LAN/Internet questions from a networking newbie.

[CloudsShinji]

Hi all,

My first post here in the AT forums but I think this is definitely the place to ask for help; seems there are some pretty knowledgeable networking gurus around here.

First of all, I have read these FAQs:
Hubs, routers, switches, DSL, LANs, WANs...?
Basic Options for Internet Connection Sharing
...but I was just hoping to get a couple things clarified.


Anyways, here's my situation. I've just recently moved into a new place, and my roommates and I are looking to network our five computers for some LAN gaming, and of course, for use on the internet as well. Now, my main dilemma here is whether we should buy an 8-port switch and lease five IPs from the ISP, or buy a router and go that, er, route (no pun intended). My impression from the FAQs (most notably, the one pertaining to ICS) is that the router is the premiere choice for sharing an internet connection on a LAN.

However -- and I don't mean to sound skeptical here, as I really am a newbie to the networking game -- I have heard about and witnessed people in the past who have had trouble playing games on the 'net or using ICQ while behind a router. One of my primary concerns here is ease of use, and I don't want to sit down to play a game with some friends on the internet, only to find out that the router is causing problems.

In terms of security, I would be probably happier to use ZoneAlarm Pro as opposed to the router's hardware firewall, because I've had no trouble with ZAP in the past, and it is incredibly easy to configure. Meanwhile, I've heard (and again, no experience here) that sometimes it can be tricky to map ports and protocols (?) across the hardware firewall. In addition, I'm under the impression that only one computer can be in the DMZ, and I don't see that being a viable solution in the event that we all want to play games on the 'net simultaneously.

So, basically what I'm wondering is this: Will setting up a network be much more difficult using a simple switch as opposed to a router, and also will it perform better or worse? As well, in terms of internet gaming and programs such as ICQ that need to directly connect at times, is there an advantage to one method or the other?

I'm sorry for the length of this post and all my questions, but I've been searching around for a while and talked to several people, and I was ready to buy an 8-port Linksys switch when I read the ICS FAQ and it stated that the ideal solution is to use a router. I just really don't want to have any hassles, though. :frown:


Well, thanks for taking the time to read all this and I appreciate any and all help that you can give me!

 

[sml]

Any issues you'd probably have would result in using NAT [network address translation] and hiding several systems behind one 'real' IP address which the router is assigned. The other thing to watch out for is programs that require connecting to a socket on your machine that need a valid address; if the app doesn't understand how NAT re-writes packets you'll need to enable some port forwarding rules on your router. Any basic Linksys router can do this no problem.

 

[CloudsShinji]

Thanks for your prompt reply, sml.

So, it seems NAT is the major cause of problems for internet gaming while on a LAN? Would, then, leasing individual IPs for each computer on the network solve this problem? Also, would I be correct in assuming that Windows ICS would not need to be enabled for this option to work?

If so, that sounds ideal to me, because the added cost of the router as opposed to a switch wouldn't really be that large, as we'd be splitting it five ways.

Thanks again,
Shinji

 

[sml]

yes, with public addresses you will eliminate your need for many to one NAT and ICS as well; however, you'll still need a router to send the traffic back to your provider

 

[CloudsShinji]

Wonderful, thanks for all your help!

So in your opinion, would a Linksys router be a good router for our purposes?