Linux Gateway connected as DHCP client?

[Kapilnath]

A friend of mine wants to setup about 8 windoze machines for his church group to provide internet access using an old 386 box as a Gateway running Redhat 6.0. This machine will be using a DSL connection. He asked me as I am working with Linux. I explained configuring IPchains and everything sounded OK until he said that his DSL connection to the Internet uses DHCP. At this point I had to say...duh.. With a fixed IP I know how to configure this, but is it possible with some kind of script to use what is basically a DHCP client as a Gateway? Any help will be appreciated. Thanks

[Geoff]

I daresay that a 386 would struggle with a DSL connection, it's quite likely that with 8 computers trying to suck data the gateway will be a significant bottleneck.

When you first install linux it asks you about network information and you should be able to specify DHCP settings in there, and have it work. Then it's just a matter of setting up masquerading through that interface and giving the windows machines static IPs (and the second network card in the 386 will have static IP as well).

Speaking of which, I'm assuming that DSL uses a NIC, similar to cable modem. I could be wrong, we don't have DSL in Australia http://discussions.linuxplanet.com//smile.gif

[Kapilnath]

Thanks for responding. I also wondered about the 386's capacity so I will bring up this point also. I guess the real question is: The Linux gateway will be given an IP address via DHCP from the server it is connected to. He can find this IP address through linuxconf or similiar and have his windoze clients aiming at the Internet through this address. Does anyone have odds on how long the DHCP server will continue to renew the same lease for this assigned IP? The point being of course, if the DHCP server changes the assigned IP, then one would have to manually reset the clients, or am I missing something? Thanks for the input. K...

[furrycat]

Yeah, you are missing something http://discussions.linuxplanet.com//smile.gif If the 386 has one interface for the LAN and one for the DSL connection then it becomes a dual-homed host: a host that sits on two networks and has two (at least) IP addresses, one for each interface. If the DSL connection uses DHCP then its interface may change IP address every so often, but this isn't a problem because the other interface need not change its address. Pick an address for the 386, stick with it and tell the Windows boxes to use that address as their default gateway. Then let the DHCP client worry about routing when you renew the lease on the DSL interface.