Like alway Thank you in advance for any help.

Currently i am trying to set up a linux DHCP, Samba (and I guess included in that is CUPS). I am very quickly getting out of my depth and would like to know if anyone can point me to a very clear and obvious How to! This is what I am trying to achieve:

3/4 Win XP home computers on a workgroup
1Linux 9.3 Suse Server.
I have internet cable coming into the server on a USB cable. From there I hope to have a DHCP server with Firewall, so that everything in the network is 'protected'. From the server will be a regular LAN to a router (wireless). The router will connect the Win XP computers.

Is there anything else in the way of servers that I need to add? Also When I go to set up the DHCP Yast wants a domain name, but it's going to be a workgroup. I know! Still getting use to the linux world, came because of SQL/Perl and dislike of Microsoft.
I have read so much that my head is in a twist . So thank you


Cheers!!!!!!!!!

it really shouldnt be that complicated. Yast will do just about everything for you. I have an identical setup but i use an ethernet cable instead of usb for my internet connection.

First configure your external network settings (in your case its the usb cable)
setup your dns settings, gateway and domain name. The domain name can be anything. At work i use office, at home i use home. Suse 9.3 will accept just about anythng you want to name your domain. - You can do all of this in Yast under network devices.

Once your server can see the web, go into your network device settings, click on the routing option and check the box that says "Enable IP Forwarding"

Setup your internal network card (the one that connects your server to your lan). Whatever ip you assign your internal card will be the default gateway for your xp machines. I usually use 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1

Now go to Security and Users and click on Firewall. Click on Interfaces and make sure your server has your internal network card set to the internal zone, and usb connection set to the external zone. Go to Masquerading and check "Masquerade Networks". Save your settings.

Now go to one of your xp machines and enter a static ip. Remember the gateway will be the ip address of your internal network card. so use something like:
192.168.0.100
255.255.255.0
192.168.0.1
You should now be able to ping your server at 192.168.0.1

Now go back to your server and in Yast go to Network Services, Select DHCP server, then select your interal network card from the list of ethernet devices. This will be the interface that hands out dynamic ips to your lan.

Once youve done that you can load in the dns and gateway settings that your server will assign. you can also specifcy the lease time for the dynamic ips. and finally you can specify the range of ips that should be given out. Save your settings and you should be all set.

Set your xp machine back to "Obtain an IP Address automatically" release and renew the ip settings using ipconfig/release ipconfig/renew and you should receive a dynamic ip from your dhcp server. After that your xp machine should be able to see the web.

Hope this helps.

Umm tried it and it didn't work. I have read many different books and stuff now and still to no luck.

What i would like is to have the linux computer connect directly to the internet. Then out of the 2nd NIC I would like the linux computer connecting to the Netgear wireless router. The wireless rounter has some software already on it. So you can log into it and play around with the DHCP settings and firewall. But I would like to host and do a few other things icluding haveing more control over the firewall then the router. Is this possible or do I need to get rid of the router and put a wireless card into the Linux computer?

Thank you,

PB

ok So I sorted it. Just for anyone who wants to do the same thing, like msound said it really shouldn't be too hard. Sorry msound you were right, I just needed to take out the router.
So for other newbies like me. Here it is:

1. If you already have a rounter don't bother use the linux box as a print server or something cool like HTTP server.
2. If you haven't got the router, then you will have the internet comming into the NIC (Network Interface Card) and then use the wireless card in the server as the broadcast.
3. Set up the wireless as 'Ad-Hoc' mode! This lets it transmit the internet to the other pc's.
4. Then follow the directions given by msound above, ie setting up iptables, and ip forwarding.
5. I would also buy another regular NIC to make a wired LAN and put a switch at the end of it.

So to all the people that I have bugged by this I am sorry for being so slow. But for other newbies here it is.

PB