Cable modem + home network = lots of Q's

[netsurfer]

I'm setting up a home network for cable modem service which I plan on acquiring. I'm trying to go the full 9 yards with rj-45 wall plates, patch panel, network closet (a clothes closet /forum/smile.gif) and some other stuff. I'm gonna have to crawl in my foundation! :/

Anyway, the RJ-45 cabling is what I'm wondering about. The path will go:

Cablemodem-to-Server(2NIC's)-to-Hub(uplink port or regular port?)-to-patchpanel-to-wall mount outlet-to-client(s).

Do I need to use a cross over cable from the server to the hub? or anywhere else?

Would it be a good idea to use 2 identical NIC's in the server, or a bad idea? (I'm thinking 2 LinkSys cards). Also, my server (which above mentioned will only be for cable modem, maybe a firewall) is an old p90, doesn't have PnP, and uses a card to connect to the hdd/cd, and another card for the fdd. In other words, not like my P2-450 and celeron(300A->450) systems with on-motherboard fdd/hdd/etc plugins.

And last but not least, does anyone use MediaOne particularly in Los Angeles? What do you think of it?

thx,
Alan

[Dominus]

I had to do the same sorta thing when I got my DSL.

You only need to use crossover cables if you don't use a hub, and are going directly from a NIC in the server to a client. But since you do have a hub, just use straight-through cables. You don't use the uplink port unless you are plugging hubs into one another, or are plugging the cable modem directly into the hub (which is stupid). You should plug the server into port 1 and the clients into the other ports.

A few points on cabling your house...

Avoid puttong the cabling anywhere near electrical wiring. The electro-magnetic interferance will give you no end of trouble.

Also try to keep the cables as short as possible, as long cables will affect network performance, and cables longer than 100m simply lose signal altogether.

Got any ideas about what kind of network you're setting up? Any ideas of proxy software & protocols? If you have any other questions, I'll see if I can help you out.

[netsurfer]

Most of my cables will be less than 20 feet I imagine. I've drilled holes through the floor, and am going to push them down and pull them up through the floor of my closet. As for electrical wiring, I'm not sure whether the cabling for it is mainly in the walls or the attic, but I guess it's worth to find out.

Previously, I had my p2-450 and celeron sys networked together via a 50 foot cross over cable, with my p2-450 running sygate server software and my celeron running the sygate client software with an internet connection through a modem. It worked pretty well, after I gave up on Wingate. Sygate is easy to setup, but it isn't very secure.

One of my linux friends suggested running the p90 server entirely on Linux, with a firewall for a more secure network... however, I'm far from fluent in Linux.

As for protocols, probably TCP/IP.

My biggest concern lies with the server, and whether the p90 will be able to handle 2 NIC's, seeing how it doesn't have a PNP bios, among other things.

[Mntsnow]

Netsurfer. Your P90 should do a fine job of playing Firewall/internet server. I at one time had a 486 dx100 running win95 with SyGate as my server. It had the Modem and a Nic card. (no sound, CD ect) It too also had the IDE/Floppy interface on a card. I personally had a 3com ISA 10bt Nic and a ISA 56k modem. As for server software I live and die by SyGate. but since I have not got a "LIVE" connection I have not gotten into firewall software so unfortunatly I can not help.

Mntsnow

[Dominus]

A p90 running Linux and acting as a proxy/firewall will perform excellently. You'll never have to worry about crashes or reboots like you would with Win98. There are frequent reports or Linux proxy/firewalls running 24/7 for monthes, even years at a time without reboots. Sysgate will work great on a P2-450, but will fail miserably on a P90. And most likely you'll have to reboot daily to renew your IP lease with your ISPs DHCP server. Perhaps you should keep your 450 as a server for now, and start working on setting up the p90 as a replacement. Once you go through the hell of running any kind of server on Win98, you'll be overjoyed at what Linux can do.

If you've got access toa CD-Burner, I can send you a CD-Image of Red Hat Linux 6.0, which is arguably the easiest to set up & use. Don't worry, Linux is free and legal to distribute like that. If you need any help setting it up, just ask.

[netsurfer]

I created two partitions (swap + main partition) on my Celeron system a couple months ago for Redhat Linux v5.3 and win98, and used LILO to manage them. I thought (at the time) it would be a good idea to begin learning the basics of Linux and see what I could absorb. I haven't messed with it in a few months, since I don't usually use that system, and my main priority of getting into X-Windows failed miserably with the Matrox Millenium G200 card I had in there. About all I know of Linux is how to boot up, how to login, shutdown, list files in directories (sorta, there's a few methods I think /forum/smile.gif)... and maybe even mounting the floppy drive. The rest is foreign to me.

I've heard that Redhat 6.0 supports something new that isn't found in prior versions and is necessary for internet sharing (of some form or function). I guess an ISO would be a good deal. I'm still on a modem though, so d/l'ing an ISO (or more than one if necessary) would take... days perhaps. But yeah, I got a cd burner. /forum/smile.gif

I spent all afternoon fixing up my P90. It was in storage before, with no floppy drive or hard drive, and I finally took the time to format, and replace them into the computer. Getting the ancient 4X CD-ROM drive to access and IDE card drivers to work took me more time than I expected. Nonetheless, I can now safely boot up to DOS, hit d: [ENTER] and begin reading CD-Rom drives.



[This message has been edited by netsurfer (edited 08-29-99).]

[Dominus]

Red Hat Linux 6.0 isn't required for internet sharing; any version of any distro can do that, but it would help you a great deal with your video card. I had vesion 5.0 when I started out in Linux, and I was in the same boat you're in with the vid card troubles. My ATI All-In-Wonder Pro wasn't supported in it's version of xconfigurator. So I got a copy of RH6, and I was OK.

I can find an FTP with an ISO of RH6 on it, but like you said, it would take days to DL. You'd probably be better off going to a local college computer lab. Almost all of them offer copies of any distro you can think of for just the cost of a blank CDR. Or if they don't have any distros onhand, I'm almost sure they'll have a T1 or something and a CD Burner. Most will let you use their facilities, no problem.

[ANTONIO E GUERRA]

Hi, everyone! Your Linux will be an excellent firewall. I installed Mandrake 6.0 as a firewall and using windows 98 sharing modem connection.Linksys cards work fine and they are really cheap. For what I had read, you 're following an excellent plan. In terms of Red Hat Linux 6.0, I think it is the best in terms of installation and configuration. I installed Mandrake 60 faster and easier than my previous Red Hat Linux 5.2 Good luck with your project.

[netsurfer]

Okay... but, I'm hardly fluent in Linux. Are there any online resources or books you guys recommend for someone who's fluent in DOS but knows next to nothing about Linux? (I mentioned what I know, and I consider that next to nothing /forum/smile.gif).

Heck, the idea of installing 2 Network cards into a Linux box somewhat frightens me. :/