Hey Rob, If you have a spare Pentium1 or don't mind paying to obtain one (Computer Surplus Outlet has some last time I checked) then you could go with an "out of the box" router/firewall such as Smoothwall or IPCOP. Both systems act as a DHCP "client" on the NIC that connects to your ISP and as a DHCP "server" on the NIC that connects to your LAN if needed. Don't bother asking which one is better, as you would probably get as many opinions as there are people on the list. Some of us are using Smoothwall, and some of us are using IPCOP. Either one is a good choice for a firewall. The best part is that the firewall designers took most of the hard part out of the set up. Please note that Smoothwall or IPCOP is one of the better solutions out there if you have the spare hardware. A machine dedicated to being ONLY a firewall is the best solution. If you already have a firewall in place, like a Linksys unit, then why not just go with a small 5 or 8 port switch on the inside of that. I really see no reason to have a router on a small home LAN. Just as long as each machine has it's own IP, you should be fine. rbentz at dunwoody.edu wrote: > Hello to the list! I am in need of advice about setting up a > router/firewall combination. > > The problem is I need a simple router to share my cable connection that > is secure. I am looking to setup Linux to do this but I am really > confused on what is the first step. > > What is the experiences with Slack or Debian or maybe Gentoo? I’d like > _not_ to use Red Hat but will if needed… > > I am fairly new to Linux (Windoze defector) with next to zero knowledge > of ipchains and firewall sets. I will settle for the routing component > first and work up to the firewall unless it is setup in the same process. > > > > Thanks, > > Rob Bentz > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ > > _______________________________________________ > TCLUG Mailing List - Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota > http://www.mn-linux.org tclug-list at mn-linux.org > https://mailman.real-time.com/mailman/listinfo/tclug-list -- Todd Young 7079 Dawn Ave. E. Inver Grove Heights, MN 55076 _______________________________________________ TCLUG Mailing List - Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota http://www.mn-linux.org tclug-list at mn-linux.org https://mailman.real-time.com/mailman/listinfo/tclug-list