configuring a windowsxp and mandriva 2006
 

I have two computers using a peer to peer connection, I have sucessfully setup file sharing between the two, when I have my dsl connection connected to the linux box which I would like to use as a router I cannot do web browsing. I have two networking cards installed in each computer. In the linux box Iam never quite sure which card is which connection, is there any way I can mostly automatically conffigure networking. My operating systems are wqindows xp and mandriva 2006.

Use the network connection sharing wizard that is in the Mandriva Control Center to set it up. Make sure you have access to the installation sources, as it will automatically install and setup a firewall, DNS, and DHCP. The easiest way to determine which interface is plugged into which card is if the two cards are from a different manufacturer. If that isn't possible, you can configure them based on their mac addresses. Each card should have the mac address on a label on the card. Transfer the last 4 hex digits to a sticker and put this on the outside of the case next to the corresponding interface jack. Then use different colored cables for each connection. You will need a cross-over for the two PC's, unless you either have gigabit cards or a network switch/hub in between.

The Mandriva network sharing wizard is far easier to use than the Windows one, and it's more secure. It will ask for only one of the two interfaces, and configure everything accordingly. The Mandriva system should be configured for static ip addresses (unless your DSL provider requires you to use DHCP, which is just annoying). The card for your intranet (home network) will get a static ip of 192.168.0.1, and will become the gateway for other systems.

Ideally, I'd recommend a cheap third computer to act as the network firewall/router. You can get used PC's for under $100 ($50 for some really old Pentium systems). My firewall is currently running on a Pentium II 400mhz with 256M memory. Uptime (not counting power outages in the winter) is well over 3 years, and I'm getting almost peak bandwidth from my ISP (less than 1% drop).

It seems that when I get the dsl configuration starting to get setup network browsing gets dropped. How could I determine what is going on.

I'm not quite sure I understand your last message. Is it your Linux system or the Windows system? Also, are you rebooting your system constantly? I keep mine on 24/7, just enable power saving features.

It is on the Linux system and I have been rebooting.