Discussion on:

Sharing Internet access on your home network with just one IP address

This article doesn't mention cost of these products.

Why not just get an old 486 with 16M of ram, two network cards, and install Linux? This should cost less that $400 for all the hardware, and software you'll need.

Linux is a great packet layer firewall, and it does NAT very well.

It should be the obvious soultion to any techie.

jrw

It is an obvious solution for a Linux techie but not neccessarily
for everyone.

An even cheaper route would be to get a LinkSys router
(which doubles as a10/100 ether hub). In another post, I list
another option for people who have olderMacs sitting about.

And it does make a bit of difference what kind of hardware
you use. At the minimum for the Linux box option, I'd make
sure first and foremost that the old box is Y2K compliant on
the BIOS level and I'd go for at least a Pentium if you're
plugging it into a fast ethernet hub. But then if you check, you
won't find a cheaper option than the LinkSys hub unless of
course you have old hardware just lying about.

I'm currently using ICS but I would like to try the Linksys router. But, I've head that Roadrunner will not allow the Linksys router ...

RoadRunner doesn't support running a LAN. But, They don't activly stop it either

I have Roadrunner(Los Angeles) and use the Linsys router. RR does read the NIC's MAC address. So, when installing the router, you just need to call them and tell them you have a new NIC and give them the router's MAC.

You can get pentium class machines for that price. I'm thinking in the neighborhood of $75.00. But you are correct, it IS the obvious solution.

I've seen complete (no monitor and inputs though) 486s go for $30 at wholesale 2 buyer web sites.

A complete Linux box is more than most Windows box or new to network folks can handle right off. AN alternative to mid level techs or thise who are looking for a path to learn the stuff, would be Linux Router Project, which has distributions that work on a 486 or up, 12-16MB ram, 2 NICs and a floppy drive. Provides NAT, firewalling and even port forwarding capabilities. It is not necessarily for 'newbies', but great fun and not that difficult if you follow the directions.
Web sites are
www.linuxrouter.org -main site, outdated, maillist subscriptions site though
lrp.c0wz.com -main documentation site
lrp.steinkuehler.net -pre configured disks, easiest transition for newbies

you can use freesco from www.freesco.org. it has wizards and is easy to administrate

How about that's not cheap?!
3com is now selling a home internet gateway which features:
NAT translation and IP sharing
DHCP server
firewall
access control
4 port autosensing 10/100 SWITCH
AND...
a parallel port print server built-in.

Allof this sells for C$259.99 quite a steal

Can you please tell me how I can get my second pc to share internet access from my cable connected pc.....?

Would greatly appreciate it.......

Get WinRoute Professional to Do it for you

Any of the software packages mentioned will work, even Micro$oft's Internet Connection Sharing that comes with Win98 SE, but the first thing you must have in both machines is a Network Interface Card, or course. If you use ICS or any other type or router software then you will need *two* NICs in that one PC, one to connect to the cable modem and another to connect to your hub or other PC. Search the Web for more detailed instructions, they're out there.

My entire IT group have gone to the LinkSys router either with or without the intergrated 4port hub for the home. This allows you to have a router, firewall and hub all in one. Just plug this in after the cable modem then run the connections from the hub just like like a regular network. It 10/100 and is easily configurable from a local browser. You can control all ports and even get reports of what the system thinks might be attacks. A great inventment.

Or add a second NIC into the server and 1 in the secondary machine and connect using a cross-connect cable.

I have AT@T providing me internet access via cable modem. Right now it is connected directly to my pc and I am running zonealarm to ensure that I have some security. My questions are:
1)How secure is the firewall on the router?
2)Does it work if you get an ip address via dhcp from the isp?
I ask the second questions because I have a friend who is using a linux firewall (netmax) on his internet connection, but he often has to reboot the box to renew the ip address from his isp. Would I run into this problem and have to repower the router alot? Or does it automatically renew it's address from the cable modem?
Thanks In Advance.
Mike

A cable modem router autmoatically renews ip address from the service. I have tested this out using a cable mode, but another serivce(optium online)

You can try wingate 4.0. It's a software
who enable a proxy server and permit the sharing of modem cable.

Leah,

You can either set-up a network hub with separate IP number for each machine. Or set-up another modem...one for each machine. To share two-way packet exchange, you are going to need to make sure that you get a public IP number. If you dothis, PLEASE install a personal firewall program of some kind.

You could try buying an inexpensive 4 port hub and "network" the two computers. If both computers have network cards, they can be plugged into the hub. Then using a crossover cable, plug the cable modem into the hub.

Easy.

What's the reason for a crossover cable in this solution? Normally a "straight through" cable is used to connect the cable modem to the NIC ona single PC.Why would you need a crossover cable to connect the c-m to the hub?

Normal Ethernet connector uses only 4 of the pins: 1, 3, 4 and 6. A standard patch cable is straight-thru, that is to say RJ45 connector pin 1 is the same wire at each end. The four wires actually form a pair, a xmit pair and a rcv pair. 1 & 3 are a pair and 4 & 6 are a pair. Although I don't recall which are the xmit pair and which are the rcv pair. It doesn't really matter.

Lets look at a PC connected to a hub. Lets say pin pair 1/3 are the xmit pair at the PC. That would mean that pin pair 1/3 would have to be a RCV pair at the hub. So the PC and hub are wired exactly opposite and the straight thru cable works.

But if you were going to use UTP to connect two PC's directly, since the PC's NICs are wired identically, you'd have to use a crossover cable to create that opposite wiring, where one PC's xmit pair would get to the rcv pair on the other PC. The same is true for hubs. Since the ports on two hubs would be wired the same, in order to connect them you have to cross the xmit and rcv wire pairs. Therefore you use a crossover cable to connect two hubs.

Note that most hubs have a port that can operate in MDIX mode. That crosses over the pins in the RJ45 port and you don't have to use a crossover cable.
Luck to you,
-S

I've got an Alcatel Speed Touch model to my DSL that has a USB/A output. Can't find a router that will handle it. Any ideas?

Thansk in Advance

I have my USB Speedtouch connected to my Win2k Server. RRAS service handles the routing and NAT that allows the other computers to share the Internet connection.

Has worked ok for about 6 months. Only annoying issue is that the Alcatel drivers seem to choke every couple of days and I have to reboot the server to get the Internet connection restored. Got tired of that and ordered an external (ethernet out) DSL modem yesterday.
Luck to you,
-S

Don't forget that if you only have two machines to connect you don't need a hub - just a cross-over cable.

Sharing a Direct PC connection using ICS right now. Tweaked my TCP settings and the clients are actually downloading faster than the Comm server. Proxy + never worked right for ICQ and was a pain to configure. ICS is really easy, fast and already part of the OS. Try it first, works with all Internet software. (no I am not a MS employee)
Good luck

buy a linksys cable/dsl 4 port router/switch from CompUSA. Hook up your cable router to linksys WAN port then your pcs to the 10/100 ports

I understand that the Linksys router will not work with Roadrunner because the NIC MAC address is cached. So when you hook up the router, your connection is not recognized...

In cases like that you need to tell tech support you have a
new machine and then give them the ethernet address. From
what I've heard, the Roadrunner people won't directly
support the Linksys but if you're adept, just tell them you
have anew computer, give them the LinkSys MAC address
andyou should be set.

Interestingly enough, the Linsys will let you clone MAC addresses if you need to, but it's normally not necessary with RoadRunner, because the MAC address (ie modem serial number)is built into the modem, which is what is used to verify the connection at the other end, not the NIC. The modem is an addressable device in itself. The Linksys allows MAC cloning (set up any MAC, hehehe handy) for other types of connections like certain dsl setups, etc, where the Nic's MAC would be important.

I've hooked up many of these in home networks with the linksys, and it's an incredible piece of equipment. plug it in and go. ICS has nothing on this bugger!

(roadrunner tech)

Use the AnalogX Proxy Server.

I have been able to find many Free Proxy Server programs for Windows.

I am also now using a Netgear Router for our DSL Connection.

I use IPNetRouter with a Macintosh at home. I have the
optimal configuration with 2 ethernet ports, the one on the
logic board which I connect the DSL device to and the 10/100
card which feeds out to the network. The software is relativelyeasy to configure and works well. Once a configuration has
been saved, you have the option of using a faceless
extension that automatically loads on startup. IPNetRouter
can integrate EtherNet, LocalTalk, and new options such as
Apple's AirPort (the AirPort software is based on
IPNetRouter) and Firewire networks. It's a good option
especially with an older PCI mac such as an 8500 which you
can setup to start headless.

Sustainable Softworks

http://www.sustworks.com

The software is available as a 30 day fully functionable demo

It is really easy. Add a second NIC card to one machine, and install Internet Connection Sharing. Cable the two machines together. The primary machine (w/ 2 NIC's) acts as a DHCP server and basically proxies connections out the internet connection.
You can do the same thing with a hub connecting to the second NIC.

Now in theory I think this should work in my environ at home?

I am on DSL and have an internal IP address such as 192.168.1.1 and a specific internal gateway address....now, if I add this AnalogX to my machine, can I realistically create more 192.168.1.x addresses for my other machine and have those machines utilize static internal IP address as the gateway itself? Is that correct? Any insight helpful. Thanks.

The figures contain garbage or they are blank, so, why the spinning of the wheels causing time wasting.

If you are looking at a hardware solution. Try the SMC Barricade Broadband router. Not only does it work with DSL and Cable, it also works with external 56k and ISDN. A print server is also built in. Check it out..

If you are running the DDNS ( active directory) service on Windows 2000 server and implement ICS, you WILL lose Network connectivity...Will not exist on the same machine. You are better off running it on a Workstation, or not running the DDNS serverservice on the Server machine , with this scenario.I have had at least 6 calls on this since the rollout of Windows 2000 , Feb 17th.

Right now, I'm using a modem, but I'll be getting my DSL service installed any week now. I currently have a small home network. Unfortunately, I'm getting an internal modem with my service. I plan on running something like Wingate, SyGate, Rideway, or the AnalogX option. What I'd like to know is whether the overhead on these proxy programs would effect my system. My system is a custom Athlon 700MHz, 128MB PC100. I'd be running it with Windows 2000 Pro.

The AnalogX download link of this page shows this text:
Features
TD
width = "83%" a

What kind of download is it?

The AnalogX download does not work

We have a remote office in Canada that we are trying to connect to our LAN. We are using TSAC through the Internet with Win2K as workstations (total of 3). TSAC would not run using the AnalogX proxy. It did however work by sharing the modem with Win2K.

What is available for those of us that use dial up networking for internet connection? Is there some modem sharing software???

Well, any of the proxy software can be used with modems. However, if you currently have Windows 98, you can use Internet Connection Sharing to use multiple computers through a single modem. Keep in mind that the computer with the modem must be kept on in order for the other computers to access it.

There are a variety of ways this can be
done.

Windows Me has system software that
enables this, third party software is
available for folks using Win95 or above.

This can also be done via Linux for the
technically well-heeled.
For Macs, the IPNetRouter software I've
mentioned before works just as well with
dialup connections as it does with
dedicated. Apple's AirPort Basestation
has a builtin modem and uses code
derived from IPNetRouter to configure.
There is a hack available somewhere to
configure AirPort Basestations from
Windows machines.

And last there are hardware routers
from companies like Netopia which can
serve.

i have problem to my server's client has been not running another client computer
because in the client there are two ip address one computer ip and another internet ip
how to solve this problem
please help us out

Thanks for the wonderful share. But as I followed the guide, it doesn't seem to work on my Dell laptop. Errors kept coming up. I couldn???t solve the problem until I tried Virtual Hotspot, a new WiFi sharing app but works quite well. Few comlex settles and quite effective. So???look forware to more fantastic sharing.