easiest network setup [Archive]

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harlequin

2004-12-26, 04:22 AM CST

I've got a wireless network here that connects 3 winXP machines to the internet. I'm wondering if adding a linux compatible wireless network card to my linux box (running FC3) would be easier than adding an ethernet card/cable, connection it to my XP machine and bridging the networks. (The computers are less than 1m apart, so it doesn't make much difference which I use, and most likly I'll have both machines on at the same time anyway.)

I have very limited experience in adding hardware, and configuring it, so any websites/tips/hints would be muchly appreciated.

The proposed wireless card can be found here (http://www.dse.co.nz/cgi-bin/dse.storefront/41ce9f5c0a2a4de2273fc0a87f99071f/Product/View/XH8135).
The proposed ethernet card can be found here (http://www.dse.co.nz/cgi-bin/dse.storefront/41ce9f5c0a2a4de2273fc0a87f99071f/Product/View/XH8265).

Thanks in advance.

crackers

2004-12-26, 12:11 PM CST

Are you using a WAP or is your wireless network "Ad Hoc?" If it's "Ad Hoc" (peer to peer), then it'll probably be easier - and quite a learning experience - getting wireless to work in that environment. If you have a WAP, it's probably got a router/hub built into it and you should just use a regular network card and plug the Linux box into that.

harlequin

2004-12-26, 05:25 PM CST

No, It's not going to be 'ad hoc', it'll be connected to the router (that's in another room, so I can't physically connect to it) that is connected to the internet.

crackers

2004-12-26, 05:51 PM CST

Ah, option 3 - use the wireless card and connect to the WAP. Keep in mind, though, that unless you install SAMBA (both client and server), your FC box will not be "visible" to the Windows boxes except by IP address (or a lot of dinking around).

kosmosik

2004-12-26, 06:04 PM CST

what is the point of running wireless when the machines are 1m apart? if you have too much money (that you will spend on wireless router and cards, ad hoc mode sucks) invest in good gigabit ethernet NICs and connect them with good cable (you also will need a gigabit switch)...

there are loads of network setup HOWTOs etc. if you get an supported (go see redhats HCL) hardware only thing you have to do is put it in and it will be configured on boot... then you click yourself thru system-config-network and that is really it... I don't know what exactly you are asking?

harlequin

2004-12-26, 08:49 PM CST

crackers

2004-12-26, 09:30 PM CST

Given the extra information, using the XP machine to "gateway" for the Linux machine might work, at that. You're probably a lot more familiar with XP than I (stopped using Windows for good about 5 years ago), but I would imagine that a cross-over cable and two NICs would cost less than a compatible wireless card, if that's a factor.

In addition to SAMBA, you'll probably want VNC, as well - that'll make it more "fun" and easier to "switch" machines if you don't want to scoot that 1 meter... ;)

harlequin

2004-12-27, 01:13 AM CST

No scooting involved. Planning on getting a KVM switch, and using that (as I've only got the one keyboard monitor and mouse anyway).

I was think that the cost of the ethernet NIC was cheaper, and was planning on going for that. Then I was curious to know which was easiest to setup (I've setup the whole XP network in windows, yes I know it'll be different, but I imagine that there'll be similar steps...).

Edit: I found this (http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/showthread.php?s=&threadid=269969) topic in the linuxquestions forum, and is pretty much exactly what I want/need to do. The only differences being that the guy's got a wired link to the router (where I've got a wireless), and the version of linux is different (his is debian, mine is FC3).

I think that I'll go for the ethernet card.
Wish me luck!

harlequin

2004-12-28, 02:54 AM CST

Here's how it's set up at the moment. Can anyone see anything wrong with it?
SELinux is disabled, no FC3 firewall, XP's firewall (not the MS one, sygate) is set to allow all traffic on the ethernet card in the XP box.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v32/The_Harlequin/setup.jpg

Algernon

2004-12-28, 08:07 AM CST

@kosmosik

I'm sharing an ADSL internet connection between 3XP computers all in different rooms, I've got a linux box in my room less than 1m from my XP machine. I want to be able to connect the 'nix box to the internet, and was wondering which would be easiest:

1.) Connecting the 'nix box through my XP machine, and then to the internet (by bridging the WLAN
already on the XP machine and the ethernet LAN that I'll install).

2.) Connecting the 'nix box to the WLAN by eans of a wireless network card.

Cheers, I'll have a bit more of a look around, and investigate Samba.

I would connect the Linux to WLAN directly. You need to run the XP always when you want to use Linux.
What if the XP-PC is broken and you need to download patches/drivers etc?

If anything I would config the Linux machine to provide the access for XP to WLAN. Might not be the easy way but safest...

I haven't got a WLAN (yet) but I have used a firewalled approach in my home.

Like this:
Internet -- [ADSL]* -- [Firewall (LEAF-Bering)] -- [Switch]* -- Home PC's (4 pcs)
A WLAN could be added places market with * depending what I want to share. Internet or intranet + internet.

-M

crackers

2004-12-28, 11:54 AM CST

Algernon - he doesn't have wired access to the router, so your suggestion (although valid) isn't going to work for him.

harlequin - make sure the cable between the XP machine and the Linux box is a crossover cable, otherwise the two boxes won't be able to talk to each other unless you have adaptive network cards (which is probably unlikely). Other than that, I don't see any problems with the setup. Just keep that XP box patched and it's firewall on the wireless link running at full steam.

harlequin

2004-12-28, 03:14 PM CST

Heh, Crossover cable is what it is. I've been there done that. The wireless router that we've got comes with it's own firewall, I've got a software firewall running on my XP machine. I've been using this computer like it is (migrated from 56K to 256K ADSL then 2Mb ADSL) without suffering from *any* virus/spyware for the year that I've had it. (Good ol'd Firefox)

Strange things though:
SELinux is disabled, and there are no firewalls on the linux machine, and yet the linux machine can't ping the XP one (yet it can ping itself). The windows can ping the address of it's network card, but can't ping linux (the XP firewall has been told to let all traffic through on the ethernet connection).

I reckon it's something very basic that I've overlooked.

crackers

2004-12-28, 10:08 PM CST

Heh, Crossover cable is what it is. I've been there done that.
...
I reckon it's something very basic that I've overlooked.
:D Check the cable. Seriously! You should be able to tell from looking at the connectors if you actually got a cross-over, right?

Regarding your pings, are you using the IP addresses for the ping tests? Remember that Windows doesn't "know" the name of your Linux box and the Linux box doesn't "know" the name of the Windows box (unless you set up your own DNS server or edit the hosts file on both computers).

harlequin

2004-12-29, 12:49 AM CST

Yeah the cable is crossover (bought at the same time as the ethernet card, and has lables saying CROSSOVER). As for the pings (thanks to Ethereal) I know that the packets are arriving at the XP box, but then it seems that it doesn't know what to do with them. (linux: ping 192.168.1.254).

harlequin

2004-12-29, 02:06 AM CST

It is now working. I had to enable ICS (internet connection sharing) in windows (by doing this the ethernet card's IP is set to 19.168.0.1), then allow the nix box to get it's IP via DCHP.

I'd have though that it would have been able to ping the other machine when I used the static addresses... aparently not. Go figure.

Thanks for you input guys.