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Network Issue

M

mrwabam

Member
Hello All,

I just purchased a 16 port switch off newegg for my home network. I was told by the IT guys at work that I could plug the cable modem into the switch, without using a router, as long as I setup my linux box to act as the DHCP server. I assigned the linux box a static IP and told it to act as the DHCP server, but nothing on the network will connect to the internet.

Has anyone ever setup a network like this? What am I missing?
 
May be an authentication problem.

I.e. the Modem does not see the MAC number that is registered with the ISP.

:sun:
 
Software in linux can't handle that? It has a router function off software, but I imagine I would have to connect the box directly to the cable modem and then to the switch...
 
Originally posted by: mrwabam
Is the only way to fix that to use a router though, a switch doesn't actually have a mac address does it?
Click to expand...

Your ISP sees the MAC address of the first computer that's plugged into the switch. (in your scenario: modem --> switch --> clients) Wrong.

I assume you're using your Linux box to act as a router? Your configuration should look like this:

WWW --> modem --> linux (NAT, DHCP) --> switch --> clients
 
Originally posted by: mrwabam
In that type of configuration, will the linux box slow the network down from www?
Click to expand...


Depends on how much bandwidth you get from your ISP. With modern 100Mb NICs, you shouldn't see a difference. Remember you'll need 2 NICs on the Linux box, one for external(modem) and the other for internal(switch). I recomend getting some cheap Intel 100Mb NICs; they use pretty low CPU resource.
 
Originally posted by: mrwabam
I get 10mb down from ISP, have gigabit nic's in the machine.... That should be sufficient no?
Click to expand...

Plenty. Your modem is probably capped at 100Mb anyway. Which Linux software are you planning to use? I've heard great things from Astaro.
 
May be I am missing something, if there are other computers on the Switch, how do they get the Routing?

The Network should look like this, http://www.ezlan.net/network/router.jpg

You can put a Linux Box with double NIC and Routing software instead of the hardware Router, but never the less, it should look like the pic above.

:sun:

 
Originally posted by: JackMDS
May be I am missing something, if there are other computers on the Switch, how do they get the Routing?

:sun:
Click to expand...

By having the router in front of the switch but behind the modem.

WWW --> modem --> linux (NAT, DHCP) --> switch --> clients
 
Originally posted by: Cloud Strife
Originally posted by: JackMDS
May be I am missing something, if there are other computers on the Switch, how do they get the Routing?

:sun:
Click to expand...

By having the router in front of the switch but behind the modem.

WWW --> modem --> linux (NAT, DHCP) --> switch --> clients
Click to expand...
Sorry Cloud your connection scheme is the right one, the post was directed to the OP.

:sun:
 
Originally posted by: mrwabam
...I was told by the IT guys at work that I could plug the cable modem into the switch, without using a router, as long as I setup my linux box to act as the DHCP server. I assigned the linux box a static IP and told it to act as the DHCP server, but nothing on the network will connect to the internet.
Click to expand...
You can't hook up more than one PC to your cable modem unless you:

a) Are given multiple IP addresses by your Cable provider
or
b) You install a router of some sort

What am I missing?
Click to expand...
Knowledgeable IT guys?
Or they either misunderstood you or you misunderstood them.
 
I'm thinking when I told them I was going to have my linux box handle the DHCP, they assumed I was going to have it act as the router :-(

Gotta pick up a second nic and i'll be good to go 🙂 Till then, just using the old router
 
I actually did what your trying to do for years using Linux and/or a program called WinProxy under NT & Win2k, but these days quality routers are so cheap it seems kind of pointless & more trouble then its worth... I'd say just stick with the router unless you just want to play around & make your setup work,
 
Originally posted by: mrwabam
In that type of configuration, will the linux box slow the network down from www?
Click to expand...

IMO a linux box running iptables or other popular nat software should run better than most off the shelf soho routers.
 
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