setup a server with wireless network

hello ppl,

let me review back my question...i think i jumble out the problem there....Here it goes-->

in the place that i am working i am responsible to maintain the internet connection at computer lab. In the lab it was already install with peer to peer wireless networking.

Since i take over the lab some of the computer are out of order ( mostly software corrupted) and some are so much severe that i need to format the computer again and setup for the internet connection again. We use ad hoc infrastructure where we have an access point for the internet connection. The thing that i plan to do at the lab is

1).to connect all the computer to set up the LAN
2).to setup a file and a proxy server
3). to block any type of chat program

Hope to hear from u guys soon

hi

can you elaborate more? are you trying to make two kinds of network architectures? do you need both wired and wireless networks?

although to start off there is not much difference in both of the networks (wired and wireless). they only vary in the way they are setup. wired networks of course uses ethernet cables such UTP CAT5 cables to "connect" each hosts. while wireless networks uses the 802.11xx protocols to establish connections between hosts. also wired networks have an advantage over wireless ones in terms of speed and reliability. it is because that they have a fixed path of connection to each other that is why wired networks are not that susceptible to disconnections and speed of transferring and receiving data compared to wireless. also i believe that wireless networks are more unsecure that wired ones since they utilize waves in transferring and receiving data whereas wired ones uses electrical signals carried off by copper wires enclosed in cables.

hi jhun....

I really like to finish the work at the lab first before i start with the wired network....sorry again for any inconvience

hi


there is a question that we need to address first:

1. what type of device (wireless router, modem, switch, hub, etc) do you use to connect to the network? to the internet?(specific product specification would help)

ok, first let us try to imagine your current network setup. according to you, you manage a wireless network used in your labs which basically provides you with the gateway to the internet right? also, are all the workstations in your labs connected to this wireless gateway to access the internet? and are they all connected to each other? i'm assuming that since you do not have a server (domain, proxy) probably you rely on peer to peer networking for connections (please correct me if i'm wrong), meaning that you are probably joined in by a single workgroup.

also, another workstation wishes to connect to the internet and access the network via the wireless gateway but connecting it through cable?..i hope i understood what you are trying to tell.

anyway, if the setup is similar to the above explanation, then basically, only one network exist on that kind of setup. even if it is composed of wireless and wired hosts, still they all belong to the same network. the only difference is, it is a composite type of network wherein it involves different types of connection but still connects to a single node.

actually, if you want to have an access control over the internet on your users you could setup a proxy server for the caching of sites so that downloading webpages would be quicker and also a firewall for the security measures you could implement on your network including filtering out packets and closing ports.

it really depends on what you really would like to do on your network and of course the budget for the project. you could setup either a windows or linux box servers that suites your preference for either the proxy and/or the firewall.

hope this would help...

Hi people...

yes....what u explain is true....basically what i intend to do (correct me if i am wrong) is to setup a server ( i think i am using windows 2000 server) for the access permission and at this server i will install 2 NIC, one is for the modem and the other one is to the access point). this is what i intend to do actually.....if u guys have any better idea or anyting to add up feel free to do so....

How exactly are you planning to implement the access-control at the server. Remember that having a wireless network is just like having a wired network.. it just means that anyone within range is 'plugged in'


Treat the Wireless LAN as untrusted, and work from there. You will want to implement very stringent access control on the server. I would recommend a Linux box, if you have experience with the finer o/s