I need a software routing solution!

[spyordie007]

Hey guys-

Tonite I will be rebuilding my server and I am looking for a good software to use to share the internet connection in my house. It is/will be running Win 2K (Server).
I need a program that will allow me to share the connection with more than 2 interfaces, I have a WAN interface and 2 seperate LAN interfaces and I'm looking to be able to get out from both of the LAN interfaces.

Any ideas for good software to do this?

 

[sohcrates]

How about using win2k's native ICS (internet connection sharing?)

 

[watts3000]

Why don't you just get a router. Or like sohcrates said you can use ics.

 

[spyordie007]

<< How about using win2k's native ICS (internet connection sharing?) >>


ICS would be okay, however the problem with ICS is it will only share an internet connection with 1 interface (IE you have 2 network cards and one of them is the WAN and one is the LAN). I have 3, a WAN a LAN and a Wireless LAN and I want to share the internet connection (route) for both the interfaces behind the server.
anyone have any ideas?

-spy

 

[spyordie007]

FYI...ICS is actually what I am running right now

 

[spyordie007]

<< Why don't you just get a router. >>


I was hoping to work with what I had, rather than spending more money...

 

[sohcrates]

you can still use ICS, just plug the "LAN" nic into a switch or hub (you can find them cheap)

then you can plug anything you desire into the switch or hub...even your wireless access point or what not.

does this help?

 

[JustinLerner]

Why do you want to share the internet with both NIC's? Usually the reason to have more than 1 NIC is to separate more than 1 network or multilink NICs. You need to provide more info about what you need to preserve and what you need/want to achieve. So tell us why can't all IP hosts share the same network/subnet and access via 1 NIC?

If all other network clients need access and you can't enable both NIC's (by default this is the way ICS works), then buy a router. Or multilink both NIC's (they will share the same IP address when you do this anyhow!) for either load balancing or adaptive fault tolerance (if you have Intel NICs, otherwise you need Advanced Server to do this).

BTW, it's a significant (potential) security problem to use a 2000/.NET server for or with ICS (according to MS).

 

[spyordie007]

I guess your right sohcrates I wasnt being terribly clear, here is what I am doing:

I have my server box (it runs a little web and ftp site, but nothing "critical") running Windows 2K Advanced Server. Up until yesterday it had 2 NICs, one of them connected to my cable modem and the other to a switch that my roomate and myself use for our local network. What I would like to do is install a wireless NIC that I have on the server so that I can use the internet connection wirelessly without having to shell out the money for a wireless gateway. I was thinking about just using some routing app to share that internet connection for both the network connection that connects to the switch (which also runs client for MS networking, etc.) and for the Wireless network connection (running simply TCP/IP so that security isnt a big issue) but havent been able to find a good program to do this with.

Justin, I've never though of Multilinking NICs, that actually sounds like a fun configuration to play with, however the problem with that would be that I would run the same procols on both NICs and I dont want to have client for MS networkgin, etc. running on the wireless nic, I want that to stay strictly tcp/ip. Do you know of any security issues for using ics on a webserver other than the fact that people are going to see traffic comming from my server that are of "big" concern, again there really isnt much that isnt replaceable on the server so security isnt quite as important (although I would like to be "as secure as possible", but we all know security is a myth anyways )

-Spy

 

[sohcrates]

so you want to turn your win2k adv server box into a wireless access point?

you can most likely do that, but you will not therefore be able to connect with anything other than other wireless machines.

so how many machines total are you looking to connect?

1) win2k server box
2) some laptop or something w/ wireless card?

what else?

are you still looking to keep the switch?

 

[spyordie007]

yes, I'm still looking to use the connection into the network, I have done something similar to this before connecting the wireless network card to my desktop and runing ICS on it, but than to connect to the internet I'm going through NAT twice and I have to have my desktop running. I was basically hoping to come up with a way to have the server do it.
I currently have all 3 interfaces setup on the server, and I can even use the wireless interface to connect via tcp/ip (last night I used it for ftp). I have ICS running as well and it shares the internet connection, however it will only share with one interface, it is currently set to use the interface that connects to the switch, however all I have to do if I want to use the wireless network card is change ICS to use that interface. The downside to that is my roomate (Viper GTS) can no longer get online, and he tends to whine allot when I do that.

Correct me if I'm wrong but if I have all 3 interfaces setup to use tcp/ip shouldnt it be fairly easy to use a piece of routing (nat) software that will route between 3 interfaces rather than 2?

-Spy

 

[spyordie007]

<< so you want to turn your win2k adv server box into a wireless access point? >>


And yes, that's exactly what I'm looking to do!

 

[sohcrates]

<< piece of routing (nat) software that will route between 3 interfaces rather than 2? >>



ahhh...now i see where you're going with this. i don't know of any such software unfortunately...always wondered myself.

most likely it's gonna be easiest to just get a wireless router and go to town...not the cheapest route but the easiest that i know of (it's what i do)

hopefully someone else might see this thread though and hook you up with another idea...i'll see what i can find out there though

 

[spyordie007]

thanks sohcrates

Hey look I finally hit that "senior member" point!

anyone else have any ideas or heard of a program that could pull this off?

 

[spyordie007]

<< most likely it's gonna be easiest to just get a wireless router and go to town...not the cheapest route but the easiest that i know of (it's what i do) >>


FYI this will probably be the eventual solution, but I have the wireless nic and I already know how to hook up an 'adhoc wifi connection so I figured it would be worth a try to pull it off with what I have. Right now I cant afford to shell out the $200 for a wireless router....

-Spy

 

[jimmyhaha]

get a wireless router
your life will be easier and u will thank me...
sell your kidney so u can finace it..


and I assume u have a wireless access point.. right + wireless card ?

actually, wireless access point should be transparent to the network, so u can get a normal router ~$50-70

and plug the wireless access point to the router...

 

[spyordie007]

Thanks for your help guys, the other night I got WinRoute running on my server and I am happily browsing on the wireless internet connection, I just setup all the wireless interfaces for TCP/IP with hardcoded IP's (and no DHCP server).

A very sweet configuration and I didnt have to spend $200 for a wireless gateway...

If I ever want to enable file sharing I think I will just run a VPN to the server rather than "relying" on WEP for security...

If anyone else wants info on how I did it just ask and I'll give you more details!

cheers
-Spy