It all started when I decided to write some web applications. I bought DevCon so I could have Warp Server for e-Business, a web server and WebSphere all in one package.
So I needed to buy a server and I needed to build a home network. I decided on 100-base T thinking it would cost little more.
This article describes how I built the home network.
I started with a OS/2 Warp 4 system with a 33.6 internal modem, and a Mac OS 8.6 system which had an external 28.8 modem. Each computer connected independently to it's own ISP.
The home network is directly connected to the internet via ADSL. The server (running OS/2 Warp Server for e-business) runs gateway/firewall software to share the Internet connection with the two client computers. The clients and server are connected to each other via a 100 base T network. File and printer sharing is via the lpr/lpd interface, NFS and Lan Server.
Network hardware was the first step. The OS/2 machines use Danpex 10/100 PCI Fast Ethernet network adapters. These are quite inexpensive, and OS/2 drivers are in the box. On the driver diskette, they are located in the A:\NDIS\OS2 directory. The advantage of PCI network adapters is that very little configuration is required (none at all in my case). The Mac used an Asante 10/100 PCI network adapter which is a mid priced network adapter. The store I used did not have any low priced network adapters for MAC.
Installation of the network cards was identical on the OS/2 and MAC systems. Unscrew and remove the cover of the computer. Remove the cover for one of the PCI slots. Plug in the network adapter card. Replace the cover of the computer.
I used a Hawking dual speed repeater hub, which has 4 ports plus one uplink port. The extra port makes it possible for a guest computer to be on the network. The uplink port would be connected to the DSL modem.
Two short cables connect the OS/2 machines to the hub. A longer cable pierces one wall and runs to the Mac.
To install the drivers on OS/2, start Adapters and Protocol Services in the System Setup Folder. Press the configure button to reach the Configure screen. Select LAN adapters and protocols and press Configure to reach the Adapter and Protocol Configuration screen. Press the Other Adapters... button to reach the Copy Additional Network Adapter drivers screen. Enter A:\NDIS\OS2 in the entry field marked 'Path', and press enter. When the error screen pops up, insert the driver diskette that accompanied the network adapter, and select 'Retry'.
The 10/100 Fast Ethernet PCI Bus Adapter should have been added to the list of Network Adapters. Remove any network adapters and protocols from the lower screen, and add the 10/100 Fast Ethernet PCI Bus Adapter. Add the NETBIOS and TCP/IP protocols to that network adapter. Save and Exit. Reboot the computer.
Run the TCP/IP configuration. Enter your net address (192.168.1.1, for example), your name server address, and a list of hosts on your network. Also add a hosts entry for localhost.
On the Mac, install the Asante driver. A restart is required. Open the TCP/IP Control Panel, and use File | Configurations to create a new configuration. Name it Ethernet Network. Enter the IP Manually (192.168.1.3). Enter the subnet mask (255.255.255.0) and the router (192.168.1.1). Enter the nameserver address obtained from the ISP.
Initially, the Warp 4 computer served as the gateway, sharing the internet connection made via the 33.6 modem and PPP with the rest of the network. This state allowed for testing of the gateway software before the DSL modem arrived.
On the gateway machine, bring up the TCP/IP Configuration and check the IP Forwarding check box on the routing tab.
On the other OS/2 machine, bring up the TCP/IP Configuration and select the routing tab. Add a new route and make it a default route. The router address is the address of the gateway machine, (192.168.1.1)
The gateway machine provides Internet access through the modem using version 2.3 of the InJoy Dialer. InJoy's Network Address Translation software copies Internet traffic to and from my LAN clients via the ethernet. InJoy provides different license levels with different number of clients. My version will support up to five clients.
On the gateway machine, bring up InJoy, change settings, check the Firewall/NAT box. Click on Firewall Settings and enable NAT. Bring up the Disconnect Options and enable Dial on Demand and Instant DOD. Save the settings.
On the gateway machine, drag a copy of the InJoy Object to the OS/2 Startup Folder. When OS/2 starts Injoy, Injoy will be awaiting a packet from any machine sent to an address outside of 192.168.1.* and will initiate the connection. With my ISP it takes 30-40 seconds to send the first packet.
When the DSL connection became available, The server became the gateway machine. On the server, I brought up the TCP/IP control panel, and changed the settings to DHCP, and entered the new name server addresses. I rebooted, and the server was up on DSL.
I installed InJoy Firewall, and changed my settings as described elsewhere. The Injoy Firewall software wants to be started from the startup folder.