ADSL connection sharing methods - which one to choose?

[Labcore]

Dear folks:

My ADSL ISP provides me a dynamic IP each time I login on its network and I want to share my broadband connection among my three computers in a way that *any* of them can be able to connect to the Internet while the other two ones are powered off (I don't wanna use software-based sharing). All of them have Windows 2000 Professional installed, with one 10/100 Mbps network card each. I have a 10/100 Mbps 5-port switch available. My ISP currently doesn't sell fixed IPs. That said, I think of 2 possible solutions:

1. As the IP my ISP provides me is dynamic (it will change each time I start my computer), the only thing I need to do is connect the Ethernet output of the ADSL modem to any port of the switch and plug all computers into it, too, as I would do in any simple LAN (all computers must have the DHCP service enabled to accept the dynamic IP). Is this right? Won't all computers end up configured with the same IP and generate an IP conflict?

2. Now suppose I change the ISP ADSL modem for an ADSL modem/router combo and plug all my three computers in its Ethernet port. Again, all three computers will have DHCP enabled (with no static, fixed IP set up). As the router will be working like a hub/switch (to the LAN point of view), my three computers will already be ready to share their local resources (like files) among them, because although there's no Windows 2000 Server in this LAN to act as a DHCP server, Win2000 Pro will activate its "Automatic Private IP Addressing" feature and work this out, assigning random addresses from the range 169.254.0.1 to 169.254.255.254 to each of them).

Right or not?

Please let me know what you think about both solutions.

[Mopwr2u1]

Heres what i did and still do although i no longer have dsl i have cable ive got a D-Link DI-604 router and the connection to the wan or dsl modem is DHCP so it gets whatever IP the ISP gives Then i hooked the other 4 computers to the lan side of the router now ya can either run DHCP from the router which i used to do or run a static address like i do now from 192.168.0.1 to 192.168.0.4 since its only got 4 ports thats all i need. I use static cause I forward a few ports cause I use a few programs that need them and a couple times the DHCP of the router changed the computers IP addresses effectively defeating my port forwarding for my computer if ya have any more ? ill be happy to help or their are a lot of very helpful people here so we will get ya fixed up no prob.
#1 ?The first prob ya had happened to me exactly as ya said
#2 ? Should actually get the ip the router gives out

[YeOldeStonecat]

You can get any home market broadband router, you connect your existing modem into the WAN port of your router. You connect all your computers (up to 253) into the LAN ports of the router. Most routers come with a built in 4 port 10/100 switch for the LAN side, and an uplink in case you need to uplink to another hub or switch if you have more than 4 computers.

Wether you have a static or dynamic IP address from your ISP...the router does not care. The router maintains that connection "always on" for you.

The computers on your network will be given a private IP address by the router, such as 192.168.1.100, 192.168.1.101, 192.1681.103, etc etc. Naturally each computer will have it's own IP address. The router is the gateway for your private network to the internet.

The routers all have built in DHCP servers in them...they will manage your network.

[Labcore]

Dear XXXX:

Thanks for your comments!

OK, I decided to use a 3Com OfficeConnect Remote 812 modem/router/hub(x4). Although it comes with a built-in 4-port hub, I will connect my 5-port switch to one of its Ethernet ports and plug all computers into the switch (because the hub that comes with the modem is just a 10 Mbps hub, not a 10/100 Mbps switch, and I want my internal LAN to run at full 100 Mbps speed and with the extra "intelligence" of a switch). It'll all go like this:

__ __ __ __
|__||__||__||__| --> ADSL MODEM/ROUTER/HUB Ethernet ports
|
|
|
__ __ __ __ __
|__||__||__||__||__| --> SWITCH ports
| | |
| | |__ Computer 03
| |
| |__ Computer 02
|
|__ Computer 01


1. Does anyone see any disadvantage if I put the switch between the modem and the computers? Will the router do its work (DHCP server, IP management etc.) the same way as if my computers were attached directly to it?

2. My ADSL telco and ISP request me to log in to have Internet access. Once I perform the log in process the first time, in just one of the computers (by entering my UserID and password in their web pages or using an authentication utility), all the other ones will be already ready to access the Internet or will I need to
repeat the login process again in each of them? Either way, will this be considered simultaneous access (my ISP will charge me and extra hourly fee if I login more than once during the same period of time...).

3. The 3Com modem can be configured to perform an automatic authentication in the network. Will this avoid having to reapeat the login process in the 2 other computers (and avoid simultaneous access)?

4. Now lemme just get back a while. My ISP provides me a dynamic IP for each connection, all my computers has Windows 2000 Professional and I want to be able to connect to the Internet from each of them even if the other ones are powered off. If I'd use just my switch to connect my computers to a *routerless* modem,

a) and set each of them with a fixed/static IP adress (for LAN purposes only), would all of them be able to access the Internet? A switch doesn't manage IP, as a router does...

b) and if I set each of them to get IP addresses dynamically (from a DHCP server), who would provide them the dynamic IP address they need, as there will not be any router or DHCP server computers running around them? The "Automatic Private IP Addressing" feature of W2k Pro would then work this out?

PS: To satisfy a backup script I run almost daily, I need that all computers in my LAN use fixed/static IP addresses...

This seems to be easier but, you know, devil is in the details... ;->

I'd appreciate any clear comments about it.

[[ ]]s

Labcore
Brazil

[Mopwr2u1]

First the site shows the modem/hub as being discontinued if thats ok with you then cool
1. The advantage is that you will get 100mbs but it wont be able to use the DHCP of the router
2.the router will be able to log on for ya so you wont have to each time ya want to use the computers
3. you answered that one with #2
4. your ISP will assign a IP for the router only no you cant use a switch to get multiple computers without a router
4A give each computer a static IP and turn of DHCP off the lan side of the router and set the default gateway on each computer to the router address.
4b set static IP and Default gateway and then you can lan and get on at the same time or turn 1 off etc. etc.

and that would also satisfy the backup script that you run

Hopefully i didn't leave anything out if I'm not clear ill be more than happy to answer any ? you have

[YeOldeStonecat]

Originally posted by Mopwr2u1
1. The advantage is that you will get 100mbs but it wont be able to use the DHCP of the router

:nope:

A switch will still let workstations obtain IP from the DHCP of the router. It will not interfere.

And if you are going to go with static IP's on the LAN side, leave DHCP on the router turned on. And you will need a 3rd thing...DNS. Just having an IP and a gateway will not let you surf the net...you still need DNS to resolve names.

Here's a guide I wrote for static IP on the LAN side of a router.

http://www.speedguide.net/read_articles.php?id=177

[Mopwr2u1]

Oops ya i forgot about DNS and I'm really sorry about that i was under the impression if ya ran out of one lan port of the router to a switch and then had 3 or 4 on there ya had to do static. I'M really sorry I don't like to give out wrong info looks like i need to sit back and watch the big dogs a little longer:(

[Labcore]

Dear folks:

Thank you very much for your help and sorry I didn't turn back to you before (I was out of town).

My ADSL service will probably be installed by the end of this month. The help you provided me so far gave me enough data for my planning. If I still need some advice after the installation, I'll post new messages in this thread, OK? Again, thanks for your kind attention - you were very helpful! :)

Regards,

Labcore
Brazil

[jesus-lover]

get RASPPPOE and install it on each computer. then each client can have his own connection to the internet via the modem which you plug right into your network hub (10 or 100 Mbps doesn't matter) along with all the other clients. you don't even need to give them each ip's unless you want TCP/IP communication between them. whatever the account u use for the current dsl connection you use on each client (yes the same account on all computers). this way your not sharing the bandwidth because they each get a 1mbps (the speed of your service) of their own!

http://www.raspppoe.com/