Noobie Question, multiple routers

[airbourne]

My office mate and I (different businesses) intend to share broadband. We each have a router set up with some security. We wanted to share my broadband connection, but when we connected his router-in-a-box (d-link?) it made no dhcp connection.

I am running a barebone suse linux router with dhcpd to assign IP addresses. The linux-router's second NIC was connectecd to a switch, and then I put my systems on that and one port connects to his WAN port. I have tried to bypass my intranet and go straight to his wan port - same problem.

I connect all kinds of systems to my network without problems as long as a dhcp client is enabled (I contract alot and the contractors often bring their own rig for a day or a week).

I also get confused with the whole crossover vs. ethernet cable thing. I'm pretty sure with older (non-autosensing) switches and hubs that you connect like devices with a x-over, but "hierarchically different" devices with a straight-through ethernt cable. So does this apply to two routers connected by ethernet?...use a x-over cable?

Please help my humble, stumbling rear-end. I have spent too long on this and I don't make any money from doing this. Also, in my town, it is really hard to find Linux techs for hire...

[DVNT1]

1st step would be to check link lights (your switch and his router's WAN port if I understand correctly). If you have link indicator lights but they are not on, then your cable is likely to be the wrong type or just bad.

If only one has a link light on, then the cable may be bad.

BTW, your thoughts on when to use a cross-over-cable versus a straight-through-cable is correct.

[stroyal]

Doesn't the WAN port on a router work like an uplink port on a switch or a hub? If it dose, you need a strait cable, unless it has a manual switch set to crossover.

[M_Six]

I had two separate subnets running off one cable modem. I leased a second IP from the ISP. The setup went like this:

Cat5 from Cable modem to switch uplink port. One Cat5 from switch to router one and another Cat5 from switch to router two. The IPs were assigned to the MAC addresses of the respective routers. Then I ran 192.168.2.x off one router and 192.168.1.x off the other. Two entirely separate subnets sharing one broadband connection. Piece-o'-cake.