Date: Thu, 2 May 1996 16:52:18 -0600 From: Sean Kelly <kelly@fsl.noaa.gov> To: blewis@vet.vet.purdue.edu Cc: questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Setting up a network at home Message-ID: <9605022252.AA00907@fslg8.fsl.noaa.gov> In-Reply-To: <199604300441.XAA17509@localhost> (message from Benjamin Lewis on Mon, 29 Apr 1996 23:41:41 -0500)
next in thread | previous in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
>>>>> "Benjamin" == Benjamin Lewis <blewis@vet.vet.purdue.edu> writes:
Benjamin> I've been running FreeBSD on my machine at home for
Benjamin> quite a while. I have it connected to the internet
Benjamin> through user PPP -> SLiRP, and I'm tremendously happy
Benjamin> with it.
Excellent. Not surprisingly, I have a similar setup through my
employer ... luckily, they're nice enough to let me keep the
connection going constantly.
Benjamin> I plan on purchasing another (more powerful) computer
Benjamin> and installing FreeBSD on that too.
That's my plan as well, although I'll probably get a less powerful
computer as well. (We used to have one and did serial IP between the
two hosts but it old system died.) My wife and I need a system we can
dedicate to the internet connection and our home automation project
without having to shut it down to use Quicken under DOS/Windows.
Plus, my wife's demanded a system for her desk---and that one will
likely be a more powerful one than our current system.
Benjamin> Naturally, having two network-capable machines in the
Benjamin> same house just begs for a little in-home net of my own.
You said it. We're making plans for such a setup.
Benjamin> I've played around with this sort of thing using various
Benjamin> friends' and family members' notebook computers and a
Benjamin> serial connection, but I'm feeling a bit more ambitious
Benjamin> now and would like to set up an ethernet connection
Benjamin> between the computers.
Yes, Ethernet is definitely the way to go in the home, either over
10base2 or 10baseT. 10base2 is cheaper, but 10baseT is easier to work
with (supposedly) and more modern---hence, more you'll be likely to
find compatible components in the future.
Benjamin> I've read various man pages, Handbook entries, FAQ's and
Benjamin> even Linux How-To's, and that allowed me to do the kind
Benjamin> of half-*ssed networking that I've done to this point.
Benjamin> This time, I'd like to "Do It Right," but I just don't
Benjamin> know *exactly everything* that is required. I've never
Benjamin> worked with ethernet, so I'm pretty clueless in that
Benjamin> area.
I haven't worked with Ethernet since I was a systems administrator
about three years ago, but I'm hoping that through man pages and a
foggy memory that I'll have enough to do it again. You're more than
welcome to call on me any time for questions, etc. I can share my own
experiences with you as I have them, if you wish.
Benjamin> This is kind of a "vanity" thing, so I thought I'd make
Benjamin> it a little more complex than absolutely necessary in
Benjamin> order to learn a bit more about this stuff.
I know what you mean. I'd like to be able to be the first on the
block with an in-home LAN.
Benjamin> host1: Gateway PPP : 10.0.2.15 ether: 10.0.2.16 (I
Benjamin> understand that I need a separate IP number for this,
Benjamin> correct?)
Correct.
Benjamin> I thought I'd run a little name server on host1 so that
Benjamin> Win95 will be able to use hostnames instead of IP
Benjamin> numbers to refer to local hosts.
I think a nameserver is overkill for two-node network. What's worse,
it requires coordination with your service provider ... they have to
be willing to route to your domain or provide a subdomain under their
domain. If you get your own domain name, then you have to pay a $50
yearly maintenance fee to the InterNIC.
Benjamin> Does Win95 have an equivalent to /etc/hosts that would
Benjamin> eliminate this need?
If it does, I'd use it. When you get 20 or so hosts, then I'd go for
a nameserver.
Benjamin> I'm interested in finding out what the various config
Benjamin> files should look like, i.e. /etc/hosts, /etc/named/*,
Benjamin> whatever else needs to be changed.
And don't forget /etc/sysconfig. /etc/hosts on both host1 and host2
should contain two entries for host1, listing both addresses:
10.0.2.15 host1-gw
10.0.2.16 host1
10.0.2.17 host2
You an leave /etc/named/* all alone. Let's see, in /etc/sysconfig for
host1, you need to add the Ethernet interface to the
``network_interfaces'' line and add an ifconfig_ entry for the
interface. For example, with a Lance ethernet interface and
/usr/sbin/ppp:
tcp_extensions=YES
network_interfaces="lo0 tun0 le0"
ifconfig_le0="inet 10.0.2.16 netmask 0xffffff00"
defaultrouter=NO
routedflags=NO
namedflags="NO"
gateway=YES
You'll also need to compile your kernel for host1 with
options GATEWAY
in the config file.
On host2, you won't need the GATEWAY option. Its /etc/sysconfig
should have
tcp_extensions=YES
network_interfaces="lo0 le0"
ifconfig_le0="inet 10.0.2.17 netmask 0xffffff00"
defaultrouter=10.0.2.16
routedflags=NO
namedflags="NO"
gateway=NO
Benjamin> The Handbook is pretty clear about /etc/printcap,o
Thanks ... I wrote that part! ;-)
Benjamin> From what I've read so far, it looks like 10 Base-2
Benjamin> cabling is the way to go for an el-cheapo net like this
Benjamin> one.
Probably, but again consider the future. If you move into a new
house, it's pretty cheap to get category-5 wired all around to each of
the rooms and into some 66-punch down blocks in the basement/wiring
closet. Here, you can install a 10baseT hub, terminal server, and
gateway system, etc. and still have room to expand.
And then the network admin at work is saying he'd like to try out CIDR
(classless Internet domain routing) with me ... now I have to learn
what that's all about!
Take care.
--
Sean Kelly
NOAA Forecast Systems Laboratory kelly@fsl.noaa.gov
Boulder Colorado USA http://www-sdd.fsl.noaa.gov/~kelly/
Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?9605022252.AA00907>