[G4] AppleTalk - What for now?

[Doug McNutt]

At 19:30 -0700 8/17/05, Dennis B. Swaney wrote:
>Unfortunately, I still run into the problem that I can only have 1 IP address. If I use the IP address for file sharing, then I can't connect to the internet from the Rev B and vice versa. I don't know if this limitation is in OS 9, or a hardware limitation.
>
> I have a G3 Rev B iMac running OS 9.x that I need to do following:
>
>1. Connect to the internet through the internal modem
>2. Connect to the G4 iMac & G4 Powerbook for file sharing
>
>I would also LIKE to connect to my AirPort network for the capability of connecting to the internet via my WiMax connection. Remember, this G3 iMac does NOT have a Airport card slot (unless someone has made one that can connect to the Mezzanine Slot) This connection would also replace the cat5 crossover cable currently between the two iMacs

You need server-like software on the G3 that can do network address translation, NAT. It's probably available but it won't be cheap. You're asking the G3 to serve connected machines over its ethernet port and forward IP packets via the AirPort.  There once was some free software like that for 68k Macs which I tried on an SE/30 but it was a royal PITA.

Carlos disagrees and he may well be right. If you try what he says you'll have to have the G3 Rev B iMac running all the time and not in sleep mode. Your power book using an RF connection may try to bypass the iMac and talk directly to the roof. NAT can get confused that way. Firewalls on the the internet side are pretty much a requirement these days. One would hope that the G3 software Carlos suggests provides at least some firewall control.

Have a look at firewall / routers like the Linksys products and perhaps an ethernet hub which will allow your connected machines to have discrete local IP addresses like 192.168.0.x. When one of them accesses the internet the router will replace the internal IP with your external IP and a port number. Replies from the outside world will be directed to the originating machine in accordance with the port on which they arrived. Your local machines can use DHCP, dynamic host control protocol, to assign those x's automatically.

Some of the routers have 802.11B or G radio built in. I think some also have dual 802.11 capability. One channel for external wiFi and the other for internal.. There are also products like the Linksys WET11 which connects to an ethernet port on a hub and can be set up as a bridge to an external system.

I count three machines. That's enough to justify a router with four local ethernet ports. You'll probably have a printer or a TiVo using other ports.

I'm also not clear on the exact external interface. You said before that there was something on the roof. Does it do 802.11 over two channels? One to the outside world and one to your G3? Can it be connected with an ethernet cable to the external port of a router? Can it act as a router on its own? Does it do DHCP? Those are questions for your service provider at the other end.
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