Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

ekorn · Joined: 08 Jun 2009 Posts: 14

I'm using Puppy 4.2.1 with a wired connection to my wireless router. The network wizard fails when testing eth0, being "Unable connect to the network". Hardware details for the computer and router follow below.

The usual way to set up this router is by a wired connection to its web interface at http://192.168.1.254. That fails with "Failed to connect. The connection was refused when attempting to contact 192.168.1.254. Though the site seems valid, the browser was unable to establish a connection" (using the Seamonkey web browser).

I know the router is connected to the internet because I can access the internet, both wireless and wired, with my laptop running Windows XP, with another laptop running Vista, and with my laptop running off an Ubuntu 9.04 LiveCD (Puppy 4.2.1-retro wouldn't boot with my Dell Latitude D430, but that's another story). Also, the computer on which I'm installing Puppy used to access the internet just fine when it ran Windows XP.

Unfortunately, I'm not sure what kind of ethernet card I have -- the BIOS does not specify it, and I cannot make it out from the link below. Puppy seems to autodetect it as "tulip", whatever that means. I've tried both the retro and non-retro versions of Puppy 4.2.1, with and without acpi=off and pfix=ram, rebooting the router and modem, and booting up with or without the LAN cable connected. The old computer has no wireless network card.

Connecting to the router at 192.168.1.254 before I have been assigned an IP by the router sounds like something of a bootstrapping feat, but I gather it's common procedure for many wireless routers -- and it's what I did with the Windows computers. Nevertheless, I tried and failed to set up the router to assign a fixed IP for the MAC address of this one computer. It didn't work, but I am not sure I did it right -- and I'm not sure it is relevant to the problem of not even being able to ping the router.

I have googled for hours but am completely stuck. Any help on diagnosing and troubleshooting this problem would be greatly appreciated. (If anybody has other Puppy versions or drivers to recommend, I can easily download and copy that using my other computer and a usb stick.)

As mentioned above, I'm using a wired connection to a Gigabyte GN-BR02G wireless router. The user manual is here, and mentions Linux compatibility explicitly:
http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Support/Communication/Manual_DownloadFile.aspx?FileType=Manual&FileID=18057
and the product page:
http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Support/Communication/Manual_Model.aspx?ProductID=2213

I have installed Puppy 4.2.1 from CD on a Compaq Presario 5686 (ca 1998?) with 128 MB RAM, installing to a single ext2 partition on a 10 GB hard drive. After booting I have 59 MB of free RAM. Audio, video playback, and printing are all working well.

The system specifications of the Compaq are probably similar to this:
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?lc=en&cc=us&docname=c00013836&dlc=en

gposil · Posted: Tue 09 Jun 2009, 05:54 Post_subject:

Can you do ifconfig eth0 at the command line and pass on the result...

Should be something like this

ekorn · Joined: 08 Jun 2009 Posts: 14

gposil · Posted: Tue 09 Jun 2009, 08:09 Post_subject:

Have you selected Auto DHCP in the network wizard...

The general rule is that the router runs its own DHCP server

belfasteddie · Joined: 11 Mar 2009 Posts: 115

The lan is enabled in the BIOS?

ekorn · Joined: 08 Jun 2009 Posts: 14

ekorn · Joined: 08 Jun 2009 Posts: 14

gposil · Posted: Tue 09 Jun 2009, 09:43 Post_subject:

The apipa address is assigned by a Windows DHCP server, is there a windows pc on the network running dhcpd as a service, and also what is the gateway address of the router...hang on i'll get the routers manual and have look...get back to you soon

ekorn · Joined: 08 Jun 2009 Posts: 14

Thank you very much for your help! Highly appreciated.

gposil · Posted: Tue 09 Jun 2009, 10:02 Post_subject:

Ok..try this...set up static ip with the settings as below in screenshot, you will need to add your ISP's primary and secondary DNS ...let me know

PaulBx1 · Joined: 16 Jun 2006 Posts: 2308 Location: Wyoming, USA

ekorn · Joined: 08 Jun 2009 Posts: 14

ekorn · Joined: 08 Jun 2009 Posts: 14

Bruce B · Posted: Tue 09 Jun 2009, 11:38 Post_subject:

The router has a DHCP client to the Internet

It also has a DHCP server to the computers connected to it.
I turn the server off.

Any computer or operating system behind the router uses a
static IP configuration. I bypass Puppy's rc.network and don't
use the connect either as there is no need.

Are you interested in doing it this way?

ekorn · Joined: 08 Jun 2009 Posts: 14