Help a newbie get started..

[IamDavid]

Hello networking people, I am about to set up my own home network and I need some pointers.. I want to set up a old P1 200 and use it as a router/firewall. I have five other PC's I am going to have on the network and 2 hubs. All connecting to the internet thru a cable modem..
Here is the basic diagram I am going to try and set up.... My Setup
So here are my first questions, please forgive my ignorance.

1.) I want to run Linux on the old P1 200.. What type do you recomend? I am very new to Linux also..
2.) Will Running all the pc's thru such an old PC slow anything down?
3.) Will it cause any problems running Linux on one PC and Win XP on all the others?
4.) Will I be able to regulate the amount of bandwith each PC can use?

Thanks a million for anyone who can help me out.. Remember, I'm a newbie at Networking so please don't flame me..

 

[NzAnE2K]

1) it might be a little laggy.
2) it probably wont but not sure.
3) i dont think it will cause conflics
4) you got to get a software to limit the bandwidth

 

[IamDavid]

Alright, I might be tired but that didn't help much. lol..

 

[ttn1]

I don't think you will have any problems at all. I use a MediaGX 180Mhz as a firewall router, which is way slower than a Pentium 200Mhz,
and I have no problems at all. I have 2 servers and 5 clients on my network.

I recommend Smoothwall , Freesco, or Linux router project(LRP). In order of ease of use.

You won't have any issues with running Linux on one and windows on the others. Smoothwall allows you to easily use DHCP,
which configure all your network addresses. I suggest at least skimming over the manuals first. This will give you a good base
understanding of how it works.

Regulating bandwidth is a little trickier. I haven't had the need to do this myself. Hopefully, there is somebody else here who has some
experience with that.

edit: As for flaming, you have laid out your questions much better than most I have seen here. So I'll leave the flaming to someone else.

 

[IamDavid]

Many thanks ttn1. I'm going to download that software now.

BTW: What distrobution of Linux do you recomend? Or doesn't it really matter? I have Mandrake and Redhat now but I can download any other distro...

 

[IamDavid]

Nevermind, Smooth Wall is sweet. Never heard of it before. Thanks again...

 

[Iron Woode]

<<Nevermind, Smooth Wall is sweet. Never heard of it before. Thanks again... >>


Freesco is SWEET! I am running it now on a strpped down Packard Bell C110 using the original p120 cpu (overclocked to 133). Its working great with no lag what-so-ever. I am using an old 170 meg hdd as well.

 

[IamDavid]

Thanks guys. I Got everything set up real easy. I used both of your suggestions and both were very easy to use and setup.. I think I want to do something a little different though. I want to install a full distribution of Linux on the router machine. I want to do this because I want to use it as a file server also. So here are my next few questions..

1.) Is it wise to use my router PC as a file server also? I know it may waste some bandwidth but I don't want to have two CPU?s running 24-7.

2.) What distro. should I install? Just a stripped down Red Hat?

3.) Would it be better if I put 3 NICS in the Router PC? 1 to the cable modem, then 1 to each hub? All the NICS and Hubs are 10/100.. My cable connection is a 2.4Mb connection if it matters.

4.) Would installing a printer onto the Router PC be real stupid? I would like to so everyone will have access to it but I think it will slow everything way down..


Once again please forgive my ignorance when asking about setting up a network.

 

[Nothinman]

1.) I want to run Linux on the old P1 200.. What type do you recomend? I am very new to Linux also..

An easy to setup one would be something like Coyote or LRP. If you really want to learn Linux get something like Debian or Slackware.

2.) Will Running all the pc's thru such an old PC slow anything down?

I doubt your Internet connection is that fast =)

3.) Will it cause any problems running Linux on one PC and Win XP on all the others?

No.

4.) Will I be able to regulate the amount of bandwith each PC can use?

Linux has a alot of QOS options, never used them though. You may need a full fledged distro (like Debian or Slackware) to get them working.

1.) Is it wise to use my router PC as a file server also? I know it may waste some bandwidth but I don't want to have two CPU?s running 24-7.

It's better to seperate them, but if you can't you can't. Just make sure you have Samba only listen on the internal interface, you don't want it exposed to the Internet.

2.) What distro. should I install? Just a stripped down Red Hat?

I really like Debian, but the learning curve will be higher for you.

3.) Would it be better if I put 3 NICS in the Router PC? 1 to the cable modem, then 1 to each hub? All the NICS and Hubs are 10/100.. My cable connection is a 2.4Mb connection if it matters.

It will probably just over complicate thing, but if you want to play, more power to you.

4.) Would installing a printer onto the Router PC be real stupid? I would like to so everyone will have access to it but I think it will slow everything way down..

If you already have Samba installed and configured properly adding the printer isn't going to matter much.

 

[IamDavid]

OK then,
You say it wouldn't be a good idea to use the router PC as a file server also. Why? Is it just because of the bandwidth issue? It will mainly be used to transfer MP3's and other small files between the network PC's. No outside sharing.
If Debian is so hard to learn then should I stick with Mandrake,Red Hat or Slackware? What are the benifits or draw backs of each? Is Debian just more configurable or does it do something special?
If I do use the 3 NICs in the router PC will it help out in any way or will it be a waste of time?

 

[Nothinman]

You say it wouldn't be a good idea to use the router PC as a file server also. Why?

Security. You want as little running on the firewall because the less you have the less the attackers have to work with.

If Debian is so hard to learn then should I stick with Mandrake,Red Hat or Slackware? What are the benifits or draw backs of each? Is Debian just more configurable or does it do something special?

Depends if you want to put the time into learning Debian, I feel it's worth the effort needed, you may not. In my opinion Debian is a more stable and better put together distribution than say RedHat or Mandrake, even Debian's developement branch called unstable is more stable. There's also very strict guidelines for things like packaging and file layout that make it feel like a more cohesive system.

If I do use the 3 NICs in the router PC will it help out in any way or will it be a waste of time?

I believe it would be good for nothing but learning. Unless you find yourself saturating one of the internal NICs a lot, which I doubt you will.