Network Advice. Is this a good idea?

D

Digital-Vortex

Gawd
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
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Hey all. Im setting up the house network this week, and would like some opinions.

The network will be split, 1 part will be a simple work group, easy for the users, simple, nothing fanceyis needed,so its perfect :D
The second will be a domain network, Its maily for testing purposes, i wantt o experiment with them while im at college, and get some experiance early.

Im looking at from 5 - 8 computers between users computers, servers, and purpose machines.

The work group wont be a problem, a few machines running XP/2000, and possibly a windows 98 machine. but i dount that.
2 machines on the workgroup will have 2 installs of XP on them, one for the domain, and another for the work group, that way there wont be any conflict between the 2 configs, changes to one wont effect the other.

They will all be running off one Linksys BEFSR41 (I think!) router/switch, (will uplink to another switch if i need to) which will be connected to the internet, and handle DHCP for both networks. The only real issue i have is the with one machine. This machine will be running the internet, and connected to the WAN port of the Linksys. This is currently running windows 95!!! :D

Sadly the machine is just too old to go anywhere above 95.I know it snot the best choice! but is it a REALLY bad idea security wise?

give me feedback, if you wish i can draw up a diagram if it helps.

Thanks guys and gals
 
Heres a diagram to help explain it. All machines will be XP/2000, Server is win2k Advanced server.

network.JPG


Sorry, i know its not anything compared to your normall efforts :p
 
I dunno, are you going to have sensative and important data on that Win 95 machine?. If I were you, crap Win 95 and at least put Win 98 SE. Much more stable and the hardware requirements are basically the same.

And what do you mean connecting the Win 95 machine via the wan port? Thats for plugging in DSL or cable modem, not a computer.
 
the win 95 machine wont even be used! (or at least VERY rarely) it will be setup, have a firewall installed, and left.

As for the WAN port, yes it is. but i dont have a RJ45 connector on my modem :( And i aint really up to forking out for a new one right now. i no doubt will in the near future, but untill then, il make do. :D
 
If you're comfortable with it, I'd go with some *nix like smoothwall instead of Win95 on the external box. Sure, smoothwall is fairly redundant as far as the firewall is concerned, but I'd rather have that than a 95 box serving as a spam zombie or some such...

You'd have to check for modem compatibility with this idea, of course.
 
Modems don't come with Rj45 connectors, they use RJ11. RJ45 are on NIC cards and you can pick one up at Wal-Mart for $15 if your on a tight budget.

So, what exactly is the purpose of the machine then if its just sitting there. I guess im failing to see your ultimate plan here. :confused:
 
When i got my ADSL, they gave me a USB modem. idiots that they are!

So the only way to run the internet is on a machine. So i need someting to run the modem, and just send the signlas back to the network, Since i got the computer sitting about, it makes sence to use it. I may try and get it upgraded, should be a fun task!

I cant even get into the BIOS of the thing, it just says to press "Ctrl, Alt, Del" to enter the setup, which dont work :rolleyes: So i cant make it boot off a CD, and since its a windows 95 system, windows 98 disks dont work :(
 
Do you know what the modem is capable of? Can it do DHCP and NAT? If so, your solution is to buy a switch, plug all the computers into it, set them for DHCP IP settings, and wallah, everyone has internet access!
 
If you are going to go with that setup I would have a pretty good software firewall on the windows 95 machine....

Just a question for you what is you ip address going to be.............
 
it will work as long as the windows 95 box has the ip assigned by the isp

statically assign a local ip to the interior of the 95
subnet between your 2 domains

not very complicated but it would be easier if you used something better than linksys... something with a real ios
 
Well i get a static IP from my ISP when i reconnect, so that should help, and i will probably run Zone Alarm on the windows 95 machine. i will try to get it up to windows 98, or even get another mahcine to work.

As for sub netting. I aint too educated on the whol;e matter, but it dont really matter, its all internal to the house, and even if the workgroup can see the domain and vice versa, its not going to do much, so its fine.

The modem is just a modem, send and receives data, nothing more. but the linksys will work fine for DHCP, used it before for that.

I will be setting up most of this tommorow night. Thanks for the input, and il keep u posted :D
 
DO NOT USE WINDOWS 95
lol
what a terrible OS

why not just let the linksys handle the NAT and internet connection? thats what it is for...

at least install something like smoothwall or clarkconnect on that box with win95 if you really want to use it for internet connection
 
draconius said:
DO NOT USE WINDOWS 95
lol
what a terrible OS

why not just let the linksys handle the NAT and internet connection? thats what it is for...

at least install something like smoothwall or clarkconnect on that box with win95 if you really want to use it for internet connection
Click to expand...

The Linksys will be handling all that, its just the lack of a modem to conenct to it! i only have a USB modem, so im just useing the machine as a controler of the modem, and a firewall, nothing else.

but i am looking into alternatives. A very VERY slow XP install might be possible i guess.
 
OR see if your ISP will swap the USB modem out for a ethernet one. I know my ISP switched mine out when I requested it (RoadRunner cable)
 
I'm still a little unclear, as well as not understanding why this hasn't been asked already. So your 95 machine will hook up to the modem, then assumable have a NIC in it that will go to your router. How are you going about passing that data on from the USB interface of the 95 machine to the router? Without a proxy or nat solution your not, which means you don't need the WAN port on the router at all. You could let it run DHCP I suppose though whatever you use on the 95 machine could also handle that task. You can't just put a USB modem on a machine and expect it to somehow find and pass data through a completel different interface, ethernet, to another device. I am thinking I must have missed something but am too lazy to read the entire thread.
 
No, your right.

When i thto about it i realsied 95 didnt have any bridgeing options that i know of. so i would need to work somethign for that too.

Thats why im going to try and Get XP in, it has the bridgeing tools already in, and its easily shared thro that.

I will contact my ISP tho, see if they will swap it.
 
Digital-Vortex said:
When i got my ADSL, they gave me a USB modem. idiots that they are!
Click to expand...
You should never have accepted the USB modem from them.

You can get internet sharing software from Sygate. It's going to cost money, so I would just suggest getting the proper modem to connect to the network directly and scrap the whole bridging USB to NIC idea.
 
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