Network or controller issues - please help

[cluebbe]

It seems that my network is jacked up, I have a bad controller, windows 10 update messed something up, etc. For the past 4 nights I can only get 6 of my 8 controllers to run. I have three CTB16D blue boards and 5 CTB16PC's. With 6 of the 8 boxes working, as soon as I go to plug in a CAT5 in the last box in my line the LED switches from solid to blinking. I unplug the cable and it goes back to solid. This is with the other end not even plugged into the 7th box in the line. I upgraded the firmware on all boards.

Not sure if this matters, but also note that this all started after rabbits chewed one of my Cat5 cables. My PC also updated to the latest version of windows 10 that came out in the past week. I was running on windows 10 without issue. Not sure if the cables getting chewed or Windows updating has anything to do with it, or not, but wanted to toss it out there as well.

Also should note that I can plug box 7 and 8 in separately and I can get them to work, but only independently.

Any ideas or suggestions what I need to do to get all 8 boxes running again?

[Don]

Not sure if this matters, but also note that this all started after rabbits chewed one of my Cat5 cables. My PC also updated to the latest version of windows 10 that came out in the past week. I was running on windows 10 without issue. Not sure if the cables getting chewed or Windows updating has anything to do with it, or not, but wanted to toss it out there as well.

 

Start replacing cables. One bad cable in the series can cause problems.

[cluebbe]

I replaced the ones the rabbits chewed. What is puzzling is that the cable going to box 7 works fine when I plug it in by itself, but when I plug it into box 6, which is working with only 1 cable plugged into it, it stops working. Same cable to box 7: works when not part of the chain, but does not work when plugged into box 6. And box 6 led blinks when I plug the 2nd cable in.

I thought it was cables too, and have tinkered some using different ones (new). Is there a good way of going about trying to pinpoint a bad cable?

[zeighty]

I hate that you are going through this at the time you did. 

 

Cable testing is never easy. Always time consuming.  The only way you are going to test a cat 5, 6, etc is with an expensive lan analyzer. I have access to them from work as well as "cable" testers.  The cable testers are okay for breaks, but otherwise offer nothing. The analyzers will check all aspects of cable.