if you dont want to run linux, then you are stuck with win2k server and demands for a fast pc
if you want to use linux (i thought you would), then take a deep breath , set aside a few (hundred) hours, and get ready to have some fun. i have the exact same situation (cable modem with low-end dedicated ip-masq router) used a slackware 8.0 install (with upgraded kernel). just about any configurable installation will do. i like slack because it gives you extensive control over what is and isnt installed. for what you need, you dont need very much installed at all. basic libraries (glibc, maybe perl, python, i see no reason for java) -- all depends on how much extra stuff you want to compile and install on it later. if you have the disk space, just put all the libraries (of languages that youve actually heard of ;) ) on it. basic networking apps (telnet, sshd, no httpd (apache), no ftpd (proftpd, wu-ftpd, etc...), etc... basic admin tools (shells, /sbin, /bin, etc...), and some other stuff i surely cant bring to mind... oh yeah, a kernel as far as kernel versions go, you need to make a decision about which packet filtering tool you want to use. i initially ran ipchains (2.2.x kernels) cause 2.4.x was quite new, but i recently upgraded to 2.4.9 and had to switch everything over to iptables. i like iptables better than ipchains. its organized a little better (they learn a bit more how to organize these firewalling/filtering tools all the time). i say you start with iptables. forget ipchains and its predecessor (i forget the name -- was for 2.0.x kernels). besides, it will make you learn how to download, compile, and install a kernel (no, you cant cop-out and just run 2.4.5 from the slack install :P ). you will run 2.4.10 (download it from ftp://ftp.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v2.4/linux-2.4.10.tar.gz), or i will make you run 2.4.10. not really. its just good to know how to do this. the iptables howto is available (unofficially still) from http://netfilter.filewatcher.org/unreliable-guides/NAT-HOWTO.txt and a packet filtering howto (for more advanced firewalling) is available at http://netfilter.filewatcher.org/unreliable-guides/packet-filtering-HOWTO.txt again, you cant use iptables unless you are running a 2.4.x kernel if you are trying to do this with 2.2.x (and dont want to upgrade for some reason), you must use ipchains. a HOWTO for ipchains is available on http://www.linuxdoc.org check the HOWTOs section. if you are further trying to do this with 2.0.x (why?) then you need to use some other tool. i think its called ipfwadm or something... ya, that looks right (ip firewall admin). there is no reason to regress this far back. some people have things against new kernels and new tools. but ipchains and 2.2.x kernels are not still new. if you use ipfwadm and 2.0.x kernels, then you smell bad. umm... oh, how to use this stuff. read HOWTOs and Guides on http://www.linuxdoc.org (great site). there will be one illustrating how to compile a kernel, how to install a kernel, even how to write kernel modules and hack around in kernel guts. dont tell me they cant tell you how to do it. they might tell you how to do it in 30 pages, but its there somewhere. for those who dont want to read, (lazy, kinda like me), here is a brief rundown of useful commands and stuff: man <command> read the manual page for <command> tar -xvf <file> unarchive a .tar file gunzip <file> unzip a .gz file tar -xzvf <file> unarchive and unzip a .tar.gz/.tgz file cp <file1> <file2> copy file1 to file2 mv <file1> <file2> move file1 to file2 (or to rename) rm <file1> remove a file cd /usr/src/linux && make mrproper && make menuconfig && make dep && make clean && make bzImage && make modules && make modules_install && depmod -a && cp arch/i386/bzImage /vmlinuz && cp System.map /boot/System.map && lilo && reboot recompile and install my kernel ;) find guide/howto for this one! i think that should give you a good start. ... you will need to compile a kernel specially to run any kind of nat (network address xlation), so dont think you can get out that easy. go ahead and grab 2.4.10. if i missed anything or you got a Q, dont hesitate to spam it out to the siglinux list. thats what its for daniel brown Jai Jai wrote: > I look forward to this info also, and hope that any replies will either > be sent to the list or that I could be cc'd in the reply. > > No matter what you may believe to be true, Benjamin Bradley said: > >> Hi, I'm about to (hopefully) set up a LAN between the (4-5) computers in >> my house and would like to share a cable modem connection between them. >> We're thinking of setting up an older computer to be a dedicated gateway >> system. My question is: how fast does this gateway need to be? It seems >> like it wouldn't have to be very fast since all it's doing is NAT, but I >> don't want to get stuck with bad service. >> >> Also, is there any sort of step-by-step guide anywhere to set up this >> kind >> of thing? I'll be honest: linux scares me. I know it's the best way to >> set >> it up, but I realize that I don't know nearly enough to set this up on my >> own - much less troubleshoot it when things mess up. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Send administrative requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
