From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Sun Dec 31 21:50:56 2006 Return-Path: X-Original-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [69.147.83.52]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id CEC5116A407 for ; Sun, 31 Dec 2006 21:50:56 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from mstrickland16@nc.rr.com) Received: from ms-smtp-01.southeast.rr.com (ms-smtp-01.southeast.rr.com [24.25.9.100]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id A00C713C442 for ; Sun, 31 Dec 2006 21:50:56 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from mstrickland16@nc.rr.com) Received: from ms-mss-03-ce0-1 (ms-mss-03-smtp-a [10.10.5.84]) by ms-smtp-01.southeast.rr.com (8.13.6/8.13.6) with ESMTP id kBVLotMh014162 for ; Sun, 31 Dec 2006 16:50:55 -0500 (EST) Received: from southeast.rr.com (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by ms-mss-03.southeast.rr.com (iPlanet Messaging Server 5.2 HotFix 2.10 (built Dec 26 2005)) with ESMTP id <0JB500BCZRCUMK@ms-mss-03.southeast.rr.com> for freebsd-questions@freebsd.org; Sun, 31 Dec 2006 16:50:55 -0500 (EST) Received: from [10.10.1.21] (Forwarded-For: [66.57.107.112]) by ms-mss-03.southeast.rr.com (mshttpd); Sun, 31 Dec 2006 16:50:54 -0500 Date: Sun, 31 Dec 2006 16:50:54 -0500 From: mstrickland16@nc.rr.com In-reply-to: <4597F821.8000500@mac.com> To: Chuck Swiger Message-id: MIME-version: 1.0 X-Mailer: iPlanet Messenger Express 5.2 HotFix 2.10 (built Dec 26 2005) Content-language: en X-Accept-Language: en Priority: normal References: <4597F821.8000500@mac.com> X-Virus-Scanned: Symantec AntiVirus Scan Engine X-Mailman-Approved-At: Mon, 01 Jan 2007 01:35:46 +0000 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7BIT Content-Disposition: inline X-Content-Filtered-By: Mailman/MimeDel 2.1.5 Cc: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: How to configure switching between network interfaces? X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Sun, 31 Dec 2006 21:50:56 -0000 Thanks, I believe thats what i'm looking for. I will probably end up with a cu-fiber switch, but I wanted to know if that was possible in theroy. The switches make more sense anyway because, otherwise, i'll have to setup a makeshift bridge on the server on the other end of the fiber. - Mike ----- Original Message ----- From: Chuck Swiger Date: Sunday, December 31, 2006 12:49 pm Subject: Re: How to configure switching between network interfaces? To: mstrickland16@nc.rr.com Cc: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org > mstrickland16@nc.rr.com wrote: > > How to configure switching between network interfaces? > > I would like to determine how, or if, the following can be > accomplished with FreeBSD. > > Configuration: > > A BSD box setup with 1 GbE NIC and a 4 port 10/100 NIC > > The GbE interface will have a static IP configured (192.168.10.x/24) > > Planned Implementation: > > Along with possibly serving other data such as NFS or HTTP > traffic, I would like the interfaces to work as a switch. The GbE > interface is a fiber optic NIC which connects to the rest of the > network 100 or so meters away. I plan to use the other 4 > interfaces to attach hosts to my network. I would prefer all of my > hosts to be on the same subnet if possible, otherwise I would just > configure routing between the appropriate interfaces. My question > then is: Can the interfaces be configured to function as a switch > would, allowing the connected hosts to recieve DHCP and other > traffic "routing" from the fiber optic interface via the FreeBSD > box. I know that in a basic configuration, 2 interfaces on the > same subnet are not a best practice and would required special > routing information. I assume that somewhere this can be > configured. A good shove in the right direction would be most > appreciated. > You can configure the interfaces together as a bridge and FreeBSD > will act as > a "smart switch"-- see the bridge(4) manpage or the Handbook for > more info. > > Note that this configuration might make sense if you wanted to > impose firewall > rules to limit cross-segment traffic while still letting the > client machines > all be on one subnet. Or you might divert all WWW traffic seen > going by to a > transparent proxy server. > > But unless you plan to do something with this traffic like that-- > if all you > want to do is have a switch-- you'd otherwise be better off > getting a 4-port > gigabit Cu or Fibre switch then setting up a dedicated server for > the task. > > -- > -Chuck >