Cannot set gateway!

I have a dumb device, which runs customized linux.

It is network enabled, but the only settings I can give it are:
1) IP Address
2) Subnet Mask.

There is no way to set the gateway. Wondering what might be the
implications of that. Can it take a public IP address? Will I be able
to access it from a different subnet? etc. I am conversant with
general networking stuff, but am not an expert.

Some more info:
No program on the device is supposed to "go out" or contact other
devices. All it has is a file-system and an FTP server, so that other
devices can grab files off this one.

Please advise.

Thanks.

On 2004-09-11, Soham <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> I have a dumb device, which runs customized linux.
> It is network enabled, but the only settings I can give it are:
> 1) IP Address
> 2) Subnet Mask.

Evidently is not designed to be connected to the whole of the
internet, but only in a LAN with one subnet. Check the documentation.

Davide

--
Some programming languages manage to absorb change, but withstand
progress.
-- Epigrams in Programming, ACM SIGPLAN Sept. 1982

Davide Bianchi <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message news:<(E-Mail Removed) n.net>...
> On 2004-09-11, Soham <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> > I have a dumb device, which runs customized linux.
> > It is network enabled, but the only settings I can give it are:
> > 1) IP Address
> > 2) Subnet Mask.
>
> Evidently is not designed to be connected to the whole of the
> internet, but only in a LAN with one subnet. Check the documentation.

Wish I could RTFM. There is no manual and the company that makes this
device is too dumb and unresponsive. Also, we do not have the setup to
actually try things out. Hence the newsgroups.

So if I understand correctly from what you say: It can only be
accessed from the subnet it is connected to?

Thanks.

On 2004-09-11, Soham <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> Hence the newsgroups.

....maybe you should have added the brand/model of the dumb device then...

> So if I understand correctly from what you say:

This is what I can think from what you said and what you didn't said...

Davide

--
On the road, ZIPPY is a pinhead without a purpose, but never without a
POINT ...

In article <(E-Mail Removed) >, Soham wrote:
>I have a dumb device, which runs customized linux.
>
>It is network enabled, but the only settings I can give it are:
>1) IP Address
>2) Subnet Mask.
>
>There is no way to set the gateway. Wondering what might be the
>implications of that. Can it take a public IP address? Will I be able
>to access it from a different subnet? etc. I am conversant with
>general networking stuff, but am not an expert.

Obviously it was not designed to go outside of the local network. One
way around this would be to put it on it's "own" network such as
192.168.1.0, along with one other dual homed host that is doing
IP-Masquerade" such that this dumb box only sees one other host.
This is just the reverse of the "normal" IP Masquerading setup,
but the concept is the same. All of the "other" hosts that need to
access it should be sending packets to the second NIC of the dual
homed host. This _probably_ isn't the most desirable solution, but
it would do the job.

Old guy

Moe,

Thanks for your great suggestion. That is a nice solution, but
probably not the most ideal for us, since I have to assume that the
device should stand without the help of any other computer/NAT device
i.e. plug and play from the data-jack!

I have figured that I can forget about using this guy from a remote
network. I am happy that it can atleast be given an IP !



(E-Mail Removed) (Moe Trin) wrote in message news:<(E-Mail Removed)> ...
> In article <(E-Mail Removed) >, Soham wrote:
> >I have a dumb device, which runs customized linux.
> >
> >It is network enabled, but the only settings I can give it are:
> >1) IP Address
> >2) Subnet Mask.
> >
> >There is no way to set the gateway. Wondering what might be the
> >implications of that. Can it take a public IP address? Will I be able
> >to access it from a different subnet? etc. I am conversant with
> >general networking stuff, but am not an expert.
>
> Obviously it was not designed to go outside of the local network. One
> way around this would be to put it on it's "own" network such as
> 192.168.1.0, along with one other dual homed host that is doing
> IP-Masquerade" such that this dumb box only sees one other host.
> This is just the reverse of the "normal" IP Masquerading setup,
> but the concept is the same. All of the "other" hosts that need to
> access it should be sending packets to the second NIC of the dual
> homed host. This _probably_ isn't the most desirable solution, but
> it would do the job.
>
> Old guy

Soham wrote:

> I have a dumb device, which runs customized linux.
>
> It is network enabled, but the only settings I can give it are:
> 1) IP Address
> 2) Subnet Mask.
>
> There is no way to set the gateway. Wondering what might be the
> implications of that.

Depends on what you want it to do ;-)

> Can it take a public IP address?

Nope.
It can't route anything back out that's not on the local subnet.

> Will I be able to access it from a different subnet?

Again, nope.

To work across subnets (to /route/, IOW) you need a gateway.

> Some more info:
> No program on the device is supposed to "go out" or contact other
> devices. All it has is a file-system and an FTP server, so that other
> devices can grab files off this one.

In which case it doesn't /need/ a gateway.

If you are adamant about reaching it from a different subnet then you
can try the following:

- set up a Linux box with iptables on the same subnet.
- configure it to route all traffic meant for the box to a local
address, i.e. use DNAT translation to the inside of that subnet.

Then again, if you have a spare Linux box you don't need the device ;-)

HTH.

--
J

All your bits are belong to us - again.