XP + Wireless + Linux question

Greetings,

I need suggestions on how to configure a network with the following
requirements and hardware:

I have a Linux box, an XP box, an XP laptop, a 5 port hub, and a 4
port wireless hub.

The internet is connected to the wireless hub and currently provides
internet for the XP box and a laptop at the other end of the house.

I would opt to do internet connection sharing on the XP box with it's
connection to the internet being routed through the Linux box but the
laptop user doesn't want to have to have the Linux box running in
order to get access to the internet. I, however, would like to be
behind the Linux firewall.

I can imagine how to get the Linux box to provide firewalled internet
to the XP box. But what happens when I want the XP box to participate
in the windows network with the laptop and vice versa? How is that
traffic handled?

Any help and ideas are appreciated.

Thanks, -km

kurt miller wrote:

> The internet is connected to the wireless hub and currently provides
> internet for the XP box and a laptop at the other end of the house.

both able to surf at the same time?
If so, do they both get IPs from your ISP, or is your wireless hub
actually a router?



> I would opt to do internet connection sharing on the XP box with it's
> connection to the internet being routed through the Linux box but the
> laptop user doesn't want to have to have the Linux box running in
> order to get access to the internet. I, however, would like to be
> behind the Linux firewall.
>
> I can imagine how to get the Linux box to provide firewalled internet
> to the XP box. But what happens when I want the XP box to participate
> in the windows network with the laptop and vice versa? How is that
> traffic handled?

If you want them all to connect to the net at the same time, and:
- that's already possible, then it's easy ...
connect your linux box to the wireless hub, add another
NIC and enable routing and a DHCP server ... then connect
your XP box to the second NIC.
- that's not currently possible, then you'll need *something* to
"demultiplex" your multi-machine access down to a single IP address.
This would be a router, and will need to be on and connected for *any*
of your machines to connect.
Either buy a router and use that (wired or wireless, you choose),
or use your Linux box (notwithstanding the laptop user's objections)

Hope that helps (kinda),
Andrew

kurt miller wrote:

> The internet is connected to the wireless hub and currently provides
> internet for the XP box and a laptop at the other end of the house.

I would opt to do internet connection sharing on the XP box with it's
connection to the internet being routed through the Linux box but the
laptop user doesn't want to have to have the Linux box running in
order to get access to the internet. I, however, would like to be
behind the Linux firewall.
I can imagine how to get the Linux box to provide firewalled internet
to the XP box. But what happens when I want the XP box to participate
in the windows network with the laptop and vice versa? How is that
traffic handled?

If you want them all to connect to the net at the same time, and:
- that's already possible, then it's easy ...
connect your linux box to the wireless hub, add another
NIC and enable routing and a DHCP server ... then connect
your XP box to the second NIC.
- that's not currently possible, then you'll need *something* to
"demultiplex" your multi-machine access down to a single IP address.
This would be a router, and will need to be on and connected for *any*
of your machines to connect.
Either buy a router and use that (wired or wireless, you choose),
or use your Linux box (notwithstanding the laptop user's objections)

Hope that helps (kinda),
Andrew

After several failled attempts to reply to this thread, I hope this works!

kurt miller wrote:

> The internet is connected to the wireless hub and currently provides
> internet for the XP box and a laptop at the other end of the house.

both able to surf at the same time?
If so, do they both get IPs from your ISP, or is your wireless hub
actually a router?


> I would opt to do internet connection sharing on the XP box with it's
> connection to the internet being routed through the Linux box but the
> laptop user doesn't want to have to have the Linux box running in
> order to get access to the internet. I, however, would like to be
> behind the Linux firewall.
> I can imagine how to get the Linux box to provide firewalled internet
> to the XP box. But what happens when I want the XP box to participate
> in the windows network with the laptop and vice versa? How is that
> traffic handled?

If you want them all to connect to the net at the same time, and:
- that's already possible, then it's easy ...
connect your linux box to the wireless hub, add another
NIC and enable routing and a DHCP server ... then connect
your XP box to the second NIC.
- that's not currently possible, then you'll need *something* to
"demultiplex" your multi-machine access down to a single IP address.
This would be a router, and will need to be on and connected for *any*
of your machines to connect.
Either buy a router and use that (wired or wireless, you choose),
or use your Linux box (notwithstanding the laptop user's objections)

Hope that helps (kinda),
Andrew

On Wed, 21 Jul 2004 15:45:26 +0930, Andrew Kelly wrote:
> kurt miller wrote:
>
>> The internet is connected to the wireless hub and currently provides
>> internet for the XP box and a laptop at the other end of the house.
>
> both able to surf at the same time?
> If so, do they both get IPs from your ISP, or is your wireless hub
> actually a router?

I was going to ask the same, and in addition: aren't most of those WAN
(i.e. ADSL or cable-modem) devices actually "firewall routers"? In other
words, there is already a firewall built in. It is on my (non-wireless)
Linksys BEFSR41. It also provides DHCP (but I don't use it).

BTW, which computers are you (OP) connecting wireless? which are wired?

--
Juhan Leemet
Logicognosis, Inc.

Andrew Kelly <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message news:<(E-Mail Removed)>...
> After several failled attempts to reply to this thread, I hope this works!
>

THanks to everyone who got back to me! I'm not sure why the replies
aren't coming through but today I finally checked the NG and saw them.

Here is the scenario...

+------------+ +--------------------+
| | | |~~~~ +--------------+
| Internet |-<<<>>>-| Netgear WGR614 | | |
| | | Wireless Router | | Laptop |
+------------+ +--------------------+ | |
| | | | +--------------+
|
+--------------------+ |
| | |
| Linux Box eth0 +-----+
| |
| eth1 +--------------+----------------+
+--------------------+ | |
| XP Box |
| |
+----------------+


My questions are:

1) In this configuration, does anything special need to happen for
the XP box to communicate with the laptop as a windows client
(NETBIOS/IPX/etc)?

2) How is traffic exiting the Linux box get routed into internet
bound and internal only? Is that something I will need to configure?

3) Will IPTABLES need adjustment to allow the internal windows client
traffic to flow unimpeeded?

As you can tell I'm still learning this stuff. Thanks for your
patience.

-km

I have a slightly different arrangement.
I altered your diagram to reflect my setup.

The laptop has a default gateway that is set to the ip address linux box.
It also obtains its dns info from the linux box.

The linux box forwards all traffic using iptables masquerading.
Essentially, I only need the wireless router for the laptop. So I keep it
behind my primary firewall, which is the linux box.

Anyway, just an alternate suggestion.

Josh Beck

On 22 Jul 2004, kurt miller wrote:

> Andrew Kelly <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message news:<(E-Mail Removed)>...
> > After several failled attempts to reply to this thread, I hope this works!
> >
>
> THanks to everyone who got back to me! I'm not sure why the replies
> aren't coming through but today I finally checked the NG and saw them.
>
> Here is the scenario...
>
> +------------+ +--------------------+
> | | | |~~~~ +--------------+
> | Internet |-<<<>>>-| Linux Box | | |
> | | | | | XP |
> +------------+ +--------------------+ | |
> | | | | +--------------+
> |
> +--------------------+ |
> | | |
> | Router +-----+
> | wireless |
> | +--------------+----------------+
> +--------------------+ | |
> | laptop |
> | |
> +----------------+
>
>
> My questions are:
>
> 1) In this configuration, does anything special need to happen for
> the XP box to communicate with the laptop as a windows client
> (NETBIOS/IPX/etc)?
>
> 2) How is traffic exiting the Linux box get routed into internet
> bound and internal only? Is that something I will need to configure?
>
> 3) Will IPTABLES need adjustment to allow the internal windows client
> traffic to flow unimpeeded?
>
> As you can tell I'm still learning this stuff. Thanks for your
> patience.
>
> -km
>

Webmaster <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message news:<Pine.LNX.4.44.0407240125540.26203-(E-Mail Removed)>...
> I have a slightly different arrangement.
> I altered your diagram to reflect my setup.
>
> The laptop has a default gateway that is set to the ip address linux box.
> It also obtains its dns info from the linux box.
>
> The linux box forwards all traffic using iptables masquerading.
> Essentially, I only need the wireless router for the laptop. So I keep it
> behind my primary firewall, which is the linux box.
>
> Anyway, just an alternate suggestion.
>
> Josh Beck
>
> On 22 Jul 2004, kurt miller wrote:
>
> > Andrew Kelly <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message news:<(E-Mail Removed)>...
> > > After several failled attempts to reply to this thread, I hope this works!
> > >
> >
> > THanks to everyone who got back to me! I'm not sure why the replies
> > aren't coming through but today I finally checked the NG and saw them.
> >
> > Here is the scenario...
> >
> > +------------+ +--------------------+
> > | | | |~~~~ +--------------+
> > | Internet |-<<<>>>-| Linux Box | | |
> > | | | | | XP |
> > +------------+ +--------------------+ | |
> > | | | | +--------------+
> > |
> > +--------------------+ |
> > | | |
> > | Router +-----+
> > | wireless |
> > | +--------------+----------------+
> > +--------------------+ | |
> > | laptop |
> > | |
> > +----------------+
> >
> >

Yes, this was my first inclination BUT the Linux box must be running
for the laptop user to have internet access. Unfortunately that's not
possible.

Thanks much, -km

Kurt,


> Yes, this was my first inclination BUT the Linux box must be running
> for the laptop user to have internet access. Unfortunately that's not
> possible.

My news feed has jumped a bunch of messages without me seeing them!
Missed everybody's posts from after I posted to this reply from you ... have you sorted this out or made any progress?

cheers,
Andrew

Andrew Kelly wrote:

> Kurt,
>
>
>> Yes, this was my first inclination BUT the Linux box must be running
>> for the laptop user to have internet access. Unfortunately that's not
>> possible.
>
> My news feed has jumped a bunch of messages without me seeing them!
> Missed everybody's posts from after I posted to this reply from you ...
> have you sorted this out or made any progress?

Let me know if you don't receive this message. ;-)

--

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