ICS: Urgent Help Needed, Plzz.

[First Man]

Hi buddies

Here is my scenario:

Server: Windows NT 4, P3 with 128 MB RAM
Clients: 8 to 20 PCs, Windows 98 or XP, mostly P3
Internet Connection: Individual dial-up accounts, 56k modem but

mostly connecting under 40kbps.

To enhance internet speed, we are considering to have a DSL connection,

with may be 2mbps bandwidth. connecting with a single pc. This pc will

have internet connection sharing so that others may benefit from the

high speed net connection.

1) Now, I know ICS can be enabled on XP, but we have NT server. So

how to enable ICS on NT 4?

2) Do we need to have an XP server specifically for ICS? Can it run

together with NT Server?

3) How to control/authenticate clients from XP server? I did enable ICS

on one XP sometime ago, but at that time there were only 2 pcs,

connected via cross connect cable.

4) When I enabled ICS sometime ago, the net speed was very slow on the

client even though it was very fast on XP server, via DSL modem. How to

ensure I will get good speed on 10-20 clients now??

5) Is 2mbps enough for 8-20 clients? How much should it be as minimum?

A detailed, point by point answer will be highly appreciated. Thank you.

Cheers.

 

[Sleepless in Seattle]

Put a second NIC (network interface card) in the NT server and connect a
broadband router/ADSL modem. Use a product such as WinProxy or Wingate to
route the packets from the WAN (Internet side) to the LAN.

 

[First Man]

Hi All

I very much appreciate all the input from the respondents. I
understand that the best solution is to put a router. The router
project is already in progress, but it will take some time as there
are many other similar places to be connected, and it will take its
pace.

In the meantime, we want to find an interim solution by using a DSL
shared connection. Now, to take the scenario further, here are the
issues:

1) I am planning to install some 3rd party software (preferably
freeware) on NT Server (which is connected to the rest of the LAN
through a 24 port hub).

2) I have explored many programs and have even tried FreeProxy.

3) How much will be the speed difference if I use NT server with
FreePRoxy as compared with a Cisco Router? Does processor power matter
in this case? How about RAM on server? As I understand the data will
be flowing from one network connection to the other so not much
processing power/memory should be required?

4) In FreeProxy, I have seen Usergroups, User Accounts, Password, etc.
But when I tried to browse through a client by putting Servername and
port (8080) in Internet Connection/LAN Settings, it did not prompt me
for any username/password. Isn't it weird? Am I doing something wrong.
I will certainly like to see who is accessing the net and preferably,
what activity is being done.

5) I also tried WinRoute, WithGate, WinProxy, etc but they did not run
well on XP.

The above issues are open for comments/suggestions.

Thanks once again.
Cheers.

 

[Kurt]

I would just use a W2K or XP box as the internet gateway. Just connect one
NIC to the DSL and the other to the LAN. The NICs will need to be on
different subnets. Then share the Connection that connects to the DSL.
Window will inform you that is is changing your LAN IP address to
192.168.0.1. Let it do that. If yo can work on that network and want DHCP,
just leave it at 192.168.0.1. If you already have static IP addresses
assigned, change your LAN ip address to whatever you have configured as the
default gateway on your workstations. That's pretty much it.There's no
authentication issues since your gateway box is just acting as a router. You
can use it for workstations, servers, Linux boxes, whatever. You can even
set up port forwarding form the outside to servers on the LAN for VPNs, RDP,
Web server, etc..

....kurt

Hi All

I very much appreciate all the input from the respondents. I
understand that the best solution is to put a router. The router
project is already in progress, but it will take some time as there
are many other similar places to be connected, and it will take its
pace.

In the meantime, we want to find an interim solution by using a DSL
shared connection. Now, to take the scenario further, here are the
issues:

1) I am planning to install some 3rd party software (preferably
freeware) on NT Server (which is connected to the rest of the LAN
through a 24 port hub).

2) I have explored many programs and have even tried FreeProxy.

3) How much will be the speed difference if I use NT server with
FreePRoxy as compared with a Cisco Router? Does processor power matter
in this case? How about RAM on server? As I understand the data will
be flowing from one network connection to the other so not much
processing power/memory should be required?

4) In FreeProxy, I have seen Usergroups, User Accounts, Password, etc.
But when I tried to browse through a client by putting Servername and
port (8080) in Internet Connection/LAN Settings, it did not prompt me
for any username/password. Isn't it weird? Am I doing something wrong.
I will certainly like to see who is accessing the net and preferably,
what activity is being done.

5) I also tried WinRoute, WithGate, WinProxy, etc but they did not run
well on XP.

The above issues are open for comments/suggestions.

Thanks once again.
Cheers.



What's the affinity with ICS? Particularly on an operating system that
doesn't support it. With a adsl router he could dispense with all the
hassle at very small cost. And get better ping times, throughput etc.
cheaper...

If he already has 20 lan clients and a NT server then his network
infrastructure is already in place so why the sudden need to get a 20
port switch? He can easily plug the modem/router into his existing
hub/switch. Not to mention that it will be infinitely more secure to
separate the Internet connection from the LAN server.

Jim.

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