Dropped network connections on PowerMac G5 with Tiger

[iamtheari]

I have a dual 2.0GHz PowerMac G5, which I purchased new in July. For the past couple of weeks, I have experienced frequent lost internet connections and twice had a complete ethernet failure, although rebooting caused it to work again.

I have tried different routers and different ethernet cards. The problem is somewhere between the TCP/IP stack and the ethernet jack on the rear of the computer.

Up until two weeks ago, I never had problems. My TCP/IP connections, whether to AIM, to IRC, to my Linux server via SSH, or anything else, would remain up indefinitely. Then, all the sudden, things got bad. I started to lose all TCP/IP connections simultaneously. My IRC, AIM, MSN, Yahoo, SSH, and IMAP connections would all just shut down. I could generally reconnect shortly thereafter, but lost connections are a problem in and of themselves.

Then, things got even worse. Overnight (my computer remains on 24/7), my Ethernet card decided to lose its DHCP-assigned address (it's a static DHCP lease from my router, so the lease did not expire and lease time is not a factor). I tried to force it to renew the address, to no avail. I tried plugging in the cord to the network my D-Link router itself is connected to, and it still would not change its mind about having a 169.* IP address.

I rebooted the machine, and things were fine, although the dropped connections continued. It is now three days later, and I lost the Ethernet again, with it stubbornly insisting on not getting a DHCP address.

Since the reboot, I have not lost a connection, but as it has only been ten minutes, I doubt my luck will persist.

I ran the extended hardware test, and no problems were found.

What could be the matter? I am a student and have exams to deal with - I don't have the time or the money to take this to Apple and pay them to fix it, nor can I afford to be without my computer for long enough to do that.

Thanks to whoever can help me. I truly appreciate it.

 

[kellhound1]

Hi,

This is most likely a problem with the router you are using. I am aware that Linksys hardware does not bode well with Macs, causing them to lose connection frequently, or just clunking out spontaneously. If you have a Linksys, you should contact them. If it's another router, try logging on to the router settings (you can do that through troubleshooting. The log page is actually accessed through the internet, and is the IP address of the base station computer). Once you access the settings page, check to see if your Mac IP is accepted or denied. You should also try deleting and reinstalling the software. PowerMac G5 is a very stable machine and doesn't usually clonk out like you have described. If push comes to shove, get another router. You don't have to get it new; a used one will work fine. If you have the money, go directly for the Apple Wireless Internet Router. If not, just get a different model of Linksys or whatever company you're using.

Good luck.