bb_matt
Executive Member
This is a short HOWTO on how to setup Smoothwall to MyWireless via the ethernet cable using PPPoE
I really didn't expect it to be so easy, but on a second attempt, I got Smoothwall (http://www.smoothwall.org) running the modem under PPPoE just fine.
If anyone else wants to try, here's what you'll need :-
1. Spare PC with two NIC's - the spare PC can be any old piece of ***. A P1 166 with 16meg of Ram will do the trick, so long as you can boot from a CD.
2. Switch, or crossover cable if you only want to connect one PC and don't have a Switch
3. NIC's in the machine/s you want to connect
4. Copy of Smoothwall - d/l the ISO file and burn with Nero or whichever CD burning app you prefer.
Method
1. Boot PC that you'll be installing the firewall from the smoothwall CD you just created.
2. Follow the setup for your GREEN interface - let it probe your cards and make a note of what it finds.
3. Accept the default IP settings - the GREEN interface will connect to your Switch or via crossover cable to another PC.
4. Smoothwall should eject your CD after installing
5. The rest of the setup starts.
6. Ignore the "restore from floppy" option.
7. Choose hostname, select Disable IDSN, select Disable ADSL
8. Select "Network Configuration Type" from the menu that appears.
9. Select the network type you wish to use - this should be GREEN + RED
10. Select Drivers and Card Assignments from the menu. It will ask you if you want to change these settings, select OK.
11. Let it probe for another network card and select OK to whatever it finds. Assign this card to the RED interface.
12. Select Address Settings
13. Select your Red interface
14. Select PPPoE from the three choices - that's all you need to do
16. Select Done
17. Select DNS & Gateway settings from the menu. Add in your favourite DNS numbers, if you don't have any, these will do :- 196.41.128.254 and 196.25.1.1
18. Add in the gateway - I just added in the same number as the GREEN interface IP, which is 192.168.0.1
19. Select OK and DONE and then it should ask you if you want to enable DHCP. If you do, then select it.
20. Set all the passwords.
21. Smoothwall will reboot.
22. Setup your other machines.
For windows, it's pretty simple.
Make sure your NIC is hooked up to the hub or via a crossover cable to the GREEN NIC interface on your firewall.
If you accepted the default Smoothwall IP settings, then in your windows NIC card setup, set your IP address to 192.168.0.2 and the gateway to 192.168.0.1
23. Make sure you can ping the firewall, or the firewall can ping the other machines. If not, make sure you've got your modem plugged into the right NIC
24. Make sure to plug your modem into the RED NIC interface on your firewall. There's a network light on the box on the modem ethernet cable. If that isn't on, hit the modem reset button. The light should then come on. If it doesn't, then you won't be able to connect. Go back to point 1 and try again !
Now your ready to access your firewall via a web browser on another machine on your network.
25. From a browser on your windows/linux/mac box, go to the default smoothwall address :-
http://192.168.0.1:81
26. Under networking, select PPP Settings.
27. Under Telephony, select PPPoE from the interface
28. Make sure persistent connection is on
29. Enter your user name and password
30. Put in DNS numbers if you want, altho I think you would've entered these during the smoothwall setup.
31. Test it by going to Control and clicking the Connect button.
If it doesn't work, refer to point 24 and make sure the link light on your cable is on. For some reason, my NIC light doesn't go on, but the cable one does. Perhaps that's normal, because it works for me.
If all goes well, you should be connected after a few seconds.
The same method should work with most decent Linux firewall distributions - IPCop for instance.
The only drawback is you'll have to disconnect and reconnect with windows to see your signal strength and if your unlucky enough to have problems with your modem disconnecting all the time, you'll also have to keep on reconnecting the modem back to windows.
The benefits are obvious.
You can run as many PC's as you have ports on your switch/es and they will all be able to connect to the net - no more ***ky ICS under windows.
Smoothwall has a DHCP implementation - you can enable it in the web interface.
You can access your box via a java shell in the web interface.
Most importantly, you can pretty much be in total stealth mode online as Smoothwall is a very effective firewall for home or SOHO use.
Your firewall box - just set BIOS up to not look for keyboard or monitor, disconnect the keyboard and mouse and shove it in the corner and forget about it. I had a smoothwall implementation in my old offices with 15 machines (macs, PC's, linux boxes) hooked up to it - it ran for 150 days without being touched and rebooted itself once when there was a powercut.
You can put the firewall where you get the best signal from your modem if you want and if your lucky enough to have a home wireless networking setup, even better.
Sorted !
EDITED: Just cleared up a few things.
I really didn't expect it to be so easy, but on a second attempt, I got Smoothwall (http://www.smoothwall.org) running the modem under PPPoE just fine.
If anyone else wants to try, here's what you'll need :-
1. Spare PC with two NIC's - the spare PC can be any old piece of ***. A P1 166 with 16meg of Ram will do the trick, so long as you can boot from a CD.
2. Switch, or crossover cable if you only want to connect one PC and don't have a Switch
3. NIC's in the machine/s you want to connect
4. Copy of Smoothwall - d/l the ISO file and burn with Nero or whichever CD burning app you prefer.
Method
1. Boot PC that you'll be installing the firewall from the smoothwall CD you just created.
2. Follow the setup for your GREEN interface - let it probe your cards and make a note of what it finds.
3. Accept the default IP settings - the GREEN interface will connect to your Switch or via crossover cable to another PC.
4. Smoothwall should eject your CD after installing
5. The rest of the setup starts.
6. Ignore the "restore from floppy" option.
7. Choose hostname, select Disable IDSN, select Disable ADSL
8. Select "Network Configuration Type" from the menu that appears.
9. Select the network type you wish to use - this should be GREEN + RED
10. Select Drivers and Card Assignments from the menu. It will ask you if you want to change these settings, select OK.
11. Let it probe for another network card and select OK to whatever it finds. Assign this card to the RED interface.
12. Select Address Settings
13. Select your Red interface
14. Select PPPoE from the three choices - that's all you need to do
16. Select Done
17. Select DNS & Gateway settings from the menu. Add in your favourite DNS numbers, if you don't have any, these will do :- 196.41.128.254 and 196.25.1.1
18. Add in the gateway - I just added in the same number as the GREEN interface IP, which is 192.168.0.1
19. Select OK and DONE and then it should ask you if you want to enable DHCP. If you do, then select it.
20. Set all the passwords.
21. Smoothwall will reboot.
22. Setup your other machines.
For windows, it's pretty simple.
Make sure your NIC is hooked up to the hub or via a crossover cable to the GREEN NIC interface on your firewall.
If you accepted the default Smoothwall IP settings, then in your windows NIC card setup, set your IP address to 192.168.0.2 and the gateway to 192.168.0.1
23. Make sure you can ping the firewall, or the firewall can ping the other machines. If not, make sure you've got your modem plugged into the right NIC
24. Make sure to plug your modem into the RED NIC interface on your firewall. There's a network light on the box on the modem ethernet cable. If that isn't on, hit the modem reset button. The light should then come on. If it doesn't, then you won't be able to connect. Go back to point 1 and try again !
Now your ready to access your firewall via a web browser on another machine on your network.
25. From a browser on your windows/linux/mac box, go to the default smoothwall address :-
http://192.168.0.1:81
26. Under networking, select PPP Settings.
27. Under Telephony, select PPPoE from the interface
28. Make sure persistent connection is on
29. Enter your user name and password
30. Put in DNS numbers if you want, altho I think you would've entered these during the smoothwall setup.
31. Test it by going to Control and clicking the Connect button.
If it doesn't work, refer to point 24 and make sure the link light on your cable is on. For some reason, my NIC light doesn't go on, but the cable one does. Perhaps that's normal, because it works for me.
If all goes well, you should be connected after a few seconds.
The same method should work with most decent Linux firewall distributions - IPCop for instance.
The only drawback is you'll have to disconnect and reconnect with windows to see your signal strength and if your unlucky enough to have problems with your modem disconnecting all the time, you'll also have to keep on reconnecting the modem back to windows.
The benefits are obvious.
You can run as many PC's as you have ports on your switch/es and they will all be able to connect to the net - no more ***ky ICS under windows.
Smoothwall has a DHCP implementation - you can enable it in the web interface.
You can access your box via a java shell in the web interface.
Most importantly, you can pretty much be in total stealth mode online as Smoothwall is a very effective firewall for home or SOHO use.
Your firewall box - just set BIOS up to not look for keyboard or monitor, disconnect the keyboard and mouse and shove it in the corner and forget about it. I had a smoothwall implementation in my old offices with 15 machines (macs, PC's, linux boxes) hooked up to it - it ran for 150 days without being touched and rebooted itself once when there was a powercut.
You can put the firewall where you get the best signal from your modem if you want and if your lucky enough to have a home wireless networking setup, even better.
Sorted !
EDITED: Just cleared up a few things.
