Help with router,LAN,NT Server

[Netma]

In our office we have a lan operating on NT Server using netbuie protocol. There are five workstations running Win95 or Win98SE on the network, all connected thru a hub. We are going to get cable modem service from Adelphia. I have this service at home and they use the mac address as the identifier. We need for each workstation to be on the internet for business purposes. The ISP wants $90.00 for the first user and i think $40.00 for each additional user.

From what I have been able to learn so far, I think that I am supposed to connect the modem to the router (SMC Barricade 4 port) and then connect the router to the network hub thru an empty hub port or the hub uplink port. I use either a straight thru or crossover cable depending on whether it is a empty port or an uplink port. Then I think I am supposed to have the router clone the mac address from the single NIC which the cable company supplies. Since I won't be using the NIC they supply, does it matter whether it is a normal internal NIC or is an external usb NIC, as long as I can clone the mac address.

That's about the extent of my knowledge. We of course don't want anyone to have access to our network thru the internet.
Also we will need at least five email addresses, which I assume we have to pay the ISP for or else use yahoo or one of the other freebies.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Hoober]

The router will mask the number of computers behind it, so if you go that route through a cable connection, you won't have to worry about the extra IP addresses or charges for multiple computers (if you don't want to pay). Since it is a business, though, I'm sure that's not much of a problem.

As for the connection, you should be able to take a crossover RJ-45 from one NIC in your server and plug it into the modem. Then use a second NIC in the server and, depending on whether or not your switch has an uplink port, plug either a crossover cable or a straight patch cable into the switch and then all your client computers into the switch, set them to look to the server as the gateway, and you should be all set.

 

[Netma]

I thought that by using the NAT feature on this router that I could connect it directly to the hub.

 

[Moshster]

You are correct in your first post, clone the mac of the NIC supplied by your ISP through the router (make sure it has the option), the router will pull an IP from the ISP and assign private IP's to all of the PC's you connect into the hub/switch that the router is uplinked to (if DHCP is enabled on the LAN side). Thats it, no need for 2 nics in a dedicated PC unless you dont want to use the SMC router. 2 Nics in a Pc would serve as a router the same was as the SMC but using software such as MS ICS.

Bert

 

[Moshster]

You will want to statically assign the ip adress of the PC with the NIC supplied by you ISP so that you can tell the router the clone the MAC of the NIC with that particular IP adsress. So make sure that your DHCP server starts serving IP's above the one you are using statically on that PC.

Bert

 

[Netma]

Thanks, Bert
Do I have to do anything to the browser in each workstation or will they work automatically. I understand about the IP addresses having to be higher

 

[Moshster]

They will work automatically, its very simple these hardware routers are basically plug and play if you have a Dynamic IP from your ISP and you don't need to use a particular MAC Address. Each PC wil pull an IP, DNS servers and the Gateway IP from the routers built in DHCP server, as far as the PC is concerned it thinks it is connected to the modem directly.

Bert