Debugging MIXED Links

Make sure each node knows how to reach the other. We have found this to be the most common problem. To check this, run LBL.COM on each computer. Use the right arrow key to select "Connections" and then hit . You should see all computers listed on this screen (ie, their node name). Lets say you used node numbers 1 and 2 and they are connected via ethetnet cards. Let's also say node 3 is connected to node 2 via COM ports. Let's also assume node 1 and 2 can talk to each other, and node 2 and 3 can talk to each other, but node 1 cannot talk to node 3. This is due to the router not knowing how to traverse the ethernet to COM port link. To verify the router knows this information you sould see how it is setup in the LBL "connections" screen.

So get to the "Connections" screen on node 1. Then on the row for node 2 you should see the "Use Link Module" columns filled in with "50 Ethernet." The row for node 2 should have the same thing but it also has the "Route Thru node" columns filled in as "2 ". This tells LBL to use the ethernet driver to send out requests to node 3, but it also says that once on the ethernet it must go to node 2. Node 2 will handle the routing from there.

Looking at the "connections" screen on node 2 you should see nothing in the "Route thru node" columns since it has a direct connection to both node 1 and 3.

Looking at node 3, if you are using COM1 on node 3 to connect to node 2 then the columns should say "21 COM1" in the "Use Link Modele" columns, or if using COM2 then it should read "22 COM2", etc. No routing information is needed on this line since node 3 has a direct connection to node 2. The row for node 1 has the same information in the "Use Link Module" columns but it also need the "Rout Thru node" columns to say "1 .

If any of this information is not in the "connections" screen then select "Enter", move to the proper row/column, type in the Ethernet or COM port name or module number (21, 22, 23, or 24 for COM ports, 50 for Ethernet, 40 for ARCNET, 31,32,33 for LPTs), hit the Escape key, select "Save Defaults", and hit . You could fill in the information in the INSTALL and save it there also, or you could edit the CONNLIST.n files directly. But after installation it is usually easier to do this in with LBL.COM.

The whole goal of filling in the "Connections" screen is to tell each computer exactly how to reach another node.

Example CONNLIST files for nodes 1,2, and 3 described above: 


  ________________
 [                ]
 [   CONNLIST.1   ]
 [________________]
 
  To get to Node:              Use Link Module:     Route Thru node:
  ### Name (of Node)           ### Name (of LINK)   ### Name (of Routing Node)
  --- ------------------------ --- ---------------- --- ------------------------
  1   Jack
  2   Jill                     50  ETHERNET
  3   laptop                   50  ETHERNET         2   Jill
 
 
  ________________
 [                ]
 [   CONNLIST.2   ]
 [________________]
 
  To get to Node:              Use Link Module:     Route Thru node:
  ### Name (of Node)           ### Name (of LINK)   ### Name (of Routing Node)
  --- ------------------------ --- ---------------- --- ------------------------
  1   Jack                     50  ETHERNET
  2   Jill
  3   laptop                   21  COM1
 
 
  ________________
 [                ]
 [   CONNLIST.3   ]
 [________________]
 
  To get to Node:              Use Link Module:     Route Thru node:
  ### Name (of Node)           ### Name (of LINK)   ### Name (of Routing Node)
  --- ------------------------ --- ---------------- --- ------------------------
  1   Jack                     21  COM1             2   Jill
  2   Jill                     21  COM1
  3   laptop

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