MVP only works on a 10mb ethernet connection?

[tevbill]

I just bought a Linksys 10/100 8-Port switch ($29.00 US at compusa after 2 rebates)
I quickly unplugged everything on the ole 10 mb hub and replaced it with the new 10/100.

Everything works fine except the MVP. It just flashes contacting DHCP server then contacting mediamvp boot server.
I can watch the dhcp client table on the router and the MVP gets the dhcp address and then it dissapears.

This is not a GBPVR issue becasue the same thing happens with the Haupauge services running on another PC.
I got my spare MVP which I just got at Radio shack and replaced the producion MVP and got the the same results.

I can get it working if I plug the MVP and the server (either GBPVR or a pc running mediamvp services) into the 10mb hub - now I uplink the 10mb hub to the 10/100 switch so it sees the router/dhcp server and everthing is cool.

I have replaced cables, switched ports etc.

Could it be that the MVP is just not compatable with the Linksys EZXS88W switch?

The MVP shows up as 100mb when plugged into the new switch but the "Full Duplex" LED is not on.
Manually setting the server connection to half-duplex does not solve the problem.

Time to bring the switch back ya think?

[mniswonger]

I remember reading a post elsewhere in the forums here or on SHSPVR that mentioned the same issue. I think it was a problem with a Linksys router, and the MVP would grab an IP from it and then ask again a few seconds later.

Have you tried disabling your DHCP server and letting the stock MVP software lease an IP to the MVP? I'd be qurious to see if that helped. Have you looked for a firmware update for your router?

Good luck.

[Paulussie]

Hi,

I have an EZXS88W-EU (different power supply I guess) lying about, so I did a quick test for you: if I use my MVP via this switch (MVP -> EZXS88W -> 3COM), it works fine.

The MVP is a 100M device and is half duplex. You already ruled out cables, ports and even the MVP, so the last thing left is the new 10/100 switch. It might be broken. As I found out the hard way myself some switches (of the cheaper sort) can create very strange problems that are easily solved by installing another (slightly better) one (e.g. 3COM).

Oh, and you did not use port 8 and the uplink port on this switch at the same time, did you?

Hope this helps you,

Paul

[tevbill]

Good idea mniswonger, I'll look for the newest router firmware. And also see what happens with the dhcp truned off.

And thanks for testing the MVP -> EZXS88W Paulussie. I am not using port 8 and the uplink at the same time. I tried that with my 5 port hub though (lol), hence the upgrade to an 8 port switch.

[replaytv]

Does this switch has an DHCP server built-in? MVP dongle needs a way to send to the MVP device via DHCP.

Dan L.

[tevbill]

* Problem Resolved *
I looked on the shpvr forums and found that there are a number of people who have posted about similar problems with the MVP and 10/100.

Disabling the dhcp server did not resolve the issue.

Then I was able to isolate the problem to a distance of cable length.
I set up another MVP with a 9' cable on the 10/100 switch with the same servers plugged into the switch and all was good. The issue only occurs on the 60' cable (which is well within ethernet specs) that is running from one end of the basement to the other end of the house and upstairs to the
MVP / TV.

What has resolved this problem is this:
I plugged the upstairs MVP into the 10mb hub (which I relocated upstairs) via a jumper cable and then from the hub the 60' cable brings it down to the new 10/100 switch. All servers and PCs are plugged into the 10/100.
Now it all works.

It will also work with the upstairs MVP plugged into the 10mb downstairs and (over the 60' run) then uplinked the hub to the switch, but I have enough things plugged in downstairs so putting the hub upstairs works better to solve that item.

I powered it all down and rebooted to make sure it was not a fluke and it all still works

It looks like the 10/100 port on the MVP has some difficulty with an auto-sensing switch with cable lengths over 30' or 40'
The 10mb hub is fixed at 10-half duplex and the MVP likes that.
It's only running at 10mb but its a dedicated 10mb so its okay with me.

Thanks a for the help and input

[mniswonger]

It sounds like your cable is bad, you have a bad connector, or your pinout is wrong. Usually when there's a network problem that's resolved when dropping to half duplex or 10mbit that's the case. I don't know if you have access to a good cable tester like a Fluke, but I'd be willing to be that's your problem.

Triple check your pinout and make sure the ends are crimped well. You also don't want more than half an inch of the wires untwisted at the ends of the cables. That will let in all kinds of noise from outside sources and you will get crosstalk. I would also try putting a PC or laptop on the end of the cable where the MVP is and running a ping test. Set your NIC at 100mbit full duplex and run "ping -t" to your gateway IP. I would let at least 100 packets be sent before stopping the test. You should have 0 packet loss.

I recently had a client who moved into the old police station in their town and installed a network using the existing cable runs. One workstation was having all sorts of trouble doing anything on the network. Slowing the connection speed of the NIC down to 10mbit half temporarily fixed it. The problem later turned out to be a squirrel that built a nest in the attic and had an appetite for PVC.

[tevbill]

Yeah I'll give the ping test a try.
I did recrimp the cables with new ends last night and triple checked that they were properly ordered for straight through connectivity. It's a good quality cat5e that I got a in a 100' roll.
There could be a bad wire in there I suppose.

I can browse the web from my laptop PC over the 60' run though.

We have a Fluke at work but they don't like us to bring the test equipment home.

[ram4x4nut]

Did you make sure that it is standard ethernet straight through? You can't just pick colors and match them on the ends. They have to have a twisted pair for tx/recieve.

looking at the flat part of the RJ45 (the side opposite the clip) you should have from left to right

Orange/White
Orange
Green/White
Blue
Blue/White
Green
Brown/White
Brown

If you do not have tx/rcv as a twisted pair you will pick up a ton of interference and signal loss. That is a very common mistake that people make thinking that straight through is just any combination as long as they are the same on both ends. Typically if they are not built properly they will back down to 10MB somewhere around the 7-8 meter range. There is just too much interference, noise, and signal loss to maintain 100MB.

This will make a HUGE difference on lengths over 7 meters.

[tevbill]

well actually I made it straight through like this:

white/blue--------------white/blue
blue--------------------blue
White/orange------------White/orange
orange------------------orange
white/green-------------white/green
green-------------------green
white/brown-------------white/brown
brown-------------------brown

This is not right?
I know the colors are in a different order but its straigt through I thought.

thanks