Connecting to the Internet from a PC through a Mac 2

[mattrogers]

Hi all,

I'm having a bit of a nightmare and would appreciate some help.

I have a Mac (OS X 10.2) connected to the Internet via an ADSL connection.

I also have a Windows XP Pro laptop and I would like to be able to get the laptop to access the Internet through the Mac's connection.

I have managed to get both computers happily networked and they can share files and ping each other over a LAN. What I cannot do is get the IE on the PC to connect to the Internet through the Mac.

I've turned on "Internet sharing" on the Mac and had no luck. I tried many different proxy server settings in IE on the PC, without it making any difference.

Hair : all torn out.

Any help would be much appreciated!

Cheers,

Matt.

 

[Tels]

Well, I am not aware of the specific settings, having no mac experience.

However the Mac should be more than capable of acting as an NAT or Proxy server as it is based on a BSD/Linux style kernel - which is my OS of choice for precisely the sort of thing you want to do..

I find that NAT works much better than a Proxy server, this is what you should be researching IMHO.

NAT (Network Address Translation) also known as 'Masquerading' is a process where the gateway machine (your Macintosh) processes internet-bound information from any other machines in your private network, and alters the source address to make it appear as though all the data is coming from a single source - hence you can share a single internet connection.
When data is sent back from the internet, your MAC should then redirect it back to the correct machine.

If you can get NAT to work, you shouldn't need to configure anything on the windows box, as the NAT is totally transparent.

If you STILL can't get any satisfaction, do what I do. Get an old P100 for about £50 quid and download the (free) SmoothWall GPL2 Beta from

http://www.smoothwall.org,

This is a purpose designed BSD/Linux based router/firewall which does all of the above and loads more, and you won't have to bother your MAC with the extra work. I find it works extremely well for small to medium networks.

Good Luck

Tels function life(){
var retireAge = 65;
born();
for (i=0,i<retireAge,i++){
sleep(); work(); consume();
}
retire();
die();
}

 

[Foamcow]

Depending on your ADSL equipment and LAN setup, you may be better off getting hold of a DSL router (Linksys make some nice, fairly cheap ones that incorporate a network switch/hub).

You can then connect either machine to the ADSL modem and thus to the internet without the need to have the other machine turned on as you would if you made the Mac a proxy.

Set up is as simple as;
ADSL modem connects to the Router.
Mac connects to the Router.
PC connects to the Router.
Configure the Router either manually or using the supplied CD.
Bingo!

 

[Tels]

Yep, I totally agree with foamcow, but I would suggest having a look at smoothwall (for comparison at least) nonetheless - you should be able to use your existing modem in this way, costs are comparable (old p100s are sooo cheap now) and in my experience, the smoothwall offers extras you might not find on a router for the same price - vpn, proxy, logging etc.

tels function life(){
var retireAge = 65;
born();
for (i=0,i<retireAge,i++){
sleep(); work(); consume();
}
retire();
die();
}

 

[mattrogers]

Gents,

Demonstrating my ignorance now...

I like this P100 idea - can probably knock one of those together from some existing bits lying around. And sounds like a bit of a fun project too.

A few quick questions therefore - my ADSL modem has drivers available for Linux. Which I believe is what I'm after.

The smoothwall website isn't 100% clear about which OSs it runs on, but I'm presuming that its Linux. Is there any particular distribution of Linux I should be using? Naturally the aim here is to get a free one!

Any help would be much appreciated.

Cheers,

Matt.

P.S. Beginning to look like I'm going to be unable to maintain that &quot;programmer&quot; self-classifcation!

 

[Tels]

Smoothwall IS a free linux distribution all by itself.
(nb. smoothwall do a more advanced version you pay for)

You don't need to install an OS, and if you do it would be a waste of time as installing it completely formats your hard drive for itself.

It is basically a Linux(BSD) OS that has been stripped down to the minimum and then optimised with customised programs to be a firewall/router etc. and it works very very well.

This means it can run on almost any x86 machine imaginable. (just like linux can) In theory you could run it on a 386 with 8mb RAM (perhaps less).

The Linux OS gives it the ability to adapt to virtually any hardware as linux drivers are available for almost anything.

You only need to check that your modem is supported. Even if linux drivers exist for your modem, you will need to check that smoothwall supports it, as you could have unpredictable results otherwise.

You will also need a NIC in the machine you build for it, and a hub with at least 5 ports. But I figure you know this.

Regards

Tels
function life(){
var retireAge = 65;
born();
for (i=0,i<retireAge,i++){
sleep(); work(); consume();
}
retire();
die();
}

 

[Tels]

PS get the GPL 2.0 'bullet' version, if this isn't available anymore I have an ISO image you can have. its a 20MB file, though...
function life(){
var retireAge = 65;
born();
for (i=0,i<retireAge,i++){
sleep(); work(); consume();
}
retire();
die();
}

 

[mattrogers]

Its still on the website. Just downloading now....

Thanks for your help gents! I'll let you know how I get on.

 

[bradink]

I believe Internet Shareing by default uses 192.168.2.1 as the gateway.

On the pc, add some dns servers, add the gateway ip above, and give your machine an ip address on the 192.168.2 network that isn't being used (example: 192.168.2.100).

Apply changes and give it a go.

Really though, you should be able to just add the Gateway and get the rest via dhcp.

 

[Tels]

Weheeey I guess it worked for you...

I've just installed the latest beta, beta-4 'mallard' which seems to be a bit more stable - near release quality.

I hope this is of help to you, thought you should know.

Thanks for the recognition guys!

Tels &quot;Windows [n.]
A thirty-two bit extension and GUI shell to a sixteen bit patch to an eight bit operating system originally coded for a four bit microprocessor and sold by a two-bit company that can't stand one bit of competition.&quot;