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Getting NT4 Workstation & Linux to talk

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by plg6 1 view

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Good day.

I have an IBM IntelliStation running NT 4 (service pack 6). I also have an older Pentium system running SuSE 6.4 Linux. I want the Linux box to act as an outer firewall for the NT box. I have a cable modem, 2 ethernet cards in the Linuxbox (both of which work).

Problem is that I can't get the NT box and the Linux box to see each other. Running DHCP client on eth0 and using address 192.168.1.1 on eth1 - I get a 24.xx address on the Linux box and *also* a 24.xx address on the NT box (though it doesn't work going to the outside) - this leaving the NT box configured for DHCP.

If I simply assign a fixed IP address to the NT box (say 192.168.1.108) I can't ping the 192.168.1.1 from the Linux box, nor the other direction - even though both lights on the hub blink and the IBM's LAN activity light blinks also.

So, what I have here is a frustrating failure to communicate! Any suggestions will be much appreciated (or best a step-by-step HOWto) for this particular combination.

Thanks in advance for your replies.

8 replies

by kenderkn

Hi, just a few wuickie things to check out...hopefully they will get you in the right direction. You said you tried 2 static IPs? one on your unix box and one on nt right? were the subnet masks the same? to set the unix box up for a firewall you have to make the nt box's gateway the ip addx of the nic card on your unix box that is connected to your internal hub.
hope that bit helps.

by plg6

Yes - tried setting the gateway to the fixed IP of the Linux box (192.168.1.1) - still nothing. One of my co-workers thinks it may be a WINS issue - but not sure how to make NT "not worry about it" per se.

by aekland

Haven't messed with linux much but if you are pinging by IP then it is not a wins or dns problem. Try pinging the local system and the loopback. Even with a link light there can be problems with the cards. You might also isolate the linux and nt boxand test communications.

by ustutz

Use the route command to manipulate the routing tables on both the NT box and the LINUX box. netstat -r displays the routing table on either box.

route add net 192.0.0.0 192.0.0.10 adds the LANIC with address 192.0.0.10 as the gate way to network 192.0.0.0.

Be sure to check your subnet masks (255.255.0.0 "equals" net work 192.0).

route delete 192.0.0.0 192.0.0.10 deletes the above route.

Start on the LINUX box. Add routes to the outside world (route add net 0.0.0.0 24.10.10.11 - assuming 24.10.10.11 would be your "outside" LANIC) and the inside world (route add net 192.168.0.0 192.168.1.1 - assuming a subnet mask of 255.255.0.0, and 192.168.1.1 being the inside LANIC).

You may also need a route to the LANIC (add route192.168.1.1 127.0.0.1).

On the NT box add the route to the gateway: route add 191.168.1.1 192.168.1.108 (assuming 192.168.1.108 is the NT box's LANIC). Then add default route: route add default 192.168.1.1.

On the LINUX box, if it does not take "net 0.0.0.0" use route add default 24.10.10.11. Or, if you know the address of the next router add:

route add 24.10.10.1 24.10.10.11 (where *.1 is the gate way, and *.11 is your "outside" LANIC).

Then, route add default 24.10.10.1.
Hope this helps. Nickel answer to the $5 question. :-)

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