how to make my laptop a server

[sabaka]

hello, friends.
i was wondering if anyone could help me, or point me to the forms/wiki/links that will help me, make my laptop a server.
…i dont know much about setting up networks at all. i searched through this site and others, but have not yet been successful in finding the information i need.

i have a laptop running 11.2, kde 4.4. this laptop is connected to a wireless router. now, i also have a desktop running winXP, without wireless, which i would like to connect to the network. where the desktop is located, i can’t connect to the router via ethernet, but i would be able to connect it to the laptop via ethernet.

so, is there a way to connect this XP desktop to my op.su. laptop so that it will have net access?
…if so, could someone please help me, or direct me to the appropriate information source?

…thanks so much, good people!
sbkra

[vodoo]

so, is there a way to connect this XP desktop to my op.su. laptop so that it will have net access?

Yes, there is. You connect the two with a cable (maybe a switch in between, so you can hook up some more PC’s). Then you have 2 options:

1. (easy) You configure the ethernet adapter of the laptop to a fixed private network (not the same network as the wireless). Let’s say IP=192.168.111.1. Enable IP forwarding on the laptop with yast. Then configure the desktop as IP=192.168.111.2 (fixed IP as well) and set the laptop as the gateway and use some outside DNS server for the desktop. On the desktop make a hosts entry for the laptop (and vice versa). That’s all.

2. (a bit more work) Configure the laptop as a DHCP server.

Ping to IP number between laptop and desktop is the first thing to test.

[knurpht]

So desktop and laptop connect to the same router? Desktop wired, laptop wireless. Then they’re already in the same network.

I’d use SAMBA. AFAIK it’s installed by default. Configure it through Yast - Network Services - Samba Server.

That should make the laptop visible to XP.

[vodoo]

So desktop and laptop connect to the same router? Desktop wired, laptop wireless. Then they’re already in the same network.

@Knurpht: it seems to me that we are reading (or understanding) OP’s question in a different way. What I understand is, he has a laptop with internet access (wireless) and a desktop with no wireless capability and which he can’t connect to the wireless router by cable (distance problem?). So he wants to connect the desktop by cable to the laptop to gain internet access.

@OP: is the above correct?

[swerdna]

I think that the relevant expression from the windows world is “Internet Connection Sharing”. In Linux that’s known as “IP Masquerading”. If that’s what you need sabaka, there’s a tutorial here for ICS: openSUSE ICS: Internet Connection Sharing (Linux IP Masquerading) with Suse or Windows Servers

In your case you would make the laptop into the openSUSE Server and then connect the xp box as the Windows Client.

[sabaka]

thanks for your responses, everyone.
…let me try to be more clear.

my opensuse laptop is connected to the router via wireless.
my xp desktop has no wireless capability, and can not connect to the router via ethernet because of the distance.

i would like to connect the desktop to the network.
so, question 1, am i able to connect the desktop to the network, via ethernet, by using the laptop as a server?
and, question 2, could someone help me do this, or share the link which will teach me how to do this?

i will see about the responses already presented.
but, i also hope i’ve made things a little more clear, in case these responses are based on previous misunderstandings.

…thanks, again, folks…
sbkra

[ken_yap]

I think you would have had less misunderstanding if you had entitled your post “how to make my laptop a gateway”.

[swerdna]

@sabaka

thanks for your responses, everyone.
…let me try to be more clear.

my opensuse laptop is connected to the router via wireless.
my xp desktop has no wireless capability, and can not connect to the router via ethernet because of the distance.

i would like to connect the desktop to the network.
so, question 1, am i able to connect the desktop to the network, via ethernet, by using the laptop as a server?
and, question 2, could someone help me do this, or share the link which will teach me how to do this?

i will see about the responses already presented.
but, i also hope i’ve made things a little more clear, in case these responses are based on previous misunderstandings.

…thanks, again, folks…
sbkra

That’s what I thought you were saying, so follow the advice in my post

[venzkep]

On Tue October 12 2010 11:36 pm, sabaka wrote:

>
> thanks for your responses, everyone.
> …let me try to be more clear.
>
> my opensuse laptop is connected to the router via wireless.
> my xp desktop has no wireless capability, and can not connect to the
> router via ethernet because of the distance.
>
> i would like to connect the desktop to the network.
> so, question 1, am i able to connect the desktop to the network, via
> ethernet, by using the laptop as a server?
> and, question 2, could someone help me do this, or share the link which
> will teach me how to do this?
>
> i will see about the responses already presented.
> but, i also hope i’ve made things a little more clear, in case these
> responses are based on previous misunderstandings.
>
> …thanks, again, folks…
> sbkra
>
>
sbkra;

This How-To might help. What you are looking for is IP-Masquerading.
http://opensuse.swerdna.org/suseics.html

P. V.
“We’re all in this together, I’m pulling for you.” Red Green

[DenverD]

swerdna wrote:
> That’s what I thought you were saying, so follow the advice in my post

nice…i’d seen a lot of your help, but not that one and have one
question: by saying to work his laptop will have to have “a spare
ethernet network interface” aren’t you saying he must have two
different network cards/adapters…one connected to the internet (via
wireless in this case) and another for the XP workstation to plug into…

and, two interfaces is something not often found in off the shelf
laptops, but solvable by purchasing a . . .

–
DenverD
When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
CAVEAT: http://is.gd/bpoMD [posted via NNTP w/openSUSE 10.3]

[tsu2]

I’ve configured this before on a Windows box which should not be different than a Linux box…

First, if you really want to install a second network interface, that is usually possible on a laptop due to multiple I/O ports, PCMCIA, USB, etc.

You can configure a machine to act as an Internet gateway for other machines on the same network using a single network device, but it’s a bit tricky. It involves configuring multiple static networks (Note, must be different Network IDs, not just different network addresses). I don’t remember that the routing table needed special configuration if the static addresses are configured properly.

The downside of configuring a machine with a single network device as the private network’s Internet Gateway should be obvious… including

• Network throughput will be degraded because of the excessive traffic going in and out of this single device/interface
• Normally, private network clients are considered “protected” behind an Internet Gateway configured as a NAT device, but in this configuration the private network clients are physically exposed to the next external network. What this would mean is that any casual hacker looking only at logical addressing might not notice the exposure, but closer inspection and maybe even local network sniffing will reveal the clients’ exposure.

This same configuration can exist on the Internet for different purpose, eg public proxies that overcome private restrictive firewall rules.

This is also very similar to configurations I’ve setup when running virtualized networks, eg VirtualBox, Xen, VMware.

HTH,
Tony

[swerdna]

@DenverD

swerdna wrote:
> That’s what I thought you were saying, so follow the advice in my post

nice…i’d seen a lot of your help, but not that one and have one
question: by saying to work his laptop will have to have “a spare
ethernet network interface” aren’t you saying he must have two
different network cards/adapters…one connected to the internet (via
wireless in this case) and another for the XP workstation to plug into…

and, two interfaces is something not often found in off the shelf
laptops, but solvable by purchasing a . . .

–
DenverD
When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
CAVEAT: C A V E A T [posted via NNTP w/openSUSE 10.3]

Laptops generally have two network interfaces, one wireless, one wired. Wireless interface is already connecting to the internet, wired interface is available for the Ethernet link, voila!

[swerdna]

@tsu2

I’ve configured this before on a Windows box which should not be different than a Linux box…

First, if you really want to install a second network interface, that is usually possible on a laptop due to multiple I/O ports, PCMCIA, USB, etc.

You can configure a machine to act as an Internet gateway for other machines on the same network using a single network device, but it’s a bit tricky. It involves configuring multiple static networks (Note, must be different Network IDs, not just different network addresses). I don’t remember that the routing table needed special configuration if the static addresses are configured properly.

The downside of configuring a machine with a single network device as the private network’s Internet Gateway should be obvious… including

• Network throughput will be degraded because of the excessive traffic going in and out of this single device/interface
• Normally, private network clients are considered “protected” behind an Internet Gateway configured as a NAT device, but in this configuration the private network clients are physically exposed to the next external network. What this would mean is that any casual hacker looking only at logical addressing might not notice the exposure, but closer inspection and maybe even local network sniffing will reveal the clients’ exposure.

This same configuration can exist on the Internet for different purpose, eg public proxies that overcome private restrictive firewall rules.

This is also very similar to configurations I’ve setup when running virtualized networks, eg VirtualBox, Xen, VMware.

HTH,
Tony

Be careful not to draw red herring across the path for OP. It should be simple, two interfaces exist (one is wired, one is wireless), two are required, different IPs on each. See the tutorial, standard ICS stuff.

[swerdna]

@sabaka – do not contemplate installing an extra network interface, two are enough already.

[DenverD]

swerdna wrote:
> Laptops generally have two network interfaces, one wireless, one wired.
> Wireless interface is already connecting to the internet, wired
> interface is available for the Ethernet link, voila!

of course! what was i thinking…

–
DenverD
When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
CAVEAT: http://is.gd/bpoMD [posted via NNTP w/openSUSE 10.3]

[sabaka]

@ken_yap

I think you would have had less misunderstanding if you had entitled your post “how to make my laptop a gateway”.

yeah…that shows how much i know about networking…

thanks for your insight, everyone.
i will work on this over the weekend, and definitely let you guys know how it all turned out…

[sabaka]

ok, so, i started the process according to the link suggested by swerdna.
however, i have not really gotten past switching to ifup method.
after i switch to ifup, i can no longer connect to the internet. i even manually put in the pertinent network/IP information, and also tried using terminal, but i still cannot connect.

although i set up everything for the ethernet gateway, i wanted to make sure i can use the internet through the ifup method before i go any further.

…any suggestions, good people??

[swerdna]

@sabaka

ok, so, i started the process according to the link suggested by swerdna.
however, i have not really gotten past switching to ifup method.
after i switch to ifup, i can no longer connect to the internet. i even manually put in the pertinent network/IP information, and also tried using terminal, but i still cannot connect.

although i set up everything for the ethernet gateway, i wanted to make sure i can use the internet through the ifup method before i go any further.

…any suggestions, good people??

Go through these steps (pictorial) for the ifup method: Configure a network card in Suse/openSUSE 11.x for Internet Access & wifi.

Of the various options, pay special attention to “Adding Name Servers and a Gateway to your IP configuration” and to “Setting up Fixed IP addressing”.