Getting cable modem, need ideas on how to network?

[robisc]

I am going to jump on the broadbandwagon, cable more specifially, ISPchannel is the cable ISP here where I am. My situation is: I have a samll LAN with a netgear hub with 4 machines networked, they are 1. dual boot WIN98se/Win2k 2. BeOS 5 3. NT Server 4. Linux. They are all successfully networked right now but I want to go cable and give them all access to the outside world, the most logical thing I think would be to put the cable modem on the server and access the net that way with the other machines but the ISP has only support for Win95/98. So any suggestions on how best to do this is appreciated.

 

[aventari]

hmmm i dont see how the ISP can only have support for win9x.. It's probably that the sh*tty software they install when they setup the cable modem is only for 9x.. You know--the customized IE browser and the other garbage that will run at bootup.

An easy way to do it would be to get a Linksys router and hook yer cable into that and then go to each computer and let the router do the dirty work.

Or you could set up your server as a proxy server. I dont know anything about that though, i'll admit

aventari

 

[andri]

Let the Linux box do the NAT (if getting the connection to work under linux is possible). The TCP/IP stack of Windows * is just horrible...

 

[robisc]

Router is probably going to be the way to go since they don't support Linux or NT, I don't know why either except that like aventari said it's their sw. Here is a link to their requirements

[L]http://www.ispchannel.com/CableModemServices/ComputerRequirements[/L]

 

[warlord]

we have a networking forum, that might help.

anyhow, here are some links, so you won't have to bother using the search function of this board.


http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.cfm?catid=36&threadid=211534
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.cfm?catid=36&threadid=203389
http://www.timhiggins.com/

 

[vi edit]

I'd say just throw a second NIC in the Linux box and run Freesco off of it.

All you need to do is get
a) IP Address(if they don't use DHCP)
b) DNS servers

Follow the directions, and boom, you have a full featured Router firewall for free.

P.S. what they are telling you about being windows only compatible is bunk. They are probably just saying that to cover their asses on tech support. If you don't have what they reccomend, you don't get support. I'd say check out freesco.