BT ADSL Voyager Modem and Knoppix?

[bluenote]

Hi,

I have read in some posts that the best way to connect to internet using Knoppix is to get router as I saw many ppl having problems with USB modems (as the one I have for example).

Can somebody in UK recommend a router wich is going to work with Knoppix. There are some in PC World but I do not know wich one to choose. Thanks.

P.S When I buy router do I need to connect my current USB modem to the router or I will need router connected straight to my computer?

[Harry Kuhman]

Can somebody in UK recommend a router wich is going to work with Knoppix. There are some in PC World but I do not know wich one to choose. ....
I don't know about products offered in Europe, but in general almost any router will work. I have tried 6 different brands at my location (in the U.S.A.) and the only one that had problems with Knoppix was a Belkin (it would not do DHCP right). It had other problems too, so I'm more inclined to stay away from Belkin routers than to say it was a Knoppix problem. They don't offer that exact model any more, but since you have a choice you might as well avoid them. Hopefully others can tell you routers that work for them; here are my experiences: Linksys: several models all worked find. SMC: 802.11b wireless model worked fine. NexLan: Worked fine but no longer marketed, Netgear 802.11b: Worked OK, but there were firmware issues that slowed it somewhat in contrast to other routers (for both Windows and Linux). Dlink: Many models work fine, but avoid the DL514 completely and be sure the store offers a satisfaction gaurantee if you get the DL614 or DL624 (issues with the above are issues with Windows too, not just KNoppix). All of the routers do basically the same thing, although user friendly features vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. And, of ciourse, some are wired connections only, some are 802.11b wireless (as well as wired ports), some offer faster 802.11g wireless (realize though that you Internet connection will be clower than 802.11b), and some offer even faster but not yet standariized modes of connecting.


P.S When I buy router do I need to connect my current USB modem to the router or I will need router connected straight to my computer?.
You do not use the USB device at all. If the router does not include a built-in modem then you need to get a modem and connect the router to the modem with a short ethernet cable (usually included with the router). In any case the router connects to the computers by an ethernet cable and either connects to a NIC on the motherboard or you'll have to add a NIC (network interface card) to the computer. Here Nics generally cost $5 to $10 U.S., are frequently free after rebate. This cable is generally not included with a router, a 6 to 12 foot cable would normally cost you under $5 here, but some vendors will try to overcharge for this item and price it at $19.99 or more. If you con't know if your computer already has an ethernet port, check your manual or look at the back of the computer and see if you can see a jack similar to an RJ-11 modem telephone jack, only wider, with space for 8 pins (RJ-45).

[bluenote]

Thanks a lot Harry for helpfull replay.

[tdjokic]

I have ADSL Ethernet modem DSL-300T, plus NIC in PC and it works without problems in Knoppix. No router, no nothing. More details here
http://www.adslguide.org.uk/hardware/reviews/2004/q4/dlink-dsl300t.asp I am not in UK but this site is very good guide for ADSL. You don't need router for only one PC: http://www.adslguide.org.uk/guide/connections.asp#microfilters

[bluenote]

tdjokic,

That's exactly what I need, thanks a lot!

[Harry Kuhman]

You don't need router for only one PC
I question the wisdom of making this statement. While technically it is true that you can go on-line by directly connecting a PC to an ethernet DSL modem, there are a few issues to be concerned about here. On is dealing with PPPoE or other interface software the DSL service requires. This can certainly be done in the PC, but can be a hassel, particularly when booting live CDs. A more important issue is that a router gives you a hardware firewall. Unless you misconfigure things, this serves to protect the PC from an ever growing number of Internet attacks. This is particularly important for Windows users but is growing in importance for Linux users too (it is a low risk issue for Live CD users so far, but even that might change with the Knoppix 3.8 file system. Even with a hardware firewall a user can hurt themself by dumb mistakes, like opening e-mail attachments or visiting the wrong websites with vulnerable versions of IE. But a hardware firewall protects you from attacks directed at your IP address. A software firewall is just not good enough for this task, there are too many things that can be exploited before the software firewall evers sees the incoming packets. And there are plenty of reports of people trying to reinstall WinXP now and going on-line to get the security updates. Over and over I see reports that the odds are extremely high against you of being able to get the "security updates" to protect your system before your system is taken over by multiple viruses if you are not protected by a hardware firewall. I wouldn't use a high speed connection without one.

By the way, I currently get about 50 attempts an hour to access my system from IP addresses that I never sent traffic to, based on my router's logs. The router stops this traffic and it never gets sent to my PC. But you can be sure that the people doing this are not failing everywhere they send packets to, or the pratice would soon stop. They are finding vulnerable PC's out there. And I doubt if many, if any at all, PCs infested this way have a properly configured router between them and the Internet.

[Harry Kuhman]

I have ADSL Ethernet modem DSL-300T, ...
By the way, the review linked to says "....so there will be some guides for it that show it being used as a simple one port NAT router. The firmware that is used in the UK market is purely for an Ethernet modem, and that is how we will review it." What they are saying is that in some markets Dlink does include NAT router software inside this modem. Apparently in the UK market they do not. This is probably a good thing actually, as long as you use it with another router. With full NAT router firmware included it could limit your ability to use it with another router (unless this part could be disabled). Actually, I'm very troubled by one part of the review. In the section on connecting the modem to a router the author says: "Initially when you first connect the modem to the router, it will hand the router an IP address in the range 192.168.1.x." This implies that the UK version is doing some limited NAT, otherwise it would give the router a real routabe IP address rather than a local NAT IP address. However it must be passing all traffic to the NAT address, do there is no protection from this (like putting a PC on a router in the "DMZ"). But the other features of a NAT router are missing from the setup. The end result is that with this modem you'll have 2 levels of NAT when you use a router, and you may see a small increase in ping times as a result of that.