Troubleshooting Connectivity Issues - Comtech EF Data LPOD Installation And Operation Manual

LPOD Outdoor Amplifier / Block Up Converter (BUC)
Appendix A
A.3.2

Troubleshooting Connectivity Issues

Each network is unique, and network configuration and management are
outside the scope of this manual. This information is provided as a helpful
troubleshooting tool, but trained network specialists may be required to make
an Ethernet-enabled product work in a specific network. This section offers
common solutions to network connectivity issues experienced by Comtech EF
Data technical support personnel while developing or testing Ethernet-enabled
products using the Windows XP operating system.
The most common connectivity issue is neglecting to properly connect the LPOD to the external
PC Ethernet interface.
Check for link and activity LEDs to light up on the NIC or network switch where the LPOD is
connected to the Ethernet network. If the link LED is lit, validate the Ethernet connection by
pinging the LPOD at its IP address using the Windows Command-line interface:
•
To access the Command-line interface, click Start  Run... from the external PC's Taskbar.
•
Type "CMD" (without the quotes) into the Run dialog box, and then click OK.
•
At the Command-line prompt (typically C:\> ), type "ping 192.168.1.4" (without the
quotes).
If the IP address of the unit is not set to factory default (192.168.1.4), then use the unit's user-
assigned IP address. If the ping command responds with the "Request timed out." error message,
then the LPOD cannot be seen by the computer. Otherwise, if there is a time listed in milliseconds,
then the LPOD properly responded to the ping command and it is visible to the computer at the IP
address that was pinged.
Another common connection problem is due to conflicts in the Address Resolution Protocol
(ARP) table caused when a user connects two different pieces of hardware (with unique MAC
addresses) to a single Ethernet port while both pieces of hardware are configured with the same
Ethernet address.
This often happens when configuring new units set to the factory default IP address with a laptop
that has a single Ethernet port (e.g., Comtech's LPODnet M&C Netbook Accessory product). If
there are multiple units to be configured that are all set to the factory default IP address, then turn
on one unit at a time, and reinitialize the Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) table each time a new
unit is connected to the network as follows:
•
First, check the values in the Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) table on the computer.
This can be accomplished using the Windows Command-line interface:
o To access the Command-line interface, click Start  Run... from the external PC's
Taskbar.
o Type "CMD" (without the quotes) into the Run dialog box, and then click OK.
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MN-LPOD