Modem-router preliminary decisions
 

Newbie running 8 box network with:
one static ip (all Bellsouth will allow at my home telephone)
ADSL modem
Linksys router

Attempting to host my personal web sites using Apache on box with NIC configured to my one external static ip.

It would appear that I can use a workgroup switch to which the uplink is WAN static IP from the modem and other end is my
1) router for intranet
2) the apache server box.

or...should I forget the workgroup switch and go WAN --Modem--router--
Apache server into router
LAN into router

?

Regarding Apache server box/NIC :

Does it use static IP same as modem?
DHCP from modem? Static IP passthrough?

Default gateway in either case? (DG given by Bellsouth or router IP?)

Many thanks!

Hi,

As I don't know your given hardware and e.g. your modems firewalling capabilities
I'd suggest the following (with getting a second NIC for the web-server):

internet <--> modem <--> serverNIC1 serverNIC2 <--> switch <--> remaining machines

with a different private address range for NIC2 and the machines dangling of the
switch ... not the most secure possible solution but a sensible enough low budget
approach.


Cheers,
Tink

Internet->modem->router-(via DMZ)->your apache server machine

Hmm, maybe DMZ is a bit risky. You can configure the router to forward specific ports to your server and do it that way.

DHCP server
 

Many thanks!. It appears that several approaches will work.

I will use the server box as firewall...with network switch to distribute private network from second NIC in server box.

I am going with Static IP from BEll South <--> modem with IP passthrough<---> NIC (static ip-external network)<--masquerade> NIC (internal private network DHCP <--->network switch--internal network boxes with NIC DHCP.

The external static NIC works..but I wonder if I need a DHCP server to make the IP assignments to the internal network.

In the past, my Linksys router appears to have provided the DHCP server function.


Note: Suse 10.2 Yast

Thanks again.

maxsanders

I'm using exactly the setup you intend to use. You do not need DHCP server. I'm running one to give network parameters to guests, in a small 10 addresses space.

My question regarding DHCP server came because my private network boxes do not appear to be getting their DHCP IP address assignments, at least not for the subnet used by the private network.

I expect the DHCP IP assignments to be in the 192.168 2.xxx range, and they appear to be ? 192.262.xxx.xxx

I do not have enough knowledge to know from where the DHCP address assignments come.

I assume that the IP addresses from DHCP comes from a DHCP server somewhere other than the individual NIC s on private network boxes.

I now wonder if the IP assignments are somewhere in the firewall/IP tables/masquerade configuration.

Thanks!

Configure your boxes to use static IP addresses, that's it. If you do not run a DHCP server then you obviously cannot run DHCP clients on your LAN boxes. Right? :)
Benefits of static configuration:
1. You can use hosts files to assign names to LAN boxes, this is much simpler than DNS.
2. One process less running, computer resources freed.

modem IP passthrough
 

Thanks for worlds of help.

It turns out there are lots and lots of variables I did not forsee.

1) Westell modem for DSL allows for

a)IP passthrough for "user configured PC ( which I assume means setting external NIC to the static IP from BellSouth or
b) 192.168.2.95 for external NIC

I have set the external NIC to both, using the BellSouth default gateway and the BellSouth DNS.

Firewall is off.
No internet connection .

My suspicion is that my DNS or default gateway is incorrect. As well, bellsouth does not give me subnet mask information, and YAST asks for it when I configure NIC.

The number of variables is extremely large for trial and error ( I have done this experiment!)..

With your help, I will try knowledge rather than luck! Thanks again. Max

What's the problem? If you ever had it working for browsing, set it all back that way and set your router up for ip passthrough on the port you need (80? it's been a long time for me). I had no drama setting ip passthrough for mirc and a quake3 server a couple of years ago. I can't think it'd be that much different for apache, unless your ISP blocks incoming ports.

Sorry to be the dull knife compared to your experience.

In reality, If I had been able to reproduce a successful configuration, I would not be on this post. I appreciate your initial post but I learned less from the last one.

I anyone else has ideas, they would be much appreciated.

Many thanks to all.

Well, there's the physical layer: you know for sure that
what you think is the external NIC on the server is the
right one? There's the IP addresses, but of course I have
no idea what your documentation for the modem says. What
is it saying the modem thinks it is if the server is 192.168.2.95?


Cheers,
Tink