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Configuring callVantage

 

Equpment -

D-Link DVG-1120M: VoIP Gateway

Linksys BEFSX41: EtherFast Cable/DSL Firewall Router with 4-Port Switch/VPN Endpoint

Linksys EPSX3: EtherFast 10/100 PrintServer

 

Disclamer: I know nothing about networks - I'm an old 8-bit assembly language programmer that loves to torture myself with Microsoft products (and apparently networks too) -

 

The following arrangement and settings will work and work well - This particular arrangement of settings uses Fixed IPs so that port forwarding can be utuilized in the D-Link Gateway for those programs that need to receive unsolicited TCP/IP packets from the 'net (chat programs, web cam server, etc) - I puzzled through most of it myself - a friend of mine did explain a few issues to me - Many thanks Doug!

 

Connections:

 

Run an ethernet straight-through cable from the DSL/Cable modem to the D-Link Gateway - plug the service phone into the D-Link Gateway -

 

You of course need to configure the D-Link Gateway with your broadband connection information, following the directions that came with the callVantage service or the D-Link Gateway -

 

At this point you should be able to reboot and have VoIP phone service available, irrespective of the status of the rest of the components (off/on/not hooked up/hooked-up, not working/hooked-up, working) -

 

The Linksys Gateway (BEFSX41) is overkill by a mile, but I had one that wasn't being used for anything else - in this arrangement it is only being used as a switch - the WAN (and WAN port) is not used, consequently it's firewall isn't being used either - a simple switch would work just fine -

 

Techinically an ethernet CROSSOVER cable ought to be run from the D-Link LAN to one of the four Linksys Gateway LAN ports - However, per the user guide [Chapter 3, figure 3-1, page 9], ports 1-3 and the DMZ port auto-detect crossover and straight-through cables, so either is acceptable if you have a BEFSX41 Gateway, or a Gateway/Router/Switch with auto-detect -

 

NOTA BENE: the WAN port on the Linksys is UNUSED -

 

The rest of the connections should be as generally described in the normal installation - that is an ethernet straight-through cable from each PC network card to a Linksys Gateway unused LAN port, another from a Linksys Gateway LAN port to the Linksys PrintServer -

 

If you don't have a PrintServer, simply ignore any comments/instructions - if you have a different device, you 'should' be able to connect those devices in the same fashion as the PrintServer - unfortunately, I can't help you with other devices -

 

Settings:

 

There is only ONE network with several devices (hosts) connected together - in case you didn't know (and I didn't, the first 3 octets define a network, in this case I used 192.168.15.host - This is the default used by the D-Link Gateway - each host on the network MUST be unique - the D-Link Gateway (default) used 1, I used 10 for one computer, 20 for another computer, 99 for my Linksys PrintServer and 88 for Linksys Gateway - the default host for the Linksys Gateway is 1, but that needs to be changed to avoid conflict with the D-Link Gateway - remembering to change it for all devices, the network assignment is somewhat arbitrary - The Linksys Gateway and PrintServer uses 192.168.1.host as a default -

 

A tip: You can only access the Linksys Gateway and PrintServer configuration panels when the network IP of your computer match the network IP of the device - let's say that your computer, the Linksys Gateway and PrintServer all have an IP addy 192.168.1.host - you change the Linksys Gateway to 192.168.15.host - at that point, you will no longer be able to access the Linksys Gateway configuration panel - change the Linksys PrintServer to 192.168.15.host and you will no longer be able to access the Linksys PrintServer configuration panel - change your computer IP assy to 192.168.15.host and you will then be able to gain access to the Linksys configuration panels - remember AVOID duplicate host Octets -

 

Another tip: You should set any devices providing DHCP services to start with address 100 - if you assign hosts in the 1-99 range, then your host assignments and any DHCP assignments should peacefully coexist - to be honest, the only reason I had to (more like chose to) mess with fixed IPs is because a few chat programs want to be able to send unsolicited TCP/IP packets to your computer and the usual way to do that is to assign fixed IP addys and use port forwarding - also, I do run a local web cam on occasion -

 

 

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D-Link DVG-1120M Gateway:

WAN settings should come via DHCP from your ISP when the Gateway logs onto your ISP account -

LAN Settings

LAN IP Adresss  192.168.15.1 

LAN Netmask  255.255.255.0

Dynamic IP Assigment

Start IP Address 192.168.15.100

IP Range 100

[Highest IP address assigned by DHCP is 192.168.15.199 - 100+100-1]

 

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PC Network card settings - Command Prompt>Ipconfig /all

Windows 2000 IP Configuration

        Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : YourHostName

        Primary DNS Suffix  . . . . . . . :

        Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Broadcast

        IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

        WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:

        Connection-specific DNS Suffix  . :

        Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Network Everywhere Fast Ethernet Adapter(NC100 v2) #2

        Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-03-6D-1B-4C-9B

        DHCP Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No

        IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.15.10

        Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0

        Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.15.1

        DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 151.196.0.38

                                            151.196.0.39

 

I set IP address to 192.168.15.10

The Default Gateway comes from the D-Link Gateway

The DNS Servers are those used by my ISP and can be found on the D-Link Gateway configuration panel

 

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The Linksys Gateway (BEFSX41) - Fixed IP Address:

Device IP Address 192.168.015.088

Subnet Mask 255.255.255.000

The following are unused, but these are 'safe' settings

WAN connection type to "Obtain IP automatically" 

DHCP Server, Starting Address: Network.100

 

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PrintServer - Fixed IP Address:

Device IP Address 192.168.015.099

Subnet Mask 255.255.255.000

Gateway IP Address 192.168.015.001

 

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Problems - not understood -

 

The DNS servers on the PC ethernet card should be able to be set to the D-Link Gateway IP Address (192.168.15.1) instead of the ISP DNS servers - but it won't work - and it should -

 

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The D-Link has an alternative interesting method to set a fixed IP for a device -

DHP Confirguration

Static IP Assigment [Edit]

Put in the MAC address of the the device (say your PC's network card)

IP Address 192.168.15.10

Net Mask 255.255.255.0

Default Gateway 192.168.15.1

DNS1 Server 151.196.0.38 [your ISP's DNs]

Satus Enable

 

Click save and it will set your network card for those values -

 

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If you have more questions, send me an email and I will be happy to explain more - this information is equipment specific - and to be honest, I have no other equipment to check it with - I would assume that any modern Linksys Gateway/Router/Switch would function pretty much as the BEFSX41 - and should function as well -