[techtalk] Cablemodems

[Beverly Guillermo]

> > I have one Win98 box at home, one hybrid box (Win98 on one drive, RH
> > Linux on the other drive), and two Macs (one desktop, one laptop). I
> > gave up on getting the 486 running as my server because it had too
> > many issues to get it running properly.

What's the problem with the 486?  My network gateway on the cablemodem
is a 486SX. ;)

> > I have been told that cable modems, via MediaOne-RoadRunner will be
> > available in October. I have also been told that you can't share the
> > cable modem currently; it required one hardware address, so plugging
> > it into my hub is out.

Yes, it's possible to run all your computers using one IP address. =)
(It's also available in win98SE or if you got all the MS updates, but 
it's just as easy to setup in Linux.)

> > So, I'm planning on using Linux as a server for my connection to the
> > cable modem, and serving out internal IP to the other computers, to
> > share the connection.

Read on for my advice. =)

> > I am going to buy today Learning RedHat Linux (though it comes with a
> > CD-ROM, which I don't need) and Running Linux from books.com. In
> > fact, since it's taken me so long to type this email, I've already
> > ordered them. :)

You don't need those books unless you want to learn more general
information about Linux.  (I recommend at least getting one book though=)


> > Has anyone done this sort of cable modem setup at home? Advice,
> > recommendations, places to go for step-by-step instructions would be
> > greatly appreciated! I'm very familiar with Win98 and MacOS, but I'm
> > still learning Linux. And my networking skills aren't that high
> > either.

The first thing I recommend is asking for a static IP address and then you
don't really have to worry about setting up your DHCP daemon (which is
really trivial to setup but it's one less step to do).  The only way
I know how to get one is telling the Cable company that you've got a win31
box that you're connecting and you need the static IP address.

The next step is to read the Cablemodem-HOWTO, it should be available
at the LDP or with the distribution CDs.  It gives a better idea of the
setup for your particular cablemodem provider.

Then, everything is really a matter of knowing how to network your 
machines and using IP Masquerading to share the connection.  Read the
IP-Masquerading-HOWTO and the IP-Chains-HOWTO (if you're running
kernel 2.2.x).  IPChains sets up a firewall for you computer... I'd also
recommend reading the Firewall-HOWTO as well.

Also, if you're setting up your network to stay on the Cablemodem 24/7,
you need to make sure security is tight on your Gateway.  Unless you're
running servers (such as ftp, Apache, etc), I'd recommend not installing
any of those programs on your machine.  I disabled all of them on my
gateway.

Beverly


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