Using Microsoft Internet Sharing on Heterogenous Networks?

spoonboy42 asks: "A friend of mine wants to try running an Apache server on Linux at his home, and he's asked me to configure it for him. He uses Windows 98's Internet Connection Sharing to allow the computers on his network (all Windows 9X clients) to share access to his cable modem. I told him to install a Linux or BSD proxy server, but he doesn't want to alter his network just yet. Ordinarily I would think it impossible to use ICS under Linux, but when I tried a QNX demo disk in one of his machines, it autodetected all settings and was able to use the Internet. Does anyone know a way to make Linux do the same thing?" Assuming that this is possible (I still have my doubts), what steps must be taken to get non-Microsoft clients working with Microsoft Internet Sharing?

Comments

Gateway Server

[Crewd]

IIRC...the ICS in Win98 SE just sets up a gateway. all you need to do is configure your linux box to point to the Win98 box as its default gateway. Make sure you fill in the nameserver information of the internet provider and you should be working.

Coyote Linux as the router/firewall

[Mark F. Komarinski]

Last weekend I set my (computer literate, but not Linux-literate) brother up with Coyote Linux which is based off the Linux Router Project. Single-floppy distro with DHCP server and some other goodies (VPN, no services running, etc). If you're a Linux user, it's free of charge, but you can purchase the full edition which contains a Windows setup tool which runs...you figured that out.

For people who don't know how Linux can help them, this is a great way to show them.

What do you have to do?

[PhunkySchtuff]

to get non Windows clients to use internet connection sharing? nothing special at all simply set them up to use DHCP and off you go the Windows machine sets itself up as a DHCP server and as the gateway on the LAN and as an added bonus any machine going through the Internet Connection Sharing machine is unable to be accessed from the internet at large. all you need is some good firewall software on the computer that is actually dialing up to the internet... -- kai