Small network question

D

dasoldier

Limp Gawd
Joined
Apr 29, 2005
Messages
185
I've noticed a descent amount of people don't use routers at home or with their small networks but have their internet connection coming into a gateway server that then feeds into a switch.

my questions are what os/software does the gateway/gatekeeper have installed on it? How complicated is it to set up? I mean it is just acting as a router, through the switch correct?

Any details to get me going in the right direction would be appreciated! :)
 
They could be running a number of operating systems, such as Windows, Linux, or *BSD. It really does depend. As well, they may not necessarily be setup as a router, but as a proxy.
 
dasoldier said:
my questions are what os/software does the gateway/gatekeeper have installed on it? How complicated is it to set up? I mean it is just acting as a router, through the switch correct?
Click to expand...

The gateway is acting as a router, in Windows using a computer to share the internet is known as "Internet connection sharing". You can get this functionality out of any computer really, all you need is two or more NIC's. The downside of course to this is that the computer has to be on whenever you want the Internet shared, so if the computer freezes or reboots then all the computers that are connected through it will drop their connections. In Windows its pretty easy to setup, you could probably Google a guide really easily.
 
for more of an idea of what I'm talking about
another member posted his network diagram in another post.... I'm not talking just doing it for like 4 computers through ics... but like 15 computers.

here is his pic
netoverview.jpg
 
dasoldier said:
my questions are what os/software does the gateway/gatekeeper have installed on it?
Click to expand...

As already mentioned it can be about anything, but some *nix options that have been tested/played with by forum members are:
http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=887221

How complicated is it to set up?
Click to expand...

Depends on the functions you want it to perform. For the bare bones routing/firewalling it normally takes about 15 minutes from dropping the CD in to functional.
 
I would just get a Linksys router for your home. It has the switch ports built in. It's dead silent, small, good performance, super easy to install, and probably costs about the same in the end.

Unless you enjoy torturing yourself, or are looking for some networking experience just get a Linksys and be happy. It's like making your own cola vs buying a fridge pack of diet Pepsi.
 
rabident said:
Unless you enjoy torturing yourself, or are looking for some networking experience just get a Linksys and be happy. It's like making your own cola vs buying a fridge pack of diet Pepsi.
Click to expand...

As soon as I start getting Linksys routers giving me MRTG (or RRD) graphs as the default I will agree. Until such time...
 
I have a linksys router, I'm wanting to do this for the experience and the learning aspect.
 
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