freesco as dialin server?

DISCUSSION james miller 2 participants 2 messages Nov 27, 2002

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james miller

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2002-11-27 04:06 UTC #0 lore raw

Dear List:

This is a preliminary inquiry regarding the freesco router and the possibility of using it as a dialin server, since I am considering getting DSL but still need dialin access to the 'net from another local number. The router is envisioned to resolve a dilemma with which I'm confronted regarding dialin internet service: since the companies in my area that offer dialin service either have problematic time constraints or very slow speeds, I'm being forced to consider DSL. Problem is, at one of the two numbers from which I need 'net access, DSL service is not offerred. Therefore, I am considering getting DSL at my home, and using freesco (or some other routerish OS) as to serve the DSL connection to computers in my home. It also seems to me from the freesco documentation that one can dial in to a freesco router/server and join the intranet. It therefore stands to reason that I could get the web connection to be served to me at work over a dialin connection - becoming, in effect, my own ISP to myself. Any comments on this sort of scheme from anyone? Recommendations of alternative routers? Pitfalls to beware of?

As usual, I need to state that my understanding of these matters is a bit sketchy. I'm trying, at this point, to get a better idea of what's involved and thus hoping to arrive at a decision about whether I can devote the time and effort to such a project.

Thanks, James

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Ray Olszewski

2002-11-27 06:10 UTC #1 lore raw

Quoted 5 lines · james miller

Dear List:
This is a preliminary inquiry regarding the freesco router and the possibility of using it as a dialin server, since I am considering getting DSL but still need dialin access to the 'net from another local number.

I haven't looked at freesco specifically in a couple of years ... but what you want to do is certainly within the capabilities of Linux-based routers generally. I did something like it (providing 8 ppp dialin lines to a LAN and, through that LAN, out to the Internet) back in 1994, using Slackware and Linux kernel 1.something. The documentation on this sort of setup is sketchy, but ppp is a peer-to-peer protocol, so the same pppd that is commonly used to dial in to ISPs can be used to make a ppp "server" (I put it in quotes because ppp really is peer to peer, not client-server, but people commonly call the end of a ppp connection that waits for connections a "ppp server" and the end that dials a "ppp client").

Were I doing this today, I would use either a full-strength Linux distro (in my case Debian, but really any of the majors will handle this) or a specialized distro that is a bit less out of the Linux mainstream than freesco (for example, one of the LEAF variants. probably Oxygen). But that's partly due to my not being current with freesco. Back when I did it before, the "ppp server" and the LAN's gateway (router) to the Internet were separate machines on the same LAN, but you can probably have one host fill both roles with just a bit of effort. You'll need considerable attention to security, of course.

Quoted 14 lines

The router is
envisioned to resolve a dilemma with which I'm confronted regarding dialin internet service: since the companies in my area that offer dialin service either have problematic time constraints or very slow speeds, I'm being forced to consider DSL. Problem is, at one of the two numbers from which I need 'net access, DSL service is not offerred. Therefore, I am considering getting DSL at my home, and using freesco (or some other routerish OS) as to serve the DSL connection to computers in my home. It also seems to me from the freesco documentation that one can dial in to a freesco router/server and join the intranet. It therefore stands to reason that I could get the web connection to be served to me at work over a dialin connection - becoming, in effect, my own ISP to myself. Any comments on this sort of scheme from anyone? Recommendations of alternative routers? Pitfalls to beware of?

Quoted 4 lines

As usual, I need to state that my understanding of these matters is a bit sketchy. I'm trying, at this point, to get a better idea of what's involved and thus hoping to arrive at a decision about whether I can devote the time and effort to such a project.

--
-------------------------------------------"Never tell me the odds!"--------
Ray Olszewski -- Han Solo
Palo Alto, California, USA [email protected]
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