[NTLUG:Discuss] home networking question

[Barker, Bob]

I had decided on getting one of those - like you said, it seemed the easiest
solution all around - and looked kinda cool too.  But, when I contacted my
provider (Directlink) they said they would have to do a bunch of mumbo jumbo
on their end that they really did not want to do and suggested a software
solution or Linux box as firewall.  It sounds bogus to me, but I don't know
enough about it to know if they're pulling my leg or not.

Thanks to everyone who's responded to this - especially those who have sent
config files too!  I hope to get the modem early next week and will likely
dive into it on the weekend.  Then the questions will really start!  Thanks
again.

Bob Barker

-----Original Message-----
From: Chris Cox [mailto:cjcox at acm.org]
Sent: Thursday, March 23, 2000 10:07 PM
To: discuss at ntlug.org
Subject: Re: [NTLUG:Discuss] home networking question


You may also want to take a look at the LinkSys EtherFast Cable/DSL
Router....it's less than $200 and may be a good solution (I don't
own one).  They have their product documentation online.

Have a look:
http://www.linksys.com/

Let me know if these things actually work well :-)
(should anyone purchase)

Regards,
Chris

Richard Cobbe wrote:
> 
> Lo, on Monday, 20 March, 2000, Bug Hunter did write:
> 
> > On Mon, 20 Mar 2000, Richard Cobbe wrote:
> >
> > > Lo, on Sunday, 19 March, 2000, Robert Barker did write:
> > >
> 
> <SNIP>
> 
> > > Really?  Hadn't heard about this.  I was planning on moving to a
situation
> > > not unlike this in the near future.  Do you have pricing info on
switches?
> > > And how big is the performance difference?
> > >
> > > Richard
> >
> >   It varies between "wow!" and "ho hum!"
> >
> >   If you have a lightly loaded network, switches will not make any
> > difference that you can tell.
> >
> >   If you have a heavily loaded network -- say more than 10 pc's, then a
> > switch will make a difference, IF and ONLY IF, you have tons of traffic
> > between two or more pc's.
> >
> >   Every Internet network packet is eventually sent to a MAC address on
an
> > ethernet segment.  This MAC address is hard wired into the card.  It is
> > guaranteed unique by the manfuacturer, which gets a unique range of
> > addresses from a central source. (Linux can change its MAC address
> > via software, so you can spoof as another machine on the network).
> >
> <snip description of ethernet's collsion-avoidance protocol>
> 
> Thanks for that explanation -- that helps a lot.
> 
> Based on this, and Dennis Myhand's contribution that switches run in the
> $600-$800 range, for *small* switches, I think I'll stick with a hub.
> They're significantly cheaper (say, $30-$50), and I'm trying to network
all
> of *three* things: 2 PCs and a DSL modem.  Further, this is all in my
home,
> so I don't expect traffic to be too terribly high.
> 
> Thanks again,
> 
> Richard
> 
> _______________________________________________
> http://ntlug.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss

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