Question about Airport Express Base Station

[jb60606]

I'd like to extend my Apple wireless network to a small cluster of linux servers I have in another room. The linux servers are networked together on an HP workgroup switch. They don't have internet access.

Can the ethernet port on the Express Base Station be uplinked to the switch to share the wireless network connection with all servers connected to the switch?

Thanks

 

[mfram]

I've looked through the docs and this doesn't appear to be a supported configuration. The APE supports sharing a wired network connection to wireless clients that connect to the APE. But that seems to be the opposite of what you need.

You want the APE to act as a wireless client on an existing wireless network. This works for sharing printers and for AirTunes, but the docs don't say anything about the ethernet port. I haven't tried this.

I know I have accomplished what you want with an older Linksys WAP. Maybe the newer ones still have that functionality.

 

[balamw]

The Airport Extreme and Time Capsule both support this, but now come to think of it I'm not sure that is a supported mode for the Express.

I couldn't get my Linksys and Airport Express to play nice together even with DD-WRT, so I caved and got the Time Capsule.

B

 

[jb60606]

thanks guys - I feared that. I already have 2 Apple Extremes and didn't want to buy a third. I'll pick up another Extreme or, if possible, find a more efficient way to to arrange my network.

P.S. - If you're wondering; the Linux servers are 1U rackmounts with only one expansion slot each. Those are already being occupied by Intel server NICs for faster communication between the servers, so wireless NICs aren't possible.

 

[waw74]

the express will let you join a network and share the connection out the ethernet port. it does have to be the N version though (not a problem unless you're getting used off ebay).

I've not used a switch, but have hooked a single computer up to it to test, and it does work

 

[gr8whtd0pe]

the express will let you join a network and share the connection out the ethernet port. it does have to be the N version though (not a problem unless you're getting used off ebay).

I've not used a switch, but have hooked a single computer up to it to test, and it does work

What he said. I used mine like this all the time when working on peoples computers. Connects to wifi and ethernet out. Kinda like a gaming adaptor that linksys used to make.

 

[ssmed]

Depends on the Express model

The most recent (n) model will let you do this. We have this working here.

 

[jb60606]

Sweet! Thanks folks.