[Gllug] simple network setup

[john gennard]

On Sun, 20 Jan 2002 16:48:50 +0000, Sean wrote:

>On Sat, Jan 19, 2002 at 09:24:16PM +0000, john gennard wrote:
>> I'm trying to setup a very small home network, and badly
>> need some help. I've read a great deal, thought I
>> understood most of the basics and now find I don't know
>> where to start.


>sounds like you are trying to learn far more than you need to ...
>and it all seems far more confusing reading about it than when you
>actualy get to the stage of trying things out.

I'm sure this is so. It's just that I hope I'll find what I
need in the next publication.

>> The idea is to network two boxes each running Debian
>> Potato {kernels 2.2.19), and presently  accessing the net
>> by dialup modem then adding a third box as a firewall
>> with SmoothWall 0.99 installed. Also a neighbour has
>> offered to give me access to his network specifically
>> to use his permanent ADSL connection whilst he's at work.

>most of the complexity will be handled for you - the Smoothwall box
>contains router, firewall, DHCP(client & server) and much more besides.

>> I've dealt with the physical aspects and have a 5 port
>> hub, cabling and Realtek NIC 8139 Cards installed. This
>> works (I borrowed a Win disk and accessed files and a
>> printer etc and am now back to Debian).


>Great - if you have a LAN working all you need to do is add the router
>and set it as the default route for you network.

By this I meant only that I had confirmed the cabling and hub were
OK (to avoid too much cabling, I cut to length and attached new 
connectors). Apart from Debian recognizing the NIC cards on the
PCI line, nothing is yet working on the operating systems.

>> In contacting my ISP, I use two nameserver addresses
>> for most purposes and a third for SMTP. I seem to be
>> allocated dynamic addresses.
>> After mainly understanding network addresses, dotted
>> quad allocations and so on, it now seems I don't need
>> any of this - DHCP will do it for me in my position.


>yep - Smoothwall will use DHCP to figure out the ip address it has for
>its external facing network interface (modem in this case)

>AND it has a DHCP server that will allocate an IP address to the
>machines on you LAN - (amd set the default route for them)

>In addition to the Smootwall runs a proxy server, caching nameserver
>(and some other things I forget about - maybe a mail server ?)

>what this means is that the machines on the LAN can look to the
>Smoothwall box for DNS and proxy services - so they don't care if you
>are connected to the net by your dial-up isp or your nieghbors ADSL
>line.


>> I think I should be able to install SmoothWall, [snip]..
>> to recompile as I need to arrange scsi emulation
>> in order to use a CDRW.

>Now I'm unsure what you are asking here, I presume you are talking about
>recompling the kernel of one of the LAN machines NOT Smoothwall !

Yes, well actually on both LAN machines when I know exactly which options 
I need to deal with the networking. (I can compile kernels fairly well, 
and the ones I use now include only the things I needed - so Networking 
is not selected, but I don't know exactly what else - IP Firewall and 
Routing Messages seem obvious, but what is the full list in my case). 
I have lists (mainly from O'Reilly books) on networking without internet 
access, firewall and masquerading, but not with internet access.

I'm sorry, I should not have mentioned SCSI emulation support - I have
detailed notes already on that. It was just the I thought someone may
have suggested using modules to save time.
  
>Smoothwall is a doddle to install - but you can only really use it the
>way the Smoothwall team intend (see list archive for references to
>Richard Morell !)

>I can't remember exactly which kernel options you need for ide-scsi
>bridge

>{snip]

>> If someone has the time, I would appreciate knowing
>> what to compile into the kernel for my simple needs
>> (I only need green and red in SmoothWall). Also, I
>> can find the NIC cards referred to as 8139too.c
>> under drivers in the kernel directory, but not as
>> an option when compiling - are they some sort of
>> clone?


>you want to enable the 'RealTek RTL-8139 Fast Ethernet Adapter support'

Now here is where I am still lost. I do not find this adapter support
offered to me when compiling 2.2.19. 

>I recomend running make xconfig as it makes the help text very easily
>available.

>> Then after kernel recompile, how do I configure
>> each box? What programs to run and files to edit?

>well I don't know the specifics of debian but once you have Smoothwall
>running set the ethernet cards of your client machines to use DHCP

>set their DNS servers to the Smoothwall box (probly this can be done by
>DHCP also)

>configure then to use any of the proxy services that you want to use as
>offered by SmoothWall

>> Also, to which box should the modem be physically
>> attached (I presume I'll not need two now)?


> this should be the Smoothwall box

>> [snip]

> well - I hope this helps :)

>I suggest you stop reading for a bit, if you are planning to install
>Smoothwall - start off by setting it up these things usually come clear
>when you actaully make them work.

--

Sean

It was very kind of you to write at such lengths, and certainly
this has been helpful. But unless I completely miss the point, do
I not have to get the kernels on the two LAN boxes to recognize/
accept the NIC's and be compiled ready to let Smoothwall set
itself up to protect the network. When I said I should be able
to install Smoothwall, this was because I had a couple of go's
as far as I was allowed just to see roughly what will be involved.

Thanks for trying to help an old buffer, sorry duffer.

Regards,                        john. 

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