[Ham-Computers] RE: CAN YOU ADVISE PLEASE

[Hsu, Aaron (NBC Universal)]

John,

It sounds like you already have a small 2-computer network up and going.  I believe you have this ADSL router http://www.billion.com/product/adsl/bipac5100.htm.  If so, then it is allowing you to "share" your DSL connection with multiple computers using Network Address Translation (aka "NAT").

NAT allows a "local" network (aka "LAN" or Local Area Network) to share a common TCP/IP connection to an "outside" network (aka "WAN" or Wide Area Connection).  Each computer on the LAN uses a unique IP address that's only used on the LAN.  The NAT router handles all traffic from the LAN and forwards data to/from the WAN (which uses the IP address assigned by the DSL provider).  As far as the "outside world" (aka Internet) is concerned, all traffic is going to/from the WAN IP address.  The router then determines where to send the data (to which computer) on the LAN.

E-mail addresses are handled on a higher "level".  You can use any computer you want to send/receive/view e-mail.  It's up to you to determine which computer to use - heck, you can even setup multiple computers to access the same e-mail account.  E-mail typically doesn't require any firewall configuration unless the firewall is setup in some "paranoid" configuration that also blocks standard e-mail ports (25 and 110).

To setup the network, all you need to do is connect each PC to the router.  If the router is set to automatically assign IP addresses (aka DHCP) to local PC's, then you just need to make sure your computers are also set for DHCP.  Both computers should then be able to "share" the DSL connection and work at the same time.  Note that the total bandwidth is still limited by the DSL connection, so if one PC is downloading something, the other PC will also be slower at getting something from the Internet.

73 and let me know if you have any further questions!


  - Aaron Hsu, NN6O (ex-KD6DAE)

 
-----Original Message-----
Sent: Sunday, September 24, 2006 5:51 AM
Subject: [Ham-Computers] CAN YOU ADVISE PLEASE

Greetings,
I would like to have the 2 computers i have in different rooms, to access the internet. One computer which is this one will have personal and other mail and programs and the other will have Amateur radio programs and design software.

Both machines will have different addresses. eg, this machine will have personal mail addresses and the other will have my amateur email address. I am on broadband with 4 to 5 mbps. can  have the two machines sharing the same modem router which is a billion 5100 with 4 ports. 

If not, will i need to run one machine as a server or a separate machine as a server. Would it be possible to simply stop access from this machine, (closing the firewall) and open the other machine (open the firewall) to access the web.

It would be nice though if i can use both at the same time so when my partner can use the main computer and i can be working the world and have the dx cluster going next the rig on the other machine.

What do i need to get this done easily. I am running win 2000 on both machines.

I will appreciate your assistance.
73's,
De John
Amateur Radio Station VK6JB
E-mail : vk6jb at amnet.net.au
           : skype#  vk6jb007
           : firefly#  8440 3636