Malcolm Candlish wrote:
> Having Fedora 4 and going for Metronet broadband I need a ADSL modem
> or router. Do they all work well, some work well, or are there
> significant differences.
Most work well. I'd *strongly* recommend a router with Ethernet output.
These should work well with anything that has an Ethernet card and a
TCP/IP stack. [1] You may also want wireless Ethernet.
Usually you can configure them by plugging a computer into an Ethernet
port on the router, and setting the computer to accept DHCP settings.
The DHCP server on the router will set you up with its preferred network
settings, with its IP address as default gateway. You can check that with
/sbin/route. Plug that IP address into a web browser and you'll get a
web interface. You should then be able to change the network settings to
what *you* want.
No Windows required at all -- in fact, I'll usually do that on Windows
rather than bother with the "easy install" programs.
After that, it acts *very* much like you've got a fast network
connection to the Internet. It's possible to install or upgrade Fedora
by downloading a 6 MB boot.iso image and getting the rest of a suitable
FTP or Web server.
I haven't heard of any a ADSL routers that *won't* do NAT (network
address translation). You'll probably only get one IP address from
Metronet. The router will allow you to have a private network (e.g.
192.168.y.x or 10.z.y.x), and translate more-or-less [2] as required.
This also acts as a basic but effective firewall.
Apart from that, most will have an on-board switch, which can be
convenient. If you're buying a wireless router, think strongly about
security. WEP is -- not good, but having it working will put you a long
way above too many domestic working. WPA is a lot better.
James.
[1] I bought my Zoom X5 partly because they had the honesty to say,
instead of "Pentium 200 with 64 MB RAM and Win98 required" for Ethernet
connections, "anything with an Ethernet connection and a TCP/IP stack".
I found that refreshing.
[2] The exception is if you want to run a server (including a BitTorrent
client): you'll have to forward the right ports to the right computer.
--
E-mail address: james | I have never used the word contemnor before today.
@westexe.demon.co.uk | Thank you for giving me the opportunity.
| -- "Bystander", London magistrate
