Creating a router?

[JasonYip]

Hi,

My friend and I are trying to create a router with 3 PCI nics and 1 onboard. We're using a P2-400mhz and any hdd we can get a hold of (it will be >= 2.0 gigs). Any suggestions/tips/guidelines would be helpful.

Jason

 

[manarth]

why 3 NICs (+1 onboard)? what are you trying to route?

a router is typically 2 NICs; a LAN side and a WAN side. However, a lot of SOHO routers have an integrated switch on the LAN side, so it appears to have 4 connections.

if it's just a basic internet router you're looking to setup, have a box with 2 NICS (or the onboard + 1 NIC) and use a switch on the LAN side.

<marc> i wonder what will happen if i press this...[ul][li]please give feedback on what works / what doesn't[/li][li]need some help? how to get a better answer: faq581-3339[/li][/ul]

 

[JasonYip]

Thanks for the input. What we're trying to go for isn't internet sharing but a way of expanding the number of 100 meg connections we have in our office (we currently have two). We'd like one to come off the LAN and link with the router (the onboard) and distribute (the PCI cards) to the rest of the computers.

 

[manarth]

how many PCs are in the office / on the LAN?
do they all have 100 MBps NICs in?
how are they networked currently? (i.e. switch / hub)

it may be that a 100 Mbps switch will do the job better than a router.

<marc> i wonder what will happen if i press this...[ul][li]please give feedback on what works / what doesn't[/li][li]need some help? how to get a better answer: faq581-3339[/li][/ul]

 

[JasonYip]

I've got 2 100 mbps feeds (1 dedicated for ghosting), anywhere between 2 and 5 computers yes all are capable of running 100 mbps. As for the switch, where's the fun in that? That's another part of it too. We want to recycle some old parts and reduce the amount of clutter in here to gain functionality. As for the leads, I can't disclose where they come from... has to do with where I work. Sorry.

 

[manarth]

I think I must be missing something - I can't see that you're going to get any added functionality out of the &quot;router&quot; at all. In fact, it'll probably slow your network some, because it's an added machine to resolve, and creates a more complex routing structure.

Routers are for linking 2 independant subnets (e.g. a LAN and the internet) - not for linking machines in a LAN. Besides, a switch will be faster at processing local traffic. A switch parses a packet and only transmits it on the connection it's destined for - this means that if 2 PCs are communicating on a switch, it won't slow the rest of the network down.

In terms of a router, the best bet is a linux box: much faster / more effective than a windows ICS system, generally more stable; the drawback is it requires more technical knowledge to install and configure.

<marc> i wonder what will happen if i press this...[ul][li]please give feedback on what works / what doesn't[/li][li]need some help? how to get a better answer: faq581-3339[/li][/ul]

 

[JasonYip]

Thanks for the info Marc. Just trying to see what's possible.

Jason

 

[manarth]

just had a quick look on google for &quot;linux routers&quot; - this site came up....I took a quick look and it may be what you're looking for.

http://doggerdog.bravepages.com/freesco/

<marc> i wonder what will happen if i press this...[ul][li]please give feedback on what works / what doesn't[/li][li]need some help? how to get a better answer: faq581-3339[/li][/ul]

 

[bcastner]

Look at Smoothwall:

http://www.smoothwall.org/