Suggetsiogn need to establish a network beteen linux box and XP with access to broadband internet by both PC

Hi,

I have Linksys WRT54G wirless router. Currently, both PCs are XP box
and I am using ethernet cables to connect each PC to the router for
internet access. This is what I want to accomplish but first some info
where my PCs and rotuetrs, broadband modems are kept:

- I have broaband internet modem connected to the wireless router and a
PC kept in UPSTAIRS office room. Note: The PC (ACUS A7N8X Deluxe w/
processor 1.30 gigahertz AMD Athlon) is on the same desk as the
wireless router and broadband modem. So I just use ethernet cable
connection to the router to access internet from this PC..

- The other PC - a Dell PC with Pentium IV 1.4 GHz bought 5 years ago
- which I want to put Linux will be taken downstairs and the this is
my plan: After I install Linux in PC to be kept downstairs, I want to
make it wireless capable to access internet. I am working on getting
the wireless adapter. After that I want to establish a network between
this Linux box downstairs and the PC upstairs (XP box) so that from
Linux box downstairs, I can access the hard drive in upstairs XP Box
and any external drive attached to XP box. (The reason of wanting to
keep a PC downtairs will be so that I can be working on things when
keeping an eye on my cooking and sometimes watch some TV and be online
or studying.)

So, for the network between the two PCs (Linux box downstiars and XP
box upstairs), do I establish *peer to peer network* between ? iif
not, what type? I will need to make XP box upstairs wireless capable
in order to get it networked with Linux box downstairs to aboid having
to use cables, right? Should I get a wireless PCI adapter that is the
same brand as my wirless router? Is it better to use cables between the
two PCs though it would be ugly?

After the network between two PCs is estblished, and the Linux box
downstairs will get internet access via it's wireless adapter, can I
just get internet access on XP box upstairs as usual, i.e via ethernet
cable to the router? Would establishing network with Linux box which
has wirless internet access interfere this process? Though, the people
in security group may say that I should get internet access to XP box
*via* linux box espeically since I will have a network between these
two PCs, my XP bx is sitting sitting close to the router and I think I
should just access the internet with ethernet cable.

Networking and wireless stuff are nor my domain. I need to get these
done so that I can move onto my goal of leanring Linux and Advanced
Java programming (will NEED to put Tomcat and MySQL in both boxes).

Any guidance would be appreciated.

amanda wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I have Linksys WRT54G wirless router.
> I have broaband internet modem connected to the wireless router and a
> PC kept in UPSTAIRS office room.

So, your WAN port IP is a public (ie pingable from the Internet) IP and
your PC gets a 192.168.1.0 IP. Just confirming.

> - The other PC - a Dell PC with Pentium IV 1.4 GHz bought 5 years ago
> - which I want to put Linux will be taken downstairs and the this is
> my plan: After I install Linux in PC to be kept downstairs, I want to
> make it wireless capable to access internet.

Sounds like this here laptop. Except, my router/WLAN getup is in the
basement, and I'm sitting one floor above the gear right now. You will
be taking the opposite (but still valid) approach.

> I am working on getting
> the wireless adapter. After that I want to establish a network between
> this Linux box downstairs and the PC upstairs (XP box) so that from
> Linux box downstairs, I can access the hard drive in upstairs XP Box
> and any external drive attached to XP box. (The reason of wanting to
> keep a PC downtairs will be so that I can be working on things when
> keeping an eye on my cooking and sometimes watch some TV and be online
> or studying.)

Then you will be using the Samba packages on the Linux box. Better
would be to use SSH but, you're router will keep the nightmarishly
insecure dive sharing Windows content away from the Internet.

> So, for the network between the two PCs (Linux box downstiars and XP
> box upstairs), do I establish *peer to peer network* between ?

Share a directory on the PC, secure it, then run smbmount on Linux to
mount it.

smbmount //IP-of-XP/sharename /mnt/xp -o
username=windowsuser,password=windowspass

> not, what type? I will need to make XP box upstairs wireless capable
> in order to get it networked with Linux box downstairs to aboid having
> to use cables, right?

Yes.

> Should I get a wireless PCI adapter that is the same brand as my wirless router?

Not necessary to match. You could, but make sure it's also 802.11G.

Is it better to use cables between the
> two PCs though it would be ugly?
>
> After the network between two PCs is estblished, and the Linux box
> downstairs will get internet access via it's wireless adapter, can I
> just get internet access on XP box upstairs as usual, i.e via ethernet
> cable to the router?

Yes, what happens is the two PCs get IP's like 192.168.1.2 and
192.168.1.3. The gateway (the broadband router) is probably
192.168.1.1. None of these IP addresses can be found on the Internet,
only in your network. What happens when they connect out to the
Internet is the router translates IP's from 192.168.1.2 to the "WAN IP"
of the router (that public IP I mentioned). It also tracks which PC is
talking to whatever site so it keeps the incoming traffic straight. It
involves port numbers and sequence numbers and you don't want to know
more.

> Would establishing network with Linux box which
> has wirless internet access interfere this process?

No, the router keeps things straight. This is common.

> Though, the people
> in security group may say that I should get internet access to XP box
> *via* linux box espeically since I will have a network between these
> two PCs, my XP bx is sitting sitting close to the router and I think I
> should just access the internet with ethernet cable.

Not necessary, since the router does not relay inbound (ie. untrusted
haxors) to either your PC or Linux box unless you tell it to. You'll
do this to open up tomcat sites to your friends (I peeked the next
paragraph).. You *could* set up your Linux box to proxy/route, ** just
like the router **. So why? Let the router do it. You don't need to
mess with ip_forward and ip_tables. You could, it's fun, but you don't
need to and you already have a perfectly good device there that
consumes less power than a Linux PC and requires very little caring
for.

>
> Networking and wireless stuff are nor my domain. I need to get these
> done so that I can move onto my goal of leanring Linux and Advanced
> Java programming (will NEED to put Tomcat and MySQL in both boxes).

I am starting to do this too, but have been advised to skip servlets
and go directly to EJB by a seasoned developer.

> Any guidance would be appreciated.

Fell free to email me. Glad to help. -Gary

I wrote:
> amanda wrote:
> > I have Linksys WRT54G wirless router.
> > I have broaband internet modem connected to the wireless router and a
> > PC kept in UPSTAIRS office room.
......
> > I will need to make XP box upstairs wireless capable
> > in order to get it networked with Linux box downstairs to aboid having
> > to use cables, right?
>
> Yes.

Sorry, No. If the XP box is already wired (ethernet) into the WRT54G
(broadband on WAN port, PC on a LAN port), then you only need to get a
wireless card on the Linux machine to have it talk to your router also.
No need to wireless-enable the PC if it's wired in. Adds complexity
and is not necessary, one network per device to keep it simple.

Wayne McClaine wrote:
> I wrote:
> > amanda wrote:
> > > I have Linksys WRT54G wirless router.
> > > I have broaband internet modem connected to the wireless router and a
> > > PC kept in UPSTAIRS office room.
> .....
> > > I will need to make XP box upstairs wireless capable
> > > in order to get it networked with Linux box downstairs to aboid having
> > > to use cables, right?
> >
> > Yes.
>
> Sorry, No. If the XP box is already wired (ethernet) into the WRT54G
> (broadband on WAN port, PC on a LAN port), then you only need to get a
> wireless card on the Linux machine to have it talk to your router also.
> No need to wireless-enable the PC if it's wired in. Adds complexity
> and is not necessary, one network per device to keep it simple.


Thanks Gary. I will email you.

In the eman time, I will need to stop using this accoutn because
someone has followed me one group to the other groups I post - not this
group yet, pretending to be me.

The posts can be differentiated by computer savvy people but most
people in the other groups would only look at the userid or email
address and so I should just discard this account and so also stop
using the same nickname.