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Currently, I have a network setup that kind of duct-taped together. I have A.) The wireless DSL modem with four ethernet ports and a USB 2.0 port B.) The wireless router with four ethernet ports and a USB 3.0 port C.) The 25 port switch to which all of the computers are connected.

The computer hooked to the wireless have a choice of connecting to either the modem or the router.

Here is a picture I drew up Thingy http://reallycheapfloors.com/img/switchProblem.png

My goal is to have both the wired and wirelessly connected computer be able to access this external USB 3.0 hard drive.

Any suggestions?

sysadmin1138
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dockeryZ
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    Take the hard disk out of the USB caddy and put it into a NAS, and plug the NAS directly into the 25-port switch? – tombull89 Jan 02 '13 at 14:30
  • Did you know which OS are running in your DSL router? Maybe could you hack them for installing DD-WRT or so... – F. Hauri - Give Up GitHub Jan 02 '13 at 14:42
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    @F.Hauri: This network needs less duct-tape, not more... – Sven Jan 02 '13 at 14:45
  • I don't understand your mean @SvenW?! Seem not friedly at all and not so constructive too. – F. Hauri - Give Up GitHub Jan 02 '13 at 14:48
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    @F.Hauri: The OP admitted that his network is "duct-taped" together which means that it's kind of improvised and not following best practices. Your suggestion adds to this situation by adding more improvisation instead of reducing it. – Sven Jan 02 '13 at 14:53
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    And please, don't misunderstand me - this is not meant unfriendly in any way. It's just that many people here, myself included, prefer professional, sustainable and well-designed solutions. – Sven Jan 02 '13 at 14:56
  • Hmm, I redid the wiring.. as seen in the updated picture and now everything seems to be working just fine. :) Thanks everyone for your suggestions... but things like hacking a router's OS, changing the NAT settings, and setting up a private LAN are way out of my pay grade. – dockeryZ Jan 02 '13 at 15:59
  • In other words, this question was solved simply by moving the wires around and rebooting the router. – dockeryZ Jan 02 '13 at 16:00

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First, you did not specify which protocol you use to access the drive, I suppose it is CIFS/SMB (Windows Network).

The best usage scenario for me would be to use a single subnet for the wired network (giving for example 192.168.1.2 for the wireless DSL and .3 for the router, disable the wifi on one of your devices (use the one with the higher 802.11 supported revision, and disable the other, if the two are equivalent use the one you are the most comfortable with and disable wifi on the other) to reduce interference probability.

But, I suspect that according to your question, your not-modem router is using NAT, and thus is beeing isolated from the rest of the network, isolating the HDD in the process. In that case the fix is simple: do not use the "WAN" Ethernet plug on it, use the embedded swich instead (if any). You can not use NAT to do what you want (well, you can but it will be a resource waste and will bring unneeded complexity).

Matthieu Cerda
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