[Javahead]

I've got a Performa 475 with 7.6.1 and an internal ethernet card. I'm trying to get this machine on my lan (cable modem + Linksys router) but I cannot get it to work.

When I plug in the ethernet cable (cat5), the green light flashes on the card and the router does not detect the connection.

the same cable works just fine when connected to a laptop.

help!

[Rainy Day]

Not sure what to tell you. I have one of these boxes connected to my LAN. Your problem is definitely hardware, not software/OS, at this point. Either your EtherNet card is bad (i doubt it), or your cable is the problem (even though you say it works with another computer, this is what i'm betting is wrong).

Question... What do you mean by: the same cable works just fine when connected to a laptop?

Do you mean it works if you unplug the cable from the 475 and plug it into the laptop, without changing the connection to the router? Or do you mean when connected from the 475 to the laptop? I assume you mean the former; the latter case, of course, would mean your cable is a cross-over cable and therefore wouldn't be expected to connect to the router (well, maybe if connected to an uplink port).

I'm guessing your cable is somehow the problem. Either you're connecting to an uplink port, you're using a cross-over cable, or it's flaky.

In any event, you should probably be using a straight-thru cable (pins 1, 2, 3 & 6 to pins 1, 2, 3 & 6) from 475 to router.

Hope this helps. Let us know if you have more info or get it going.

[Javahead]

Originally posted by Rainy Day:
<STRONG>Question... What do you mean by: the same cable works just fine when connected to a laptop?

Do you mean it works if you unplug the cable from the 475 and plug it into the laptop, without changing the connection to the router? Or do you mean when connected from the 475 to the laptop? I assume you mean the former; the latter case, of course, would mean your cable is a cross-over cable and therefore wouldn't be expected to connect to the router (well, maybe if connected to an uplink port).</STRONG>

I would be very surprised if this CAT5 cable was the problem. I'm using it right now to post this reply from my Gateway laptop! I've been using the cable with this laptop for months without problems. All I did was unhook it from the laptop and pop it in the back of the 475. As soon as I turn on the Mac, the ethernet light flashes constantly (I would guess it's flashing once a second.)

I'm not attempting to connect any of the machines directly (i.e. via a crossover cable) nor do I need the ability to share files between the Mac and the Windows boxes in the LAN - I just want to connect the 475 to my linksys box so I can get to the 'net.

[Rainy Day]

<STRONG>All I did was unhook it from the laptop and pop it in the back of the 475.</STRONG>

Hmmm... that should work (<font color = red>assuming, of course that the port on your Gateway box is a standard ethernet port</font>).

<STRONG>As soon as I turn on the Mac, the ethernet light flashes constantly (I would guess it's flashing once a second.)</STRONG>

I've seen that sort of thing before. It usually means your cable is incorrect or you're attempting to connect to an uplink port (which is essentially the equivalent of a cross-over).

Verify the pin-out of your cable. It should be a straight-thru, with pins 1 to 1, 2 to 2, 3 to 3, and 6 to 6. You can either use a DMM, or you might be able to see the color coding of the wires.

Another thing to try is connecting the other end of your cable to the router's uplink port. If that causes a steady green LED on the 475 to come on, then your cable is indeed a cross-over cable and you'll probably need a different cable.

[Dan Szwarc]

I had an LC PDS ethernet card that seemed defective until I examined the metal bracket at the end and found that it was shorting out to the pins on the LED. In my case, the LED never came on. I trimmed the leads back and bent the bracket a tad and it started working.

Make sure there are no other bent pins on the ethernet card (check the end connector). If the router does not light up indicating a network connection, then there is a problem on the Performa side.

It sounds like you have verified the cable works fine. Focus on the Performa hardware.

[Javahead]

I found an extra cat5 cable and tried it, but ran into the same problem (flashing light). Both cables are wired as pass-thru (no crossover).

I'll take a look at the pins on the performa tonight to see if something got bent during transport.

Thanks for the ideas. I'll post later tonight after some more tinkering...

[firefly]

If your router has a 10/100 port you are plugging the 475 into, the ethernet card might be having an autosense problem (as it is old)?

[Walter J. Ferstl]

Due to its age, the ethernet card in the 475 is certainly a pure 10Mbit type. The ethernet card (or on board chip) in the laptop is most possibly much newer and thus could be of the 10/100 variety, the same goes for the port used in the router.

Is there any possibility to configure one or all of the router's ports to act strictly at 10Mb only (i.e., turning off auto sensing for testing purposes)?

Are there any free ports which you could try? I suppose not, you would have done this before ;-)

(I understand that the card in the 475 is seated properly in the PDS slot.)

Regards,

Walter.

[ 04-05-2002: Message edited by: Walter J. Ferstl ]

[Red Wolf]

If you end up still stuck and you really want the LC 475 connected then there is another option. You can buy an Asant� Ethernet to LocalTalk Bridge which was designed to connect the original iMacs to LocalTalk enabled printers. It usually runs around $100 and can be purchased at most Apple retailers including CompUSA.

The bridge is technically designed to run between an Ethernet Mac and LocalTalk printer. I bought one so my iBook could connect to my Apple Personal LaserWriter 320 and it worked instantly. Then I tried the bridge to connect my iBook and Performa 575 (in order to download some docs on my older Mac). That too worked with no problem or software setup other than setting up File Sharing. It should work with no problem for your LC 475 because the bridge is actually 10BaseT (for your older Ethernet card) but it also supports IEEE 802.3 and 802.3u so your current router should read it just fine as well. The kit includes quick start guide, the bridge unit with one Ethernet port and one LocalTalk port, one crossover cable, one straight through cable, and one (but short) LocalTalk cable.

I should note that I have had no trouble getting the printer and iBook connected using both the crossover cable and a router. However I only connected the Performa 575 and iBook with the crossover cable (haven't tried with the router, although I will soon if I can't find an Ethernet card for my Performa).

[Paco500]

Are you 100% sure you don't have a driver issue? Can't say where you might find a driver- but it's worth looking into.

Paco