Dreambox 500 MAC Address Issue??

[checkitout]

Hello All
I am making great progress hooking up 2 x Dreambox 500 (cheap clones) with card sharing across a local network with a Phoenix Card reading a Gamma on my windows XP machine.

Not sure if this is a big issue but I have noticed that the MAC address that reads out from the setup Menu-> Blue Panel -> System info -> Dream shows that each of these two dream boxes have the same MAC Address??

I assume this might be either due to the installation of the image I used or the fact that these are cheap clones.
The MAC address that the boxes read is 00-09-34-20-5e-a0.

Has anyone else seen this before and should this be a problem for card sharing??.

[revolver]

it is recommended that you change the mac address, use google.

Some guy wrote a little software to change the mac address, or you can do it yourself without a piece of software! google is your friend

[davo]

Add to init file:

#!/bin/sh
ifconfig eth0 hw ether 0034:00E6
ifconfig eth0 (DREAMBOXIPHERE) up

eg...

#!/bin/sh
ifconfig eth0 hw ether 0034:00E6
ifconfig eth0 192.168.1.11 up

reboot image.

[Chieflets]

Just add this to

put this in /var/etc/init

you must reboot then go to Blue-panel - System infos - User scrit - ifconfig
to see the mac address
like this

eth0 Link encap : Ethernet HWaddr xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx

where xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx is the mac address.

Here is a Mega upload link of file

[z80]

I have found that the MAC address must be valid CRC wise else it will not work.
I usually copy one fron an old network card or some such device.

[Chieflets]

z80,

mines working fine.

Chieflets

[checkitout]

Thanks Everyone - I have done this and it looks like it has also fixed my other post with the dropout of a box once two try to connect and cardshare.
No dropouts for at least 25 minutes compared to within 1 or 2.

I believe this makes sense as as data packets would have been getting confused going to destinations not intended.

Many thanks again to all for the quick replies.

[jonc]

This might help a few here - an answer I gave on but changed slightly.


To sort this problem out in XP, run cmd and from the command prompt issue this command;

arp /g [press the enter key]

This will tell you if you have any duplicated MAC addresses like this example;

C:\Documents and Settings\microsoft sux>arp /g

Interface: 192.168.1.4 --- 0x2
  Internet Addres    physical Address	   Type
  192.168.1.11	 00-0a-03-43-50-4a    dynamic
  192.168.1.74	 00-0a-03-43-50-4a   dynamic

if you see any duplicate "Physical Address" entries like this example then this is the real problem.

A short term fix is to use this command on XP again under command prompt;

arp /d * [press the enter key]

You may have to do this a few times to clear the arp cache in your XP box. But will never solve the problem. It is simply an aspirin fix for cancer if you get my drift.

If this is the problem there is a simple way to fix this forever on both or one of your DM boxes and many other network issues besides, but how this is done depends on the image you are using.

[1] on all Pli images Flubber/ Garnet/ Helenite / Iolite;

a) with telnet or DCC go to /var/etc on your clone box and create a file callled chg_mac.sh (command in telnet is 'touch chg_mac.sh)

b) now edit chg_mac.sh with say "vi" so the command is vi chg_mac.sh or in DCC use FTP to edit the file

c) now add this content to the file

/sbin/ifconfig eth0 down hw ether 00:0a:03:43:51:4a
/sbin/ifconfig eth0 up

you can change the 00:0a:03:43:51:4a to an unused MAC address (pick a number but not the same as anything on your LAN)

d) now change the attributes of this file to chmod +x or 755 so it is executable under *nix - right click in DCC and select change attributes

e) make a file called init in your /var/etc directory - in telnet touch init

f)now edit init with say "vi" so the command is vi init or in DCC use FTP to edit the file

g) now add this content to the file

if [ -x /var/etc/chg_mac.sh ]; then /var/etc/chg_mac.sh ; fi
/bin/setupnetwork

NOTE: if you do not use the name chg_mac.sh for the mac data make sure you change this init file to reflect the name you choose - else this will not work as your file will not be run at boot time.

h)now change the attributes of this file to chmod +x or 755 so it is executable under *nix - right click in DCC and select change attributes

i) now reboot the DM box and on your XP box run the command prompt again, and run the arp /g command to see that the numbers have indeed changed;

C:\Documents and Settings\microsoft sux>arp /g

Interface: 192.168.1.4 --- 0x2
  Internet Address	Physical Address	   Type
  192.168.1.11	     00-0a-03-43-50-4a     dynamic
  192.168.1.74	     00-0a-03-43-50-4a     dynamic

to something like this

C:\Documents and Settings\microsoft sux>arp /g

Interface: 192.168.1.4 --- 0x2
  Internet Address	Physical Address	   Type
  192.168.1.11	     00-0a-03-43-50-4a     dynamic
  192.168.1.74	     00-0a-03-43-51-4a     dynamic

--

Cheers hope this helps

[Fernbay]

So may ways of achieving the same thing

Here is my method.

create a file called init (no extension - if you do it in notepad, it will add a .txt extension. the way around this is to save as init & put inverted commas around it - eg "init" & that will save it as init without any extension

Put this line into the file - ifconfig eth0 down; ifconfig eth0 hw ether 0023:47:97:E5; ifconfig eth0 up

Alter the mac addy sightly from the right hand end for each different box

Then upload the file to VAR/ETC & reboot


Too easy

[checkitout]

Thanks everyone - I believe I have changed my MAC address via Ferbay's method.

Was looking for the Win XP "arp /g" command last night.
This will be useful next time I have my gear hooked up and or when I suspect I have this problem again.

Many Thanks again.

[Smacca]

Old thread, I know. :P

I'm trying to investigate a freezing/dropout problem with a WAN 'friend'. Could this duplicate MAC address issue cause problems over the WAN too?

[LeroyPatrol]

It shouldn't, no. You mac is on your local subnet and is not routable.

Leroy

[jgm]

MAC addresses aren't visible through routers.