Setting up SOHO

[mike123]

I am in the process of building a small LAN at work(8-10 Nodes).I would like for every PC to go through the server(Which will house the firewall) to access the internet and all programs.I have it all wired already,and I need a little help with the hookup.I figure I would need a 4 port router going to a 16 port switch(16 port for future purposes) out of the switch to all workstations.Where would I have the server hooked up? and does the server get 2 Nic cards?Can someone please spell it out for me step by step?Thanks in advance.

 

[skyking]

1) You will need two NICS.
2) We'll need more details about server OS, firewall software, etc. You can probably dispose of the router, and let the server do DHCP and NAT.

 

[mike123]

I will be running Win Xp Pro on all.I think Black Ice for a firewall.I think I know what you mean with the 2 Nics.I would be coming out of the Cable/DSL modem into 1st Nic card in the server,then out of the 2nd Nic card into the switch,then out to all workstations,right?Any helpful suggestions about software or another firewall besides Black Ice?

 

[skyking]

I have no idea how to do what you want, using XP Pro as a server. It supports ICS, but does not have the server features of win2k server. If I needed a windows environment, I'd go with win2k server, but it is not a cinch to set up or configure, certainly not through a message board like this.
You may want to consider abandoning the "all software" part of your statement, and set up a fileserver only. Then you can employ a regular router with basic firewall features.

 

[Fuzznuts]

buy a router having xp serve as a gateway is not a good idea. do you expect the box to be up 100% of the time?

buy a router connect it to your switch enable the dhcp server on it voila connected. enable and configure the firewall on the router and all is done.

if you need the domain features of a server ie logons file serving and so the go the win2k route and set up a domain. still get the seperate router becasue having you server on the net firewalled or not itnt really a good idea.

basically get a router

 

[groovin]

why not just get a SOHO router that has DHCP, NAT, and firewalling built in? theyre pretty cheap nowdays.

so it would look like

cable modem/------/router/------/switch/----- everything else

will you be using a domain or a workgroup? im guessing workgroup because you want to use XP pro on all machines. if youre mind is set on doing the 2 NIC thing, XP will be tough to set up and probaly not the best choice. i wouldnt expect the performance specs on XP ICS to be as good as router (but on 10 nodes, its probaly negligible). NT 4 workstation had a server add on that made an ordinary NT workstation into a wannabe NT server (not as robust though) but i dont think XP has anything like that yet. also, black ice isnt the greatest software firewall out there.

save yourself a headache!

 

[mike123]

I did a little more research and decided to go with Win2k,and a hardware based firewall.So...Now the hookup.
Cable modem-----Firewall----Switch----everything else.Does anybody have any suggestions on which firewall would be a good choice?I'm thinking one from Cisco.I would think their products are well made.

 

[Fuzznuts]

cisco stuff is very good however it would be overkill for a small network. have a look at netscreen stuff its cheap very easy to setup via a browser and will do everything you ever need of it take a look at www.netscreen.com i have used them on a few installs and have had no problems so far a god cheap hardware firewall imho

 

[teqwiz]

Originally posted by: Fuzznuts
cisco stuff is very good however it would be overkill for a small network. have a look at netscreen stuff its cheap very easy to setup via a browser and will do everything you ever need of it take a look at www.netscreen.com i have used them on a few installs and have had no problems so far a god cheap hardware firewall imho

This is good advice. Cisco is some what time consuming and and has quite a learning curve to it. Also depends on your budget and future expansion possibilities that you might need. If it will expand to 100s of computers, later on, then a Cisco setup might be the way to go from the start. Not that cheap though, for a SOHO.

 

[mike123]

I thank all of you for your help.

 

[jonmullen]

Just FYI, if you are going to use 2k pro or XP pro than you can only have 10 computers connected to the server at one time, even if it is simple file shareing. If you are going to use Xp Home than you are limmited to 5 users. The 2000 server does not have limitations, but then you SHOULD have CAL's for each box connecting to it. Windows 9x boxes don't have a connection limit, but then you have your stability problems. For you situation, the best server to use would be a Linux distro and SAMBA. It is also a good learnign experience, plus it is free.