Please Help a Linux Layman! Re: Network authentication and capping app

[Caqi]

I am a Linux newbie urgently looking for a program to do the following:
Share a DSL connection with 240 users over a WiFi network. Users needs to be authenticated and be given a certain amount of data transfer after which they need to be capped.

Add-ons like billing, user accessible database with available data on their account will be a luxury.

What would you suggest I run? Which app will enable me to do the above mentioned?

Any help would be great!

Thank you

 

[ant1b0dy]

try iPig
http://www.iopus.com/ipig/
Free iPig server only allows 5 users but it can set limits on bandwidth per user. The clients will need to install the iPig client software for this to work though.

 

[SkypeUser]

Share a DSL connection with 240 users over a WiFi network. Users needs to be authenticated and be given a certain amount of data transfer after which they need to be capped.

Add-ons like billing, user accessible database with available data on their account will be a luxury.

I dont want to be a party pooper, and dont get me wrong i LOOOVE linux and anything with wi-fi, but do u have a licence for this setup?

 

[nayyares]

Hello,

You have to make a proxy/cache server, better would be SQUID, for user billing there are many free open source tools available you have to configure them, yeah they will provide username/password, sort of authentication method, for bandwidth control read

DELAY POOLs in SQUID

I think you should search sourceforge.net for this sort of tool, there are dozens of open source tools, that can handle bandwith and user managent.

cheers

 

[bdt]

You have to make a proxy/cache server, better would be SQUID, for user billing there are many free open source tools available you have to configure them, yeah they will provide username/password, sort of authentication method, for bandwidth control read

Aye, these are all good and necessary things, but you don't mention being able to detect/fend off an "evil twin" attack, something that the aforementioned iPIG specifically mentions ..even tho' it comes with the double gotcha of requiring a clientside app to be installed AND slowing traffic down some; but I don't see the latter as really being a problem in *our* bandwidth-starved world.

So, so far so good on the FOSS tools, but do you know of something that'd address the evil twin question?

 

[LordMerlin]

I dont want to be a party pooper, and dont get me wrong i LOOOVE linux and anything with wi-fi, but do u have a licence for this setup?

Well, first off. He only needs a licence,
a) if he's going to seel internet bandwidth
b) if he's going to "sell" communications over a public road.

If he's going to have three towers, in three different locations, and they do cross public roads, but he's not making money from this, he won't need a license. Chances are, he's going to use 2.4 or 5.8Ghz in anycase, which doesn't require a license to operate either.

That said, I'd recommend building your wireless LAN. Setup the Linux box, and then use SQUID or even IPTables to limit each user's connection. Also, take a look @ monowall, smoothwall, and even Redbox, as all of these can do what you need. WiFi will basically be your network transport, same as you have a few switches, and CAT5 cabling

hth