Lock out internet access?

I have two p.c.s (one has Windows XP and the other has Windows 98SE) in my
home office.

The two p.c.s are connected to a four port office network hub. One of the
other hub ports is connected to the internet via a router. This means that
both p.c.s have access to the internet.

What I would like is this:
(a) Windows 98 p.c. has office network access and internet access.
(b) Windows XP p.c. has office network access but NOT internet access.

(With (b), it would be useful to allow internet access on rare one-off
occasions (e.g. download updated driver) but I want it to be locked out of
the internet for 99% of the time.)

Is there a simple software switch in Windows XP that will allow traffic
to/from my 98SE computer but not the internet?

If not, is there another way? (Note: I don't really want to load Zone Alarm
or some other spyware program on the XP p.c.)

Thanks




Pandora

On Tue, 24 Aug 2004 12:04:35 +0100, "Pandora" <no--(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>I have two p.c.s (one has Windows XP and the other has Windows 98SE) in my
>home office.
>
>The two p.c.s are connected to a four port office network hub. One of the
>other hub ports is connected to the internet via a router. This means that
>both p.c.s have access to the internet.
>
>What I would like is this:
>(a) Windows 98 p.c. has office network access and internet access.
>(b) Windows XP p.c. has office network access but NOT internet access.
>
>(With (b), it would be useful to allow internet access on rare one-off
>occasions (e.g. download updated driver) but I want it to be locked out of
>the internet for 99% of the time.)
>
>Is there a simple software switch in Windows XP that will allow traffic
>to/from my 98SE computer but not the internet?
>
>If not, is there another way? (Note: I don't really want to load Zone Alarm
>or some other spyware program on the XP p.c.)
>
>Thanks


Check the user's guide for the router: many if not most (if not all) routers
provide MAC address filters which you can set to ALLOW the node(s) you want to
have internet access (and conversely DISALLOW the node(s) you don't want to
have internet access).

With this feature you configure the router to let the 98SE machine through to
the internet and block the XP machine. Both systems will still be able to
communicate on the LAN.

Relying on any scheme that requires the XP system to maintain a certain static
IP address is pretty much doomed to fail....

/daytripper

On 25 Aug 2004 08:00:57 -0700, "KW" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>Just curious.. Why would it be doomed to fail? Are you saying that
>for security reasons you can't trust the user not to tinker, and put
>the gateway back in? Or do you think that XP will somehow magically fix
>this?

Your first guess is the correct one.
And I certainly wouldn't trust XP to "fix" anything...

>To sometimes connect the XP machine to get the occosional windows
>update etc. (which is sometimes often) it is much easier to put the
>gateway address in, run the updates, then take it back out. Making the
>router configurations each time you want to do this is sensless. Unless
>of course you are doing this for security reasons and don't trust the
>user at the machine. In which case, I would think that the user
>wouldn't have administrative privileges to the machine and this would
>prohibit them from changing TCP/IP settings anyway. So, I don't
>understand your remarks.

The OP specifically requested a way to preclude one system from reaching the
internet. He did not make that a conditional request, period. Based on his
input alone, using the MAC filtering ability of his router (if it indeed
supports that mechanism - and I've yet to see a SOHO router that doesn't,
fwiw) is clearly superior than diddling with IP addresses.

Btw, in the future, consider including at least a little context from the post
you're replying to. It's the polite and proper thing to do...

hth ;-)