> On the topic of DNS though, I have found TC DNS servers to be less than > stellar in terms of being up-to-date.
... less than stellar in terms of being up. But never mind, you can configure Telecomic's name servers instead if you prefer. A DNS cache on the local LAN might be a good idea too. Hooking up a TC cable modem is about as mindless as can be imagined: 1) Connect power to modem. 2) Connect coax to modem. 3) Connect one end of an RJ45 UTP to modem. 4) The other end of said UTP has your public IP address on it. Plug into computer. Configure Linux ethernet static address. 5) There is no 5). 6) Check you turned the modem power on... This modem is neither a router, nor a firewall, nor a switch or hub. View it as a coax to UTP converter. At least some of the modem models snoop traffic and respond on 192.168.100.1, as long as you manage to set up your routing tables to force 192.168.100.x traffic out the modem interface. This gives you some interesting information about the modem, though nothing much to fiddle with. There's a DHCP server in there too if you want to use it. Hmm, perhaps it would work if you connected the modem to a $35-8port switch and plugged your computers into the switch. Just make sure one, and only one, computer has your public IP address. If you need a router, either use a separate computer with two ethernet ports (and a $35 switch, or more network cards), or pick one of your desktops and add a second NIC. Turning that desktop into a router would be <5minutes in SUSE, others I don't know. If you want some separate easy-go firewall/router software to install on your $SPAREPC, use ipcop if hobby-level hobby-performance suits you, or pfsense if you want something professional. If you have a server to the outside, add another NIC to your hardware and dump ipcop like a hot potato. There's also endian, but I couldn't decide that it really is much better than ipcop under the bottom line. This is the some total of choice for purpose-made router stuff on $SPAREPC. There are some other choices for embedded PC hardware devices. Volker -- Volker Kuhlmann is list0570 with the domain in header http://volker.dnsalias.net/ Please do not CC list postings to me.
