Devices not reachable from devices not connected to same switch

[Irolan]

Hello,

this rather bizarre problem started yesterday, with no apparent reason.

There is a GS116Ev2 ProSafe Plus switch. It connects all devices in an office - 3 PCs, 1 printer and 1 terminal for time recording. The switch is connected to a fiberglass adapter, which then connects to a GSM7224v2. The 7224 is then connected to the router.

Suddenly, two devices - the printer and the terminal - are no longer reachable from outside the office, and they can no longer reach any device outside of the office as well (for example, they no longer receive DHCP). However, connections to any device inside the office, that is, devices that are connected to the same switch (GS116Ev2) work fine. Also, the problem does not occur with the PCs - they can connect to devices outside the office, and the internet, without problems.

It looks like the printer and the terminal are isolated somehow, but there is nothing configured on the switch. I even did a factory reset for the switch.

There also seems to be no configuration for isolation on the GSM7224v2 and the router is not concerned with anything that's going on within the network. Also, it does not matter which ports the printer and terminal are connected to. There also are no VLANs configured on the GS116Ev2.

I'm absolutely confused by this behaviour. Does anyone have an idea what's going on? I'd really appreciate any help here.

[Irolan]

Here's an update:

I swapped the GS116v2 for a small, non-managed switch, the problem persisted. However, when I plug the time recording terminal directly into the GSM7224v2, it works. This is really strange, there is nothing in between those two switches, except for a fiberglass connection.

[DaneA]

@Irolan,

Welcome to the community!  

Also, the problem does not occur with the PCs - they can connect to devices outside the office, and the internet, without problems.

It looks like the printer and the terminal are isolated somehow, but there is nothing configured on the switch. I even did a factory reset for the switch.

There also seems to be no configuration for isolation on the GSM7224v2 and the router is not concerned with anything that's going on within the network. Also, it does not matter which ports the printer and terminal are connected to. There also are no VLANs configured on the GS116Ev2.

It seems that the GS116Ev2 is working fine since the problem does not occur on the PCs that are connected to it. 

Let us try this.  Connect the GS116Ev2 directly to the GSM7224v2.  No fiberglass connection between the switches.  Then, observe if the same problem will occur.  Let us know how it goes.

Kindly answer the questions below: 

a. Have you checked the IP settings of the printer and the terminal?  If not yet, kindly check if they are set as DHCP client.  

b. Have you tried to set a static IP address on the printer and the terminal while they're connected directly to the GS116Ev2?  If not yet, kindly try it to isolate the problem. 

c. What is the current firmware version of the GS116Ev2? 

Regards,

DaneA

NETGEAR Community Team

[Irolan]

Hello DaneA, thank you for your answer.

1) Agreed, the GS116Ev2 does not seem to be the issue. As stated above, I temporarily replaced it with a non-managed 8-port switch but the problem persisted.

2) I will try and connect the GS116Ev2 directly to the GSM7224v2, that is a good idea. I should be able to test this tomorrow.

3) Both the printer and the terminal are set to be DHCP clients, with DHCP reservations for both devices set on the DHCP server.

4) I did set a static IP for the printer, however that did not change anything. At least that enabled them to print from within the office.

5) The firmware version of the GS116Ev2 is 2.6.0.24. If it is relevant, the GSM7224v2 is 8.0.1.36. Likely quite outdated, the device was bought years ago.