How to share a cable connection through a network

[b4u]

Hi,

I'm in the process of creating a network, with about 6 computers and a internet connection, and so I would like to hear some opinions on how to make what I want.

At the moment, there is a Windows 2000 Server and several other Windows 2000 Professional workstations. They are all connected to a 10/100 8-Port Switch.

There is a cable modem which is connected directly to one W2kPro Workstation, to an ethernet card. The modem is connected to the wall socket , and so it's the only computer with internet access.

I want to make the connection available to all computers, and so I was thinking that maybe, just maybe, if I connect the modem directly to the switch, instead of a computer's ethernet card, everyone would have access to the internet ... does it work like that? (I don't believe it, since it's too simple)

I was interested in every computer having internet, but for each computer, there must be an independent IP provided by the ISP, so that's the point where I believe the solution I gave above wouldn't work ... I would need something that would "map" the ISP's IP into each individual computer's IP, or something like that (I'm no expert in this area, as you can see). That way I would be also able to configure a firewall so that external people wouldn't be able to access any computer without authorization, besides an eventual web server (it would be configured on the W2Kserver).

How can I do that? What would I need? Some other hardware/modem from my cable provider?


Many Thanks

 

[SaintTigurius]

use a router not a siwtch ..

 

[Mellman]

you could setup ICS on your win2k server and share its Inet over the network...thats how i used to share dialup

 

[classy]

You can use ICS. But I would setup DNS and DHCP on the 2000 server. Install a second nic in the server. Connect the cable modem to one nic and the switch to the other. Plug in the pcs to the switch and assign my default gateway through DHCP. That is the long way . But you can just use ICS.

 

[Mellman]

yeah...ICS sucks but it will do what he wants...sometimes if the stars are lined up right

 

[SpunkyJones]

Get a router, connect it to the cable modem, and then uplink the switch to the router.

 

[duke2106]

On 2kserver, I think you need to install routing and remote access to do the ICS chores. I never set it up on my server because I have a router that does the routing. All my server does is DNS/AD and DHCP.

 

[Slowlearner]

All you need is a basic router even a 1 port one will do. Modem >>router>> switch any open socket

 

[JackMDS]

b4u

The solution depends on how the Win2000 server is used.

If the system is actually more like a peer to peer rather then using the Win2kServer as a central controlling and sharing unit, then the Cable/DSL Router is the best way to go.

If the Win2000 sever is used as a real server then you need a double NIC in the Server computer and it has to be set correctly as a server using windows ICS as the NAT agent.

Link to: How To Set Up Internet Connection Sharing in Windows 2000.

:sun:

 

[b4u]

Thank you all for the answers so far, they helped me finding some extra info and gather some more knowledge about the subject.

I still have some questions, though:

Originally posted by: JackMDS
b4u

The solution depends on how the Win2000 server is used.

If the system is actually more like a peer to peer rather then using the Win2kServer as a central controlling and sharing unit, then the Cable/DSL Router is the best way to go.

If the Win2000 sever is used as a real server then you need a double NIC in the Server computer and it has to be set correctly as a server using windows ICS as the NAT agent.

Link to: How To Set Up Internet Connection Sharing in Windows 2000.

:sun:

What do you mean by using it as a "real server"? At the moment, it's a server that provides AD/DNS/DHCP/Personal Folders (after each user is logged, a mapped drive is created that points to a specific directory on the server, which only the user and a server admin can access).


Another question regarding routing:

Let's imagine that I buy a router with 4 ports (and a WAN port). I connect the cable modem on the WAN port, then I uplink my 8-port switch to any available port on the router.

Let's imagine that my ISP give me (my cable modem registration) the following IP: 213.10.0.80.

On my network, I'm using (with subnet 255.255.255.0):
192.168.0.1 -> Fixed IP on the server
192.168.0.10 ... 192.168.0.30 -> Scope defined in DHCP on Windows 2000 Server, which provides dinamic IP's through my network.

The question starts like this: two computers on my network connect to the internet, they both use the IP from my ISP. When a response is received (like some response from a web server), the router is responsible for distributing the packages to each individual IP from my network that asked for it, right? How does he do that? I mean, my initial request must have my local IP, and my router will "encapsulate" it on my ISP's IP? If I have 3 levels of routing before reaching the internet, will I have 3 "encapsulatings" before the package is finally given the ISP's IP?

Let's now imagine I configure a web server on my W2KServer. I setup my ISP to give me a fixed IP, so I can register a domain on the web. So when people type http://www.something.com, the DNS's will map it to 213.10.0.80. Then the request is made and reaches mu router. How does it know which computer he must deliver the package? I mean, he has to deliver to 192.168.0.1, an no other, or it will not be processed ...


Thanks allot for the help, tips, lights-on

 

[SaintTigurius]

It just works, dont make it to difficult for your self,

Your internet will not slow down,
Your server will work fine,
Your other computer will be able to get online,

Follow the K.I.S.S rule and it will all work out with no worries.

 

[b4u]

Yes, I bet it works fine with everyone having access to the internet. But I must say somewhere that I have a web server running on 192.168.0.1 port 80, or else the router just doesn't know what to do with an arriving packet, right? (same happening if I create an ftp server on a workstation pc).


What's the K.I.S.S. rule?

 

[SaintTigurius]

all u have to do is forward the ports on the router, to the pc and the specific ports, every router has it inside the console..





K.i.s.s rule, best rule i have there is ,


Keep it Simple Stupid.

 

[FrustratedUser]

Get a router. Easiest and best way to go.

 

[b4u]

Originally posted by: SaintTigurius
all u have to do is forward the ports on the router, to the pc and the specific ports, every router has it inside the console..

How is normal configuration of a router made? Is it made through a browser accessing a specific IP that represents the router? That's the console you're talking about?

Does the router normally have a hardware firewall included, or is not normal to find some router with that feature? And is it configured by a browser the same way I said above?

Originally posted by: SaintTigurius
K.i.s.s rule, best rule i have there is ,


Keep it Simple Stupid.

lol



Sorry for all these questions, just trying to get some more info, so I clearly know what to choose.

Thanks.

 

[Slowlearner]

Yes you configure it by accessing either through a web browser or telnetting to it (some even have a separate COM port), and yes all routers function as minimal firewalls (thru NAT) configured thru the above. There are more robust and configurable hardware firewall appliances available, see tomsnetworking.com or practicallynetworked.com, that are more expensive and have many more features, in which case you may be better off considering a Cisco or equiv router.

At work, I have peer to peer network with 25 "clients" and a "server" running W2KS no AD etc and two ISPs - cable (set up for dynamic IP addressing) and a partial T1 from the telco (set up with fixed IPs) - and both connect to one of the switches ( have 2 x 24 port sw) without any problems.

You haven't explained whether your setup is for an office or home - but for an office with only 8 PCs I would strongly recommend using an outside service for email/ftp/web hosting as the cost is less than 100$ a year.

 

[b4u]

Originally posted by: Slowlearner
You haven't explained whether your setup is for an office or home - but for an office with only 8 PCs I would strongly recommend using an outside service for email/ftp/web hosting as the cost is less than 100$ a year.

Well it's for a small office, but the web site will work with a database containing some sensible information, hence the importance of keeping it "inside" the company.

About your connection, you mean you have 2 different routers (1 for cable and 1 for T1) connected on the switch? So you have the switch Uplinked to a router and another port connected (through a cross-linked cable) to the other router?

 

[Slowlearner]

I have 1 router - a SMC Barricade - for the cable - connected to a port on one of the switches (as all ports on switches are autosensing - I dont use the uplinks port) connected thru regular cable. The only reason for using the Barricade was for its WAN & LAN side logging feature.

The telco has a box onsite which has a router as an add on card in it but that is not NAT enabled, there are usually problems getting two routers to work in a network. We use the telco's rel slow connection, 256K up/down, as a backup connection for the "newer" PCs running WinXP (used by front office staff) that allows alternate IP addresses. We were forced to use it initially as our primary connection as we are too far away from the telco's CO to get a fast DSL connection, and the area at that time had no cable.