Author: Victor Odhner Date: Subject: Windows Internet Connection Sharing
These are questions about connecting a Linux
box via Win98SE ICS to a Cox cable modem.
I know this is backwards, but the Windows box
is what runs full time; the Linux box will only
run a few hours a day at most, for development
work. So I'm basically trying to get the Windows
box to serve as a NAT hub and save me any added
hardware purchases.
My main computer dual-boots to RedHat 7.1 but most of
the time it is running Windows 98 Second Edition.
This is the family's always-on online "resource", and
there are reasons why it has to be a Windows box.
I have another Linux (Debian) machine, but
nobody else would be using it so it would be
turned off most of the time. I had intended
to make this my firewall, but that's not
happening in the near future. I can't justify
running two boxes all the time when only one
is being used. (Some nice low-power boxes are
hitting the market -- maybe next year I can
have a more serious configuration.)
So: Can I set up Microsoft Internet Connection Sharing
(ICS) on the Win98 box, with a second NIC, and let
that connect my Debian box to the Cox cable?
Will the Windows box be able to routinely
connect into the Debian box? (Or does ICS
somehow "take ownership" of the client's
connection so it can't be used for other
purposes?) Most of my Linux operation would
use the Windows keyboard and monitor, since
I can't afford a KVM switch right now.
I'm running Tiny Personal Firewall on the Windows
box, and I presume it will have to have a rule
added to allow ICS to connect out.
My Win98 SE box has "Microsoft Family Logon"
enabled to permit use of individual profiles.
If the current user "logs off" their profile
on Win98, will that interrupt the ICS connections
from the Debian box?