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Printing Problem in Stake Offices
Posted: Fri May 13, 2011 8:40 am
by techgy
Over the past several weeks I've been dealing with a problem of eratic/slow Internet speeds in our stake offices. The problem was traced to a small 4 port router that we used to provide the Internet to the two computers in the stake clerk's office.
After some thought it was decided that we would replace the router with a 5 port switch. Upon making the change our problem with the Internet was resolved. But in doing so we realized a different problem.
We have a Brother multi-function printer that is assigned an IP address (192.168.0.xxx). The printer WAS connected to the router before and it worked perfectly. Yes - I realize that the router was providing the DHCP function, which the switch doesn't do. However, we didn't feel that this was an issue as the IP address was already assigned internal to the Brother printer.
Long story shortened - the computers will not communicate with the Brother printer.
Thoughts?
Posted: Fri May 13, 2011 9:28 am
by Mikerowaved
If you have a Cisco ASA firewall, read the IP address assigned to it from the label on top (10.xxx.xxx.xxx) and set the IP address of the printer to be one of the next 5 following that one. You might want to ping that new IP address first to make sure no AP's or other things haven't already been assigned to that one. Set your computers to send their print jobs to the newly assigned IP address and away you go.
I only mentioned the Cisco ASA, because that's the only one I have direct experience with. The other firewalls the church issues are probably configured in a similar fashion, but I can't confirm that.
Posted: Fri May 13, 2011 10:30 am
by russellhltn
If there's no label, You might do a Start > Run > CMD and in the DOS box type IPCONFIG. The IP of the firewall should be the "Gateway" address.
If the printer drivers on the computers are set up with a IP address, then you'll have to update it with the new address before it will work.
Posted: Fri May 13, 2011 10:48 am
by techgy
Mikerowaved wrote:If you have a Cisco ASA firewall, read the IP address assigned to it from the label on top (10.xxx.xxx.xxx) and set the IP address of the printer to be one of the next 5 following that one. You might want to ping that new IP address first to make sure no AP's or other things haven't already been assigned to that one. Set your computers to send their print jobs to the newly assigned IP address and away you go.
I only mentioned the Cisco ASA, because that's the only one I have direct experience with. The other firewalls the church issues are probably configured in a similar fashion, but I can't confirm that.
Interesting approach. I'll give this a try today. Question: Since these IP addresses are available in the public, isn't this a bit of a risk? I might find an IP that works today, but what happens when the church assigns a new firewall and they just happen to an address that I'm using?
Posted: Fri May 13, 2011 11:02 am
by russellhltn
10.x.x.x are private IPs, just like 192.168.x.x.
Wikipedia Reference
Posted: Fri May 13, 2011 11:39 am
by techgy
Mikerowaved wrote:If you have a Cisco ASA firewall, read the IP address assigned to it from the label on top (10.xxx.xxx.xxx) and set the IP address of the printer to be one of the next 5 following that one. You might want to ping that new IP address first to make sure no AP's or other things haven't already been assigned to that one. Set your computers to send their print jobs to the newly assigned IP address and away you go.
I only mentioned the Cisco ASA, because that's the only one I have direct experience with. The other firewalls the church issues are probably configured in a similar fashion, but I can't confirm that.
If I ever get into your neck of the woods, I owe you a dinner ! Thanks for the great suggestion. It worked perfectly.
Apparently the ASA wasn't passing the 192.168 IP address through. We're back in business. I have to remember this one
Posted: Fri May 13, 2011 1:27 pm
by russellhltn
techgy wrote:Apparently the ASA wasn't passing the 192.168 IP address through.
It shouldn't be expected to. Private IPs are routable, just not on the public Internet. It didn't know that the 192.168.x.x subnet was also "inside".
Posted: Fri May 13, 2011 2:39 pm
by techgy
RussellHltn wrote:It shouldn't be expected to. Private IPs are routable, just not on the public Internet. It didn't know that the 192.168.x.x subnet was also "inside".
Whatever the problem was, it's working now. Since users at the ward/stake level do not have access to the ASA's, it's difficult to ascertain just exactly the problem was.