On Thu, 2 Oct 2003 23:31:22 -0400, picdude wrote:

An Ethernet DSL modem is also a router - and depending on which one you get, its capabilities will vary from
straight-through passing of IP packets to full Network Address Translation (NAT) with filtering, firewalling
and so on.  So if you get one with 1 Ethernet socket (some have a 4-port hub built in) then you connect that
to your Linksys router and the rest of the network "shares" the connection.  You may need a "crossover" CAT5
cable for this, depending on the ports at both ends.  I can't remember if the Linksys "WAN" port expects a
straight or crossed connection - sorry!

The thing to watch is that your Linksys router will probably be doing NAT already, and doing it twice is a Bad
Thing, so you need to turn one of them off doing that.  The modem would be easier, so assuming you have one
public IP address, the modem would pass it straight to the Linksys, which then NATs it and passes it on to
your LAN machines (probably what it's doing already).

>...<
> So to clarify, you're saying that once I physically connect everything, I configure the modem with the
provider's info and my account info, then can disconnect the PC.

Yup!

>At any time, if the connection is dead, then the modem will reconnect w/o the PC being connected.

Normally the modem won't disconnect - there is sometimes a "disconnect when inactive" option, which you turn
off!  The modem and your ISP keep in contact 24/7, barring problems.  That way as soon as you boot up a PC you
are connected to the Internet.  This, of course, makes hacking and suchlike easier for the scumbags of this
World, but there's no such thing as a free lunch!  :-)

> If this is correct, the it's getting better and better.

I think it's excellent!   I've had 512/256 ADSL for about 18 months, and I wouldn't go back to dial-up (even
ISDN as I had) for anything.  Cable isn't available in this area so ADSL is it!

> I think I'm sold on the setup already.  Anyone have recommendations on DSL modems?  AFAIK, I don't have to
choose any of the high-priced options that the provider has, but can get one off ebay, Fry's, etc.  Is there
any specific feature I should be looking for?

The ability to work with a Linksys router - some of them aren't capable of doing so, due to trying to do NAT
and/or DHCP, which you don't want.  May be a good idea to ask Linksys which modems they know work with the
specific router you have.  I can't comment on the situation outside the UK because we have a different market
for ADSL modems, as anyone who has tried to us a US version here will have found out.

There is a web site for ADSL information in the UK:  www.adslguide.org.uk  which has a lot of useful
information, but as I say it is UK-centric and you'll have to do some local research.

Have fun!

 Howard Winter
 St.Albans, England

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