Recommended router

[snipz]

Hi all,

I finally got two machines at my house (Windows 2000 and a Red Hat box) and I was wondering, what type of router do you guys recommened getting that will let me share an internet connection and files?

I just want something simple, maybe a four port router, that will hopefully work on the Linux box.


I found a really cheap one on the Circuit City website for $29.99, the link is:
Siemens Speed Stream 4 Port Router (http://www.circuitcity.com/detail.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@0154010283.1047355475@ @@@&BV_EngineID=ccecadchkfmmfgmcfngcfkmdffhdffg.0&catoid=-10265&qp=0&bookmark=bookmark_1&oid=62883)

and this one at Best Buy for $29.99 after rebates:
DI-604 Express EtherNetwork 4-Port Ethernet Broadband (http://www.dlink.com/products/broadband/di604/)

Any comments/suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[Fryguy8]

umm.. just use the red-hat box. Linux makes a VERY good router, much better than what is offered in those 4-port things you can buy from stores.

[snipz]

Really?

Will it work with a cable modem?

[Fryguy8]

it will work with anything
the primary advantage of linux is it's incredible ability to serve content across multiple computers. Look up IP masquerading on www.tldp.org to get started.

A large majority of the internet framework is based on *nix, just an example of the power linux has in distributing content to multiple computers.

[snipz]

Fryguy,

Thank you very much. You probably just saved me $50.

This might be a stupid question,
So all I really need a networking cable and 2 nics?

[Fryguy8]

that's right.

Also be sure to look into internet security a little bit and set up at least some sort of firewall to give yourself a little bit of protection.

[Magueta]

Snipz, you won't have to spend any money to make this work but you will have to do considerable research to learn how to setup ipmasquerading and a firewall (if you're getting DSL you don't want to exist on the web without a firewall). This is the beginning of a wonderful journey.

Joe

[retoon]

Getting a seperate router will make things a little bit easier, but linux will give you more configurational options than those other deals. Are you running RH8? If so, I can help you set your box up as a router. Assuming that your are using iptables. IPtables is a list of firewall rules. How many computers do you have to share? If its more then two, then look into a seperate router.

[snipz]

I, after a lot of thinking, am deciding to get a router, this way I can set up multiple comps without using a lot of NIC's.

Thanks for the help all.

[bwkaz]

You'll still need a lot of NICs.

You will NEED one per client computer, no matter what setup you use.

If you use a Linux box as the router/firewall, then you need two cards in it -- one to hook to the cable modem, and one to hook to the internal network. With a dedicated router box, you'd only need one; the Linux machine would be a client.

So, you have a choice. You can buy a $50 router+hub all-in-one dealie thing, or you can buy a $10 Realtek or Netgear card, plus a hub or switch (if needed; if you'll only ever have 2 computers, then a crossover cable is all that's really needed), then some research on how iptables and forwarding works. But you get a LOT more configurability.

Why'd you decide on a router?

[snipz]

Mainly because of the price. I mean, a router that is $29.99 after rebates that lets you share files and an internet connection seems like a worthwhile investment to me, this way, I can set up more than networked boxes without 3-4 NIC cards in one more computer :)

[bwkaz]

Originally posted by snipz
I can set up more than networked boxes without 3-4 NIC cards in one more computer :) :confused:

You don't need any more than 2 network cards in any computer, and you only need two in the router; all others can get by with one.

You will need a hub, but that's part of the "4-port router" dealies anyway. They just don't tell you that.

[Magueta]

He needs a network card on both ends for all computers. Every computer that's going to be part of the network needs a port on the client side and a port on the router side. If there are only 2 computers he only needs one extra nic than he would with the router, but he would also need an extra slot and an extra nic for every computer that he added above that. Unless you're talking about getting a hub to connect all the PCs to the router in which case he'll still have the cost of the hub. So it looks like if he's only going to have two computers then the nic is cheaper, but if he's going to have more than that he's going to pay more so I think that's how the decision should be considered.

Joe

[snipz]

Thanks all..
I just got the D Link 604 from Best Buy but stupid me forgot to buy an extra Cat 5 cable to hook up to the router and the Linux machine, so right now, I really haven't had the resources to test the router. It should be up and running tomorrow. Thanks again!

[X-2-X]

I think I'll be needing to setup a linux router sooner than later. I run Redhat 8.0 and have 3 other ms windows machines .I will need the router on the linux box , all the other clients will share a switch. Only cisco , 3com ... have routers on sale in these parts of the world (internet orders aren't possible here) and like you'd guess they are expensive, very expensive.

Thanks

[Magueta]

What's the state of the the IT industry in *****, Nigeria?

Joe

[jfred]

snipz,
tried to reply last2 days and blocked till today since I'm a new user.
D Link should work well. I'd prefer the router route since it gives you firewall functions and is much simpler to setup than a Linux box and deciding how many NICs you need. I have the Siemens router and am quite happy. I have Mandrake 9.0 on one machine and 3-4 Win machines. I chose it since it also had a com port and I could use dialup (ostensably for a backup, but the wife won't agree to broadband yet) Using dialup on the router is faster than I expected, faster than the modem was attached to a single computer. The router gives you a lot of flexability in how you can arrange your network as it grows. Good luck

Homebuilt machines:
P4 2.4ghz
P3 667mhz
K6-2 500 mhz
P 233 mmx
Athlon 750 mhz

Net hardware:
Siemens 4 port router currently on dialup

Netgear 8 port hub

Linksys printserver and hub (yes the Siemens has a printserver too but the Linksys adds extra RJ-45 ports)

All work well with Linux and Win (and I bought them all dirt-cheap)

[snipz]

Thanks for the reply jfred.

I set up the D Link router without no hassle at all. Just plugged in all the Cat 5 cables into their respectives places and Red Hat detected it automatically.

Now I am learning on how to configure Samba so I can share files between my Windows 2000 and Red Hat machines.