Author Topic: Using TWO network cards at the same time?  (Read 2307 times)

Offline taybrynn

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Using TWO network cards at the same time?
« on: November 21, 2014, »
Is there anything special I need to do to use my DLA E1.31 Etherdongle on its own GigE Ethernet card?  I want to isolate the high traffic created by ETD during the show from my home network.   IN year past it pretty much brings my home internet down to a crawl.   I have two gigabit/GigE ethernet cards ... one on MOBO and the other in a PCIe slot.  I just moved my PC internet cat5 to the PCIe network adaptor, and it works ... and have my ETD plugged into the motherboard GigE plug, but the lights do not blink on ETD now.  Any advise or tips?  I know both are working because I can plug the interenet into either and they both work. 
Scott - Castle Rock, Colorado   [ 2 homes, 100% RGB in 2016; since 2008; over 32k channels of E1.31 ]
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Offline twooly

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Re: Using TWO network cards at the same time?
« Reply #1 on: November 21, 2014, »
You have to set a static IP address when directly connected to the etd since the network adapter can't get one from dhcp.  Does the etd lights come on directly connected?  If not may need a cross over cable
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Offline taybrynn

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Re: Using TWO network cards at the same time?
« Reply #2 on: November 21, 2014, »
Normally I have just connected the ETD to my gigE HUB ... and thats it.  I haven't used anything static.  So all of my house goes into GigE hubs at various locations ... connected to the internet via. the same.  When I direct connect the ETD, yes, no lights at all.  If I plug it into the hub, lights appear.
Scott - Castle Rock, Colorado   [ 2 homes, 100% RGB in 2016; since 2008; over 32k channels of E1.31 ]
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Offline taybrynn

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Re: Using TWO network cards at the same time?
« Reply #3 on: November 21, 2014, »
Ok, so now I'm running from the computer to a HUB (as I will do in the show, since I run two etherdongles and run one cat5 to the hub, then both etherdongles plug into that hub outside -- worked great).  So when I from motherboard NIC -> HUB -> Etherdongle ... I get the lights on the ETD network port.
Scott - Castle Rock, Colorado   [ 2 homes, 100% RGB in 2016; since 2008; over 32k channels of E1.31 ]
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Offline taybrynn

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Re: Using TWO network cards at the same time?
« Reply #4 on: November 21, 2014, »
While I am now getting a blinking light on the etherdongle -- I still can't seem to use it to program using the SS Utility (Zeus version) for some reason.  So I just plugged my ETD back into the home hub (which is on a new NIC card) ... and I could program just fine.  So I wonder why one hub works and the other doesn't.
Scott - Castle Rock, Colorado   [ 2 homes, 100% RGB in 2016; since 2008; over 32k channels of E1.31 ]
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Offline twooly

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Re: Using TWO network cards at the same time?
« Reply #5 on: November 21, 2014, »
Unless you have a dhcp server on the other hub or you set static none of those devices will get configured with an ip address (ETDs don't really get an address per se).  It works connecting to your home hubs because your router is the dhcp server giving your nic an ip address.  Configure a static address on the nic connected to the hubs your etds are connected to.

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Offline taybrynn

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Re: Using TWO network cards at the same time?
« Reply #6 on: November 21, 2014, »
Thanks again.  I found a thread from Ron and rdebolt ... which seems to have me working now.  I set the new adapter to use 10.0.0.1 static IP, 255.255.255.0 DNS ... and then used the DOS command prompt to do a "route print" and then used command route -p ADD 239.255.0.0 MASK 255.255.255.0 10.0.0.1 to route to the new static IP.  Then I noticed the yellow activity like on the ETD started blinking.  So I went into xlights and sure enough it works like a champ.  Internet works on the other NIC just fine.   >.d9
Scott - Castle Rock, Colorado   [ 2 homes, 100% RGB in 2016; since 2008; over 32k channels of E1.31 ]
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