ok, i'm a beginner linux user, so hopefully my problem is easy to troubleshoot..... here goes:

I recently got debian linux setup on a new ibm eserver. I have the server at home now and am trying to get it configured before hauling it to the school network and putting it online. Everything has went well to this point. I have been working with the server at home using my dialup connection. I have the server connected to a switch (using basic 192.168.10.1 windows xp networking). I can assign a static ip and login thru ssh from my pc to the server with no problems. However, i cannot access the internet from the server. I do have all firewalls turned off.

I have tried switching to dhcp (which oddly enough worked for me last week to get the original apt-get updates and such, but will not now)...... i just get the "no new dhcp releases, sleeping" thing. I have double-checked my connections, re-booted the server, unplugged the switch, re-dialed up to the internet a few times...... but nothing with dhcp. I would like to have a static ip anyways, so that's what i have been focusing on.

I have spent several hours trying every static combination i can think of. I even tried using a cross-over cable and going direct to my pc, but have similar results trying to get a dhcp address. Yes, i am remembering to do a restart each time i make changes to the interfaces. If i add in a gateway in the /etc/network/interfaces it does attempt to connect to the updates but sits at 0% and times out. Without a gateway, it just zooms thru the updates saying it can't connect. Do i even need a gateway if i am just connecting via a switch?

Now, i realize that using a server on a dialup connection thru a switch is odd, so maybe that's my problem. Is there any way for this to work statically? Am i SOL trying to get internet access on the server at home on dialup?

192.168.x.x is private address block and has nothing to do with windows xp networking. Are you saying you run DHCP server on your WinXP machine?

If you have working DHCP, then following in interfaces is sufficient:

auto eth0
iface eth0 inet dhcp

And you do not have to reboot every time, use ifup and ifdown instead.

Unfortunately I have no clue how your home network is built up. Switch and modem, good. But what does the NAT?

Oh, i think I gueessed it now. You are using XP box to dial Internet and the ethernet port of same XP box to do something MS calls 'connection sharing'.
If this is the case I seriously doubt XP box can offer valid NAT and DHCP service. I think they do it in some funny microsofted way, and if you are trying to fix it in your Linux box then you are working on wrong machine.

You need to also tell networking what the gateway is. If you are routing throught the XP box then you must have the debian box on the same subnet address as the ethernet card it is attached to. A quick example if the address of the xp card is 192.168.0.1 and the netmask is 255.255.255.0 then set up the /etc/network/interfaces like this;

auto eth0
iface eth0 inet static

address 192.168.0.2
netmask 255.255.255.0
gateway 192.168.0.1

Well, i have made some progress. It seems dhcp will not work to connect to my switch unless the Windows home networking is setup under the 192.168.0.x format........... (i had changed my home network to the 192.168.10.x format to co-incide with the network at school while configuring some wireless access points and repeaters.) After several fruitless hours i changed my networking back to the ".0" and the server picked up a dhcp IP right away.

Anyhoo..... strange but it does now work.

Now a further question..... i haven't yet tried to go back to static and see if i have internet (i couldn't before so i doubt this will suddenly change). Thinking ahead here, if i must continue to use dhcp in order for everything to work, in order to use ssh, webmin etc, you need the IP, and if it keeps changing will i always have to have a monitor and keyboard connected to the server in order to find out the IP?

thanks.

My opinion and it is supported by a number of gurus is that if you require a permanent access point then it is better to go the static route as this is a permanent connection. dhcp is primarily used in an environment where network activity is transient. That said setting up the debian box as a dhcp client should, according to all the stuff i have read automatically enable a gateway. It is important that the connection from the XP box to the router/switch is on a different subnet to the connection from the XP box to the Debian box.