Old Computer + Ol;d Router = New Router?


Results 1 to 7 of 7

Thread: Old Computer + Ol;d Router = New Router?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Location
    Binghamton NY
    Posts
    2,435

    Old Computer + Old Router = New Router?

    I just moved into an awesome new apartment. It used to be a store, and, and the main area is just huge. I want to create a kind of community space for Linux friends to get together on the weekend, and for people to share information. Basically, a clubhouse for our LUG. So I need a network to share the connection. Eventually, i want to have a wireless option, but I'm broke as hell from the move and I would like to create a wired network from what I have on hand. Most of the LUG has laptops, but they're used to plugging them in when they bring them to the LUG meeting on the Binghamton University campus, so that will do fine for now. I need a router.

    When i moved, I switched from DSL to cable, and what I've found is that the cable connection has a way of bonding to the first computer that runs on it, and only running on that computer. I can switch the computer by pushing the reset button on the modem, but I can't run more than one computer at once.

    Now, the wired router that I have is an old D-Link that I used to use without any configuring to run more than one computer on my DSL connection. Now that I have cable, I've tried to set it up to run with the online interface, but it turns out that the modem is no longer supported, and the online configuration interface was taken down years ago.

    But the modem used to work fine with DSL., and no configuration, as a simple splitter. so without really knowing anything about this, I'm hoping that ought to be possible using an old computer to create a network that looks like this, using a single computer as a server to the router, which would hopefully work the same simple way from the server to the 2-4 computers that it worked from the DSL modem to the 2-4 computers.



    In theory, this makes perfect sense, but I don't know for a fact that it's possible, and I don't know how to do it. What kind of server do I need, and what software is required?

    The server computer is an old Pentium III box with 2 old but tested NIC cards. Right now, debian stable is installed, but I may try to install Ubuntu server. I also have a live CD (Devil-Linux) made expressly for routing that seems to be running very nice on this computer, so that's an option.

    Will this work? And how?
    Last edited by blackbelt_jones; 12-19-2010 at 04:37 PM.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Location
    Earth
    Posts
    1,616
    I'm not lucky enough to have a broadband connection available to me, but I have a situation, over dial-up, which is similar to what you are looking for. My setup doesn't involve any extra users that are competing for bandwidth, much... just me being on one or more computers at the same time. Well, the machines do compete for resources when they are uploading or download folding@home stuff or automatic updates, etc.

    Anyway, my telephone wall jack is connected to a 56K, external modem, which would be a DSL or Cable modem for broadband users. My modem is connected via serial cable to a computer running Smoothwall Express 3.0. I reckon with a DSL or Cable modem there would be an ethernet link from the modem to a second NIC on the Smoothwall machine. I hope to go this route if they ever get the broadband connections out here that are planned.

    Smoothwall acts as a router itself and serves up DHCP. So, I don't have a separate router, as in your diagram. I have a switch there.

    wall jack --- modem --(serial)-- Smoothwall machine --(eth)-- Netgear Gigabit switch --(eth)-- a bunch of computers (slackware, ubuntu, vista, windows 7)

    You can connect a wireless access point to the switch and connect wireless computers through that, with Smoothwall also serving up DHCP to those devices.

    So, well, since I don't have broadband, I actually have 2 phone lines and 2 56K external modems and 2 Smoothwall machines. On my second system, it goes like this:

    wall jack --- modem --(serial)-- Smoothwall machine --(eth)-- Linksys WAP54G --(wireless)--((( a bunch of computers

    There is no switch and no wired devices on that system.

    Oh, and you could connect a server machine to the switch in the first system for whatever your requirements are. And, of course, you can assign a static IP outside your DHCP designed range. For instance, I have something similar to this: My Smoothwall is the 10.10.10.1 gateway. It serves up DHCP in the range 10.10.10.100 - 10.10.10.200. My network attached storage and printer and new-just-learning-about-ubunut-server are statically assigned, like 10.10.10.240, 10.10.10.245, and 10.10.10.254.

    And, just to note, my Smoothwall machines are on low end 64-bit machines, but 32-bit Smoothwall will run on low end Pentium machines with low memory and small hard drives.

    And, in my random blathering here, my wireless system, via the WAP54G, only allows access to specific MAC addresses that I assign to it.

    (Ok, I'm not fully awake yet this morning, but I saw your post and I'm just throwing out some quick info. Hope it helps some.)
    -------------
    Folding is Fun

    I thought I made a mistake once, but, of course, I was mistaken.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Oct 2000
    Location
    Sweden
    Posts
    494
    As bs_texas says, your setup is fine.
    A few tips:
    1) The "server" - use it only as firewall & router (and dhcp-server of course). Don't use it for any extras like filesharing etc. This is for security reasons and also to keep workload down on a pretty old 'puter.
    2) The D-Link - use it as a switch only. (You probably can't run it as a router anyway.)
    3) For distro on the server: Debian will run ok, but it requires knowledge to make it run the way you want. Also do not install Ubuntu server.
    You are better off choosing a distro specifically made to run as firewall, there are lots of them.
    DevilLinux is one, a good choice on a low-end computer (IIRC), but that one has no gui so you need knowledge about commandline.
    Smoothwall is another distro which I believe will run fine, it also has a decent web-gui.
    As already mentioned there are lots of other fw-distros, if you have time search around and see what you can find. Of course, first decide exactly what that server is supposed to do then make your choice!
    In pingvino veritas!

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2003
    Location
    Austin, Texas
    Posts
    683
    I have used ipcop in the past to convert an old Pentium 2 system to a router/firewall. The system had 2 NICs in it, one connected to a router (providing internet access to the machine), and then the second NIC was connected to a switch. All of the computers connected to that switch used the ipcop system as their DHCP server. Worked great and the configuration was really quite simple.

    You should be able to install ipcop on your system and plug it directly into the router. Then have your D-link switch connected to the second NIC of the ipcop system (I'm assuming you have one based on your diagram and what you are trying to accomplish). If the D-link thing is a router instead of a switch then make sure it is not a DHCP server as the ipcop system is already going to be doing that.

    www.ipcop.org if you're interested.
    Last edited by gamblor01; 12-24-2010 at 04:04 PM.
    "The author of that poem is either Homer or, if not Homer, somebody else of the same name."

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Location
    Binghamton NY
    Posts
    2,435
    I'm not too psyched about Devil-Linux. It's just too weird. I had to google for 40 minutes to learn how login at the prompt. type root as username, leave the password blank. For eight years now, 95 percent of networking was knwing that the DSL connection automatically worked when I booted Linux. Since I know next to nothing about networking (how to assign a static ISP address? Huh?) I'm going to want to use the router-computer for things other than routing while I work this out. Otherwise I'm going to continue to put this problem off off, like I've done in the weeks since I started this thread. In the short term, I'm going to want to run some nice text based apps from the console like emacs and mplayer, and if Devil-Linux's LFS-based packaging allows me any way of installing applications other than compiling, I don't know what it is, and god only knows what development packages are lacking.

    So how about installing Debian stable (still Lenny?) from a netinstaller CD? God knows whatever software I might need to set up a router should be available with Debian if anywhere. Don't know how long it will take me to solve my router problem, but when I get there, Ill start using the computer exclusively as a router.

    So I have finally made my way to square one. I hope.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    May 2002
    Posts
    1,254
    There is lots of information on the web on how to configure linux using iptables for NAT and masquerading. You would also need to setup a DHCP server too.

    About any distribution using console mode only would work. debian would be my preference.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jul 2002
    Location
    New Orleans, LA USA
    Posts
    986
    Cable gives you one IP to work with and that is it. Though on the plus side, you should see significantly increased download speeds (though slightly slower upload speed). I suspect that your 'router' is either not actually a router, or is configured to not run as one. Out-of-the-box standalone router solutions should plug into a cable system, assume the one IP, and DHCP a local IP range to the other ports. If it is simply 'sharing' the connection, then it is running as a hub (forward all traffic to all ports).

    So first off, see if your router is indeed a router. If it is truly a router, then trying to configure it may save you the extra server in your diagram. Usually a router will have one port that is separated from the rest. This is the one you want to connect to your modem. The ones that are grouped together are the ones you want to use for your PCs. If there isn't one separated, it is a good chance it is not a router. For example, a picture of a modern router back side below (blue is for PC, gray for modem):



    If you don't have a router, that is fine, the server can act as a router using the single provided IP from your ISP and providing local IPs to your machines. Debian stable will work fine as this. Check up on your D-Link and let me know if it is a router or not. If it isn't I'll get ya the info to set up your Debian router.

    If you want to read up on network hardware and how Linux works with it, there is a good write up (debian based) here.
    "Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it's time to pause and reflect."

    -Mark Twain

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •