I got a network switch that is showing zero activity across about a dozen ports, the most important of which is the feed from the router from upstairs. This happened out of nowhere and I don't think it's the switch unless the backup I tried is also bad. I also tested the cable leading from the router and it passes the continuity test at the very least. Even if that line was dead, wouldn't the switch show at least SOME activity as devices try to access each other? I'm no IT master, but peer to peer still happens in a network, doesn't it? Anyway, it's been a few days of trying to fix this myself, so I finally turn to reddit. Any ideas, lads?
Unplug everything from it. Plug two good cables with two good devices in and see if it works. Then start plugging everything in one at a time.
Could be possible MSTP is enabled and there is a loop. Not sure if that’s a managed switch or not.
It's not managed, and the network isn't so fucked that there's a loop. It just happened randomly one day and I'm the only one who manages cables in the house.
Switch is just fried, got a new one on the way
Network doesn’t have to be “so fucked” for there to be a loop. It’s an incredibly easy mistake to make.
It's just that there's only one switch really. There's definitely wires I forgot where they go, but in this case I don't think it's a loop simply because nothing changed when it went out.