[Glastonbury] Cable [LONG REPLY]
Maurice Onmaplate
glastonbury at mailman.lug.org.uk
Sun Aug 3 18:57:00 2003
--- "Andrew M.A. Cater"
<amacater@galactic.demon.co.uk> wrote:
> On Sat, Aug 02, 2003 at 04:49:09AM -0700, Maurice
> Onmaplate wrote:
>
> Steve,
>
> Martin advises that you are actually close to
> Plymouth.
>
In Plymouth!
> If the following doesn't get you started, then I
> would suggest
> you contact the Devon and Cornwall Linux Group
> (www.dclug.org.uk)
> who appear well set up and will at least be more
> local to you.
>
> --
>
> This is a Telewest connection. I also have a
> Telewest connection
> which has been working substantially without
> problems for more than a
> year. I'm guessing you have TV and a small cable
> modem separately.
>
plus phone
> The modem I have has three connections on the back.
> The topmost one
> is an Ethernet socket for a Cat5 Ethernet connector
> (looks slightly like
> an oversized telephone handset plug).
yes..and thats the one connected to pc, or via the
hub...BTW the change of the network card to get the
older machune working seems to prevent the workgroup
working...is this because it's not the same internal
network address?
>
> The next down is a plug with coaxial cable.
Nope, thats [I'm pretty sure] for USB...
>
> The bottom is a two pole mains connector - something
> like the IEC cable
> you get for a cassette recorder or radio.
yes
>
> --
>
> The basics of Telewest cable (badly written and in
> nutshell format)
> ============================
>
> Cable company (Telewest) gives you one IP address on
> the real 'Net.
> This is assigned to the cable modem and linked to
> route to the card
> whose Ethernet MAC (hardware) address they have
> registered.
can have several MAC's registered, 6 I believe
> The 'Net IP address is assigned dynamically: it is
> open to change,
> although you may have the same address for many
> months.
>
> Telewest staff know your machine (and you) by an
> alias. As you go online
> to start Web browsing or whatever so your cable
> modem comes up and
> Telewest routes traffic to you. Telewest broadband
> a.k.a. Blueyonder
> is thus , effectively, a gigantic internal company
> LAN which has
> intelligent routers on the outside edges to connect
> you to the "real"
> Internet. The only way you authenticate your
> machine's identity to the
> cable modem is via some checking of the Ethernet MAC
> address of the
> interface card connected to the cable modem.
>
> --
>
> You have two choices open to you to persuade the
> cable modem to link
> into an internal home network as distinct from one
> Windows machine:
>
> 1.) You can buy a pre-made "Ethernet router" from
> somewhere
> like PC World for £50 - £80 (The £80 version will
> probably have
> a switch rather than a hub.) The size is comparable
> to an Ethernet
> four port hub. These things usually have a Web
> browser interface
> to set them up. They may have a "firewall
> capability" of sorts built
> into them.
>
> Pros: They cost less than a brand new machine and
> are generally
> silent.
> The box is small.
>
> Cons: Who made them and how much do you trust their
> reliability?
> Their security may not be up to much - they may need
> firmware
> updates to fix problems.
> They may not be flexible enough for some purposes.
>
> I've never needed to use one, so know little more
> about them.
> Others who read this mailing list and others may
> have some
> more informed opinion.
>
> Network topology (all assumed to be wired using Cat5
> Ethernet cable)
> ----------------
>
> Just plug the cables in and set up the router via
> the web interface.
>
>
> |------ Mach 1
> -{Cable modem}-> single Ethernet cable -> {Ethernet
> router}
>
> |______ Mach 2
>
> |
>
> |------ Mach 3
>
> --
>
> 2.) You use a multi-function Linux box. This is a
> Linux User Group
> mailing list, so I'll assume that you want to use a
> Linux box. I'll
> set this out as basically as I can.
>
> Pros: You can do a lot of clever stuff to filter
> nasty packets and
> virus payloads.
> You can do intelligent filtering and also use the
> box to implement
> anti-spam for your incoming mail - less rubbish to
> read.
> Good use for redundant hardware that has been
> pensioned off elsewhere.
>
> Cons: You have the noise/size of another PC machine.
>
> Network diagram
> ---------------
>
> To do this most effectively, as outlined in previous
> messages, you need
> a machine which has two network interfaces. In this
> case, you need a
> machine with two Ethernet cards to make a firewall
> and router.
>
Is this due to the fact I can only home-network cards
set to the 'internal network' address?
> From the back of this machine, you hang an Ethernet
> hub/switch.
> [Hereafter assumed to be a hub, only because it's
> less to type]
>
> Your other machines connect to this hub.
> [Arrows in ASCII art only for simplicity - all
> connections are
> actually bidirectional]
>
> __________________
> [PC running Linux]
> {Cable modem}->[card1 ]
> [ ]
> /-<-{card2 ]
> | [________________]
> |
> V
> (Hub with several ports)
> | | | |
> V V V V
> Mach1 Mach2 Mach3 Mach4 ...
>
> --
>
> Children's level analogy of what we want to achieve.
> ====================================================
>
> [All copyrights and author's rights for the comic
> strip characters
> are acknowledged. The names are used without
> express permission but
> purely and solely for illustrative and teaching
> purposes]
>
> Superman and Superman's girlfriend want relative
> anonymity and safety.
> They don't want to be widely known/hacked. Superman
> sets up a Linux box
> which is effectively the "Daily Planet" to the
> outside world. Any 'Web
> browsing / file transfer therefore appears to the
> rest of the world to
> originate from the Daily Planet.
>
> Any mail from the outside world to Clark Kent and
> Lois Lane is
>
=== message truncated ===
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