Powerbook G3 eth0 acting buggy

[kingdomlyf]

Right, running 10.3.9 on an old powerbook g3 lombard.
When I've plugged in my ethernet cable I get a random ip address, 169.0.0.0 format. So, I had decided that it must be a bad eth0 right? no, I plug my g3 into my G4 via ethernet, and setup internet sharing shared my ethernet connexion with the source being the airport. This configuration actually works, now I can't figure how, or why? Does anyone have a bit of insight into this matter? No matter what configs I do in "Network" I still get nothing, if I do manual ip or anything like that, it still doesn't work. Am at my wits end, I've got my G4 up on eBay and am about to replace it with a mac book but I don't want to get stuck this way.

 

[ElDiabloConCaca]

When I've plugged in my ethernet cable I get a random ip address, 169.0.0.0 format.

Plugged in your ethernet cable to what? One end of the cable goes into the G3's ethernet port, and the other end goes... where???

Can you describe your network setup in greater detail? I'm assuming that you're using some form of router or something like that, but assuming isn't going to help troubleshooting. Please describe your exact setup, including what kind of internet access you've got, and what kinds of hardware you're using as well as how they're all connected.