I just enter the primary and secondary DNS which the ISP uses, give all the devices a WAN IP using the block of fixed IPs the ISP gives us? Will that eliminate the need to use PPPoE mode with user/pass?
And finally, my last question would be: 5. In getting this DVR set up on Router C, should I just go ahead to connect it to Router B and try using Router C in static mode with all the right numbers, or go ahead to use the PPPoE info? Do I just try one and if that fails, try the other?
**Note: I was able to log into Router A and see that is doesn't use PPPoE info, just Static mode and using all the right numbers/info. I can't speak for Router B whether or not it's PPPoE or static, because I can't get into it.
P.S. this is all made that much harder by the lack of proper documentation and the fact that this location is in another state, I have to do things remotely and talk to another guy who I can send on-site. Please let me know if there's some other information I really must have or give you in order to make an informed decision about the setup. I'm really dying for advice here, i don't want the customer I support to get billed by this on-site guy for hours and hours of work because I need to conference with AT&T and tinker with this setup all day.
I appreciate any and all advice and tips. Gentlemen of TechSpot, enlighten me.
--- Rob
I have what I consider a very basic understanding of networking. I work for an IT solutions provider and a restaurant chain which we support needs to fix a PCI compliance issue. The network at the location was put in place a year ago with little documentation. My goal is to move a DVR device for CCTV system away from the PoS machine, because the DVR requires a port open which is not good for PCI compliance if both are behind same router.
I apologize for ignorance or lack of any details you might need to help me, if there's some info I need to dig up,I'd be happy to find it. I'm in a rough spot trying to fix this. This is how they are set up.
They have a bridged modem which is the first thing that the DSL line comes into. My impression is that the proper way to use multiple routers with a bridged modem is to have a "main router" which will be the director, if you will. All the other routers should then plug into that main router, as opposed to having multiple routers plugged into a bridged modem. I've confirmed that for whatever reason, TWO Linksys Firewall Routers are plugged into this bridged modem which is a Netopia. Again I apologize but I don't have the model numbers. This brings me to my first couple of questions.
1. If two routers are plugged into the same bridged modem, how would they behave? Wouldn't they be fighting for control to be the "main router"?
2. Is it possible to set up two routers to connect to the same modem if some advanced configuration is made? I actually would like to AVOID using a main router with the other routers connected to that, if possible.
One of the routers has desktop PC and a Point of Sale system connected to it (Router A, if you will), the other has some IP phones connected to it (Router B). Router B always times out when I try to access the console, and I've been told that in order to fix that I need to reset the router. The problem is I can't afford to lose all those settings because I don't know how the company who installed IP phones configured that one. The reason I mention this is to further stress that I don't want to have to reconfigure the existing routers.
However, even though it times out when I try to access console, it will assign me an IP properly. I don't know what that really means. I made sure to double check the gateway IP for that router is correctly typed into web browser.
At the moment, the routers seem to be somehow working fine even though they are both plugged into a single bridged modem. What I would like to do is add a third router that will only have the DVR device plugged into it. My guess is that since Router B does have connectivity (it gives me an IP and I can connect to internet when plugged into it), I should set up this third router (Router C) plugged into router B, and go ahead to configure Router C however is necessary for the DVR to function correct (Give Router C a different gateway than the others, forward the port that the DVR needs, etc.). Is this a viable solution?
Some of my concern is that I'm getting mixed messages from AT&T technicians I have talked to. Supposedly when there are routers connected to a bridge, at least one of them need to have the PPPoE Username/Password (johndoe@att.net) entered on it.
3. In a situation like this, does router A and B BOTH need to have PPPoE user/pass entered? What about Router C? Since router C is plugged into router B, does that eliminate the need to enter PPPoE info?
4. Is it possible to only use the routers in static mode (as opposed to PPPoE with user/pass)? For example, I just enter the primary and secondary DNS which the ISP uses, give all the devices a WAN IP using the block of fixed IPs the ISP gives us? Will that eliminate the need to use PPPoE mode with user/pass?
And finally, my last question would be: 5. In getting this DVR set up on Router C, should I just go ahead to connect it to Router B and try using Router C in static mode with all the right numbers, or go ahead to use the PPPoE info? Do I just try one and if that fails, try the other?
**Note: I was able to log into Router A and see that is doesn't use PPPoE info, just Static mode and using all the right numbers/info. I can't speak for Router B whether or not it's PPPoE or static, because I can't get into it.
P.S. this is all made that much harder by the lack of proper documentation and the fact that this location is in another state, I have to do things remotely and talk to another guy who I can send on-site. Please let me know if there's some other information I really must have or give you in order to make an informed decision about the setup. I'm really dying for advice here, i don't want the customer I support to get billed by this on-site guy for hours and hours of work because I need to conference with AT&T and tinker with this setup all day.
I appreciate any and all advice and tips. Gentlemen of TechSpot, enlighten me.
--- Rob
