Project Overview
This section documents the process of integrating a headless Raspberry Pi into a home network using an Xfinity router and a Netgear switch. The objective is to verify physical connectivity, switch-level visibility, DHCP assignment, and overall network reachability in preparation for remote access and database deployment. Each step reinforces foundational networking concepts aligned with the OSI Model, specifically Layers 1 (Physical), 2 (Data Link), and 3 (Network).
- Layer 1 (Physical) - Cabling and power
- Layer 2 (Data Link) – Switch configuration, switch port status, and MAC address visibility
- Layer 3 (Network) - IP Addressing and ICMP reachability
Hardware Used
Step 1: Connect an Ethernet cable to the router.
Step 2: Set up the Netgear switch
- Connect the switch to its power supply
- Connect the Ethernet cable from the router to one of the ports on the switch
- Verify that the switch is powered on and the port that the Ethernet cable is connected to is illuminated to confirm its up status.
Step 3: Verify that the switch is recognized on the network (Xfinity Network)
Open the Xfinity Admin Tool through your browser and enter your credentials to log in
Once logged in, select the Connected Devices located on the left-hand side of the page
- The router identified the switch and automatically assigned an IP Address through DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) and identified the MAC address through ARP (Address Resolution Protocol). In Step 2, the switch was connected to the router via Ethernet, and that connection status was established and verified.
Step 4: Install the Netgear Discovery Tool
Download and install the Netgear Discovery Tool for your operating system
Official Netgear Discovery Tool
Step 5: Start Searching
Homepage
Searching process
Switch discovered
Step 6: Log in to the Netgear Admin page
Step 7: Verifying switch port status
Once logged in, select Port Status located on the left
The Ethernet cable connected from the router to the switch port in step 2 has been identified by the Netgear Admin page, verifying that the port status is up.
Step 8: Integrate the Raspberry Pi into the Switch
- Connect the power source to the Raspberry Pi
- Connect an Ethernet cable to one of the ports located on the switch
- Connect the Ethernet cable from the switch to the port of the Raspberry Pi
Step 9: Verify that the Raspberry Pi is recognized on the network (Xfinity Network)
- Repeat Step 3 and verify that the Raspberry Pi's hostname is populated in the Connected Devices
Step 10: Verify that the Raspberry Pi is recognized on the switch (Netgear)
- Repeat Step 7 and verify that the Ethernet cable is connected between the Raspberry Pi and the switch, and the connected port is showing an up status
Step 11: Ping the Raspberry Pi
The ping command verifies that the Raspberry Pi is reachable within the local area network, and the Pi replies with ICMP (Internet Control Message Protocol) echo reply packets.
This completes the physical connectivity and network visibility of the Raspberry Pi and the switch to the local area network.
Next Steps (Part 3)
- Demonstrate how to SSH into the Raspberry Pi's Linux operating system
- Update and upgrade the Linux packages
- Perform the installation and provisioning of MySQL
Top comments (0)