ppp connection on SCO Unix openserver5

[cdelgado]

hello. i'm a newbie in this unix matters, and i need some urgent help otherwise i'll get fired

Here: we have 3 unix servers running informix 4gl applications and two of them have modem. one of the modems is being used for a remote acces connection to a cobol database from a office that is on the other side of the city, this is done through a term emulation program under dos, since the computer on the other side has win 3.11.

The LAN here is composed of these servers and many win9x workstations. What the boss wants is to connect the unused modem in the unix server to the internet and allow every win9x machine to use it as a proxy server, or allow a local ppp connection and let the office at the other side of the other modem do so but through the modem, i hope i'm clear.

To put it another way, we have two lans connected through a modem, one modem is connected to an SCO openserver and the other one to a win3.11 workstation, since there is one modem in one sco openserver unused, it is wanted to connect to the internet and let the win 9x workstations do so through it, and also the other lan with the win3.11 machine.

i hope you understood and any help will be gratly appreciated.

Thanks again

Cristian Alberto Delgado

 

[edfair]

Better to let the 3.11 connect direct to a dial up ISP.
Wouldn't advise the SCO acting as proxy server. Would suggest Linux in a separate box as the internet connection with workstations gaining access across the LAN.
And what kind of phone service are you planning for ISP connection? With more than 2 users at a time you will be very slow on any modem connection.
How about making one of the W9x workstations the internet server if the boss doesn't buy the Linux?

Ed Fair
efair@atlnet.com

Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply.

Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.

 

[MikeLacey]

I'll echo Ed here I think.

Linux as an Internet gateway is more easily secured than a box already in use for other things.

Set up Linux with a LAN connection and a modem.

Set up PPP or SLIP to allow Linux to connect to the Internet, get this bit working before you go any further. The Linux Server forum here on Tek-Tips is a good resource for that.

Install firewall software on the Linux box, again - look at the TT Linux forum for details.

Allow the Linux box to do IP forwarding, so that it can act as a gateway.

Set the name or IP address of the LAN interface on the Linux box as the Default Gateway for a LAN connected PC.

You should then be able to connect to the Internet by trying to connect to an external address from the PC. This will make the Linux box dial your ISP. Mike
michael.j.lacey@ntlworld.com
Email welcome if you're in a hurry or something -- but post in tek-tips as well please, and I will post my reply here as well.

 

[jad]

another advantage of a dedicated system is that you don't need it to have a great spec ... our current proxy server here is a pentium 100 machine, running solaris 8.

it's got enough puff if we need to log on to it (graphically, we do of course log in ourselves every so often for admin), but i wouldn't say i'd use it every day for netscape etc. we picked up the p100 for about £70, so we're laughing.

we don't even have the monitor attached

if you think that low spec'd machines are bad ... we have 386 print servers running linux and they p*ss all over our pentium windows ones ... so much so that we've stopped using windoze machines as print servers (we've run out of 386's and are now having to use some of our 486's