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Getting Started

The things you will need for this project are:

A computer that will be your router must have:
  • a Hard drive with Linux installed on it,with about a GB free.
  • a Pentium-75 processor or better. (a P-75 is minimum for a 10/100 network)
  • two DIFFERENT network cards.
  • a monitor and keyboard
  • a Hub, switch or crossover cable for your inside LAN.
  • An appropriate device for your internet connection that has an RJ45 ethernet connection.
       (cablemodem, DSL-modem,etc)
  • Any passwords or usernames you might need.

    From this point on when it is necessary to talk about the network cards, the term interface will be used. Simply put an interface is a network card that has an IP address. if I said external network card that would be more confusing than the term outside interface. Under the Linux operating system the interfaces are assigned a name, like eth0, eth1, etc... For the purpose of writing this document I will assume that the outside interface is eth0 and the inside interface is eth1.

    Why two diffrent Network cards? I prefer two diffrent network cards, usually one that is 10baseT and one that is 100baseTX. This way your inside LAN is running faster than your outside internet connection. Note: Most cablemodems/DSLmodems are 10baseT anyway so to put a faster NIC would be overkill.