A Linux Internet Gateway
Marcel Gagné
Back in the February 2000 issue, I covered the idea of setting up
an intra-office email server using Linux. Designed to work as a standalone email
solution for a small or home office, the logical next step is to branch this
machine to an Internet connection and bring the office online. Online means
many things to many people, but email is still arguably the most powerful reason
to provide company-wide Internet access. Consequently, your setup will no doubt
require providing email as well as Web-browsing capabilities. You can define
who gets access and to what.
While I will review some of the topics covered earlier, I'll assume that you
can refer to the February 2000 issue for how to set up the original mail server.
This beginning-level article will show how to configure a Linux system to provide
Internet access. I'll also show how to accomplish this for a minimum of cost,
with one company sharing a single phone line, a single modem, and a single dial-up
account to an ISP. This setup demonstrates the magic of IP forwarding and masquerading
- a technique that makes all hosts in a network appear as though they are coming
from the single Internet-connected Linux server.
The setup I will present here is actually comprised of two main components.
One is the technical side - the nuts and bolts of using Linux to create this
simple, powerful server. The second is more marketing related. I will start
with the second component - the search for a friendly ISP begins.
What to Look for in an ISP
One of the great things about this solution is that we can keep the costs of
Internet access for a small company down to a minimum. Depending on your ISP,
service can range from a few dollars a month for a casual dial-up connection
to a few hundred dollars for dedicated 24 by 7 service.
Web services are the least demanding requirement.
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