[PLUG] Linksys router / general networking questions

[jbeck@jbwd.net]

Hi all,

I have a few questions regarding networking - I am hoping some people here 
can help me out. I am a total newbie to networking, so keep that in mind... 

I currently have 3 pc's at home - a dual boot PC with win98+ slackware8.0 
that is connected to the net via a cable modem (service from @home), a 
standalone Pentium desktop with RH 7.1, and a laptop with WinME. As I 
mentioned, the only one connected to the net is the dual boot one... 

I saw a Linksys 4 port Cable/DSL router that would allow me to share my 
cable connection with the other computers. So, my first question is: how 
well do these work with Linux? Any problems, etc? It looks as though it 
comes with an install CD for windows, though I don't know what it does. The 
ad says you can configure it through any browser connected to the router. If 
that is so, what's the disk for? 

OK, assuming I need the disk, and install the software on the windows part 
of the dual boot computer to get things started, can the RedHat computer see 
and share files with the Dual boot computer? They would both be "behind the 
router" or connected to their own port on the back of the router. The router 
can act as a DHCP device, so the computers plugged into it can obtain IP 
info automatically... Is this the best way to go...? I would like to be able 
to, for example, access files on the windows machine from the RedHat 
machine, and vice versa... 

Now about the laptop - I don't use it all the time, but can it just be 
plugged into the router when I need to use it, and disconnected when I 
don't? Will that cause problems? 

Finally, I have one last question. What if I wanted to use the Redhat 
computer to run apache and serve up static web pages for my own use. I 
already own a few domain names, so could I use one (for ex. 
www.mydomain.com) and have it access files that are on the redhat box that 
is connected to the router? If I can, how is this done? What tells the 
router to send requests for www.mydomain.com to the redhat box? 

Whew! That's alot of stuff! I know that this is all over the place, but I 
figured best to write it down now and ask, before I forget or go off without 
being prepared. 

Thanks for any help you can provide! 

John 


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