Baisc Question about a Knoppix-Switch-Network

[pi8ch]

Hi!

I'm a newby in linux--networking, and before I spend time to try it out I wanted to ask if my "idea" works at all. (I already read some threads in this forum but I didn't find questions / solutions fitting for me)

The mission:

I have an old PII with two network-cards standing around - I want to HDD-install Knoppix (because thats easy) and add a DSL Modem on the one card, and a switch on the other. I have an other old win98 system (need that for an old scanner who has only driver support for win98 ), my main DualBoot WindowsXP / Knoppix system and a WinXP Laptop. I want to have network connection between the Windows Systems, and Internet Connection over the Knoppix "server" .
(Right now I have the DSL Modem directly connected to my main System with two network cards (DualBoot WindowsXP / Knoppix) and the Internet Connection works fine when I connect other systems over a cross-over, but so I cannot be online with all systems in parallel)

Did someone already tried out such a network? Are there tools in Knoppix already suited for that purpose?

So basicaly the Knoppix "server" would have to ip-forward to and from the attached "clients" over the switch.... I've heard that this can be a problem for several Windows applications, because they don't like that... Or are there other internet connection sharing ways over a switch?


Thanks in advance for any hints. I want to know if that will work before spending time and money for the switch.

[Harry Kuhman]

.... I want to know if that will work before spending time and money for the switch.

Why not buy a home DSL/cable router with a built-in 4 port switch? These things are damn cheap (sometimes $10 or less here in the US after sales or rebates), will let you do what you want without having to fool with a second NIC in the Knoppix system, will let your Win98 box be on-line even if the Knoppix box is off or rebooting, and will give you the added advantage of an extra firewall protecting the entire network. And since they sell an awful lot of these things and relatively fewer switches without the router, the router with built-in switch will likely cost you less.

[pi8ch]

Why not buy a home DSL/cable router with a built-in 4 port switch?

I thought of that as well, but the specific xDSL account I have goes over the university network of my hometown, and there are some troubles with routers.... In addition I would like to let my Knoppix-Server run as simple Web-server, just for some low-traffic private purpose.

Thats why I would like to experiment with that server-switch-clients structure.... BTW... A switch isn't that expensive as well.. There are some for 14 Euros....

In fact I'm just interested if the internet-connection can be shared over the switch with some Knoppix / Debian configuration .... Connection from client to clients should be possible over the switch anyway.