best networking configuration for router/linux server/windows client ?

I have a dsl connection currently feeding to my dlink 614 router(dns
server). To which I have my linux server(samba & apache) and my
windows machine connected.
(DSL Connection)
|
|
v
-------
| R |
------- (DNS, Firewall)
|
|
|
v
--------------------------
| |
| |
| |
v v
------- -------
| L | | W |
------- -------
(Webserver, Samba) (Game machine :p)


Simple configuration ? Looks like this is simple and common setup.

Issue with this setup:
Windows and Linux machine cannot resolve names without hardcoding
ip->name info in the hosts files. I figure its coz, windows depends on
wins broadcast ?
And linux does not. Someone mentioned 192.168.x.x is a private
network, so name resolving is not possible by defualt, so linux dosnt
see windows machine. (ie, I cant ping my windows hostname, but pings
ip).

Someone Also mentioned, that I could run samba to accept wins
broadcast messages, not sure how to run that. That brings another
question, does my router allow such broadcasts in the private network.

What about workgroup name ?, can I just pick any workgroup name for my
windows and linux(samba) machine, no need of any server component for
that ?

Almost forgot,
System spec:

Dlink router 614+
Debian Linux machine
Windows XP Pro

I found many have asked simillar question before, but no clear answers
for them. I tried checking up sites such as practicallynetworked.com
and samba.org, couldnt find answers to my questions.

Any comments, will be appreciated, feel free to suggest better
configuration, I prefer the above configuation, so that I can keep my
router near the phone line, use wifi for the machines,put my server in
the closet, and windows machine anywhere I want.

Thanks,
LS

samba would be a great choice for connecting windows machines....
iptables for firewall ...

On 22 Oct 2003 12:29:51 -0700, raqueebh@yahoo.com (Raqueeb Hassan)
wrote:

>samba would be a great choice for connecting windows machines....
>iptables for firewall ...


But given, a wireless router, linux server and windows machine, what
would be your prefered configuration ?

Not sure what iptables is, I am guessing it is used to allow and block
ip/port on the linux machine. But I am using the router for firewall.


I do like samba for sharing storage space across linux and windows
machine, but I need a seamless hostname - ip translation without
hardcoding the ip in hosts files.

LS

We know you can comment on this :p, atleast for the sake of time I
spent pressing space bar to draw that figure.

Is it that my question is not clear enough, or you guys dont have a
better config ?

LS

On 22 Oct 2003 00:24:18 -0700, bsvinay@yahoo.com (LoneShadow) wrote:

>I have a dsl connection currently feeding to my dlink 614 router(dns
>server). To which I have my linux server(samba & apache) and my
>windows machine connected.
> (DSL Connection)
> |
> |
> v
> -------
> | R |
> ------- (DNS, Firewall)
> |
> |
> |
> v
> --------------------------
> | |
> | |
> | |
> v v
> ------- -------
> | L | | W |
> ------- -------
> (Webserver, Samba) (Game machine :p)
>
>
>Simple configuration ? Looks like this is simple and common setup.
>
>Issue with this setup:
>Windows and Linux machine cannot resolve names without hardcoding
>ip->name info in the hosts files. I figure its coz, windows depends on
>wins broadcast ?
>And linux does not. Someone mentioned 192.168.x.x is a private
>network, so name resolving is not possible by defualt, so linux dosnt
>see windows machine. (ie, I cant ping my windows hostname, but pings
>ip).
>
>Someone Also mentioned, that I could run samba to accept wins
>broadcast messages, not sure how to run that. That brings another
>question, does my router allow such broadcasts in the private network.
>
>What about workgroup name ?, can I just pick any workgroup name for my
>windows and linux(samba) machine, no need of any server component for
>that ?
>
>Almost forgot,
>System spec:
>
>Dlink router 614+
>Debian Linux machine
>Windows XP Pro
>
>I found many have asked simillar question before, but no clear answers
>for them. I tried checking up sites such as practicallynetworked.com
>and samba.org, couldnt find answers to my questions.
>
>Any comments, will be appreciated, feel free to suggest better
>configuration, I prefer the above configuation, so that I can keep my
>router near the phone line, use wifi for the machines,put my server in
>the closet, and windows machine anywhere I want.
>
>Thanks,
>LS

LoneShadow <a@b.com> writes:

>We know you can comment on this :p, atleast for the sake of time I
>spent pressing space bar to draw that figure.

>Is it that my question is not clear enough, or you guys dont have a
>better config ?

Yes of course there's a better config.

Retask the 614+. It's router functions are inferior.

Get an old junker PC and put IPCop on it from ipcop.org
Then you will have a real firewall box that can also
do proxy caching for you, and it runs dnsmasq. The dnsmasq
program will cache queries to real internet and if you put
entries in box's /etc/hosts file it will also serve them out
as "real" entries to any client machines on your network.
Does static DHCP very nicely too, which I like so I can
port-forward certain inbound things if I need to easily.

I have a 614+, I now use it just as a LAN switch and AP.

Regarding Samba, you don't need WINS inside a single subnet.
Your windows machines will broadcast and sort out what they need.
You only need WINS with clients and servers on other sides of routers.

>On 22 Oct 2003 00:24:18 -0700, bsvinay@yahoo.com (LoneShadow) wrote:

>>I have a dsl connection currently feeding to my dlink 614 router(dns
>>server). To which I have my linux server(samba & apache) and my
>>windows machine connected.
>> (DSL Connection)
>> |
>> |
>> v
>> -------
>> | R |
>> ------- (DNS, Firewall)
>> |
>> |
>> |
>> v
>> --------------------------
>> | |
>> | |
>> | |
>> v v
>> ------- -------
>> | L | | W |
>> ------- -------
>> (Webserver, Samba) (Game machine :p)
>>
>>
>>Simple configuration ? Looks like this is simple and common setup.
>>
>>Issue with this setup:
>>Windows and Linux machine cannot resolve names without hardcoding
>>ip->name info in the hosts files. I figure its coz, windows depends on
>>wins broadcast ?
>>And linux does not. Someone mentioned 192.168.x.x is a private
>>network, so name resolving is not possible by defualt, so linux dosnt
>>see windows machine. (ie, I cant ping my windows hostname, but pings
>>ip).
>>
>>Someone Also mentioned, that I could run samba to accept wins
>>broadcast messages, not sure how to run that. That brings another
>>question, does my router allow such broadcasts in the private network.
>>
>>What about workgroup name ?, can I just pick any workgroup name for my
>>windows and linux(samba) machine, no need of any server component for
>>that ?
>>
>>Almost forgot,
>>System spec:
>>
>>Dlink router 614+
>>Debian Linux machine
>>Windows XP Pro
>>
>>I found many have asked simillar question before, but no clear answers
>>for them. I tried checking up sites such as practicallynetworked.com
>>and samba.org, couldnt find answers to my questions.
>>
>>Any comments, will be appreciated, feel free to suggest better
>>configuration, I prefer the above configuation, so that I can keep my
>>router near the phone line, use wifi for the machines,put my server in
>>the closet, and windows machine anywhere I want.
>>
>>Thanks,
>>LS

--
Vincent Fox
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta Georgia, 30332
Internet: vf5@mail.gatech.edu