Looking for pointers on running a Red Baron server on a home LAN. Right now I'm running the Cat5 into the rooms (ugh!). The initial setup will be:

Computer 1/Server: Dell Pentium4 1.3ghz
Computer 2/Client: Compuq AMD K26/450
Hub/Switch: D-Link 910 10/100 4-port switch
Connection: Internal PCI DSL modem.

When the kids discover IPX gaming and have neighbors over for LAN parties I'll be able to connect with a Dell Inspiron 7000 laptop as well... maybe I should consider putting a port in the head

Until I can get an external ethernet DSL modem, simultaneous internet connections as well as security (firewall) will be handled through software - MS ICS, perhaps Sygate, etc.

I would have trouble just trying to run an RB server because of the network IP translation that will take place between the LAN and the Internet - at least I think I will. The configuration would have to allow a direct connection to the computer that is running the server... with my limited IT knowledge I'm wondering how best to accomplish this and would it effect Internet sharing. I'd like to be able to fly with one computer and run the server on another.

I also have a P166 gathering dust in a closet that may come in handy once I get an external modem - thinking about messing around with Linux to setup a firewall with it.

Any tips/suggestions?

Hey Wingnut,
Do you want your server to broadcast to the net? If you do set up the server on your gateway. Your clients should be able to see it. If you just want to run it on your lan then I suggest pulling that p133 out of the closet and puttin the server on that. You should be able to see it on all your computers but if you cant open up your rbserve.scs file and at the top where it says protocol change that to ipx instead of UDP. Hope this helps.

Thanks Winkle, I'll give it a try. LAN hardware should be in tomorrow, and I'll be switching the DSL over to the gateway 'puter too. Hopefully I'll be able to give it a test shot tomorrow night.

Now, the 3rd computer - Acer P166, 32 megs RAM... that sufficient to run an RB server?

The read Me in the server files said they ran a server successfully on a pentium 90 with 16 megs of ram. "sure it wasn't many clients"

Your machine should run the server just fine. It isn't very hardware intensive. Back when I ran a public server I routinely had 40-50 fliers on it running smoothly and that was on my P166 Dell laptop with 32 meg running windows 95...

I have a LAN setup in my house and I've been through the SyGates and other software firewalls. I wasn't very satisfied. Here's what I would do in your case....

I am very happy with the LinkSys Cable Modem router that I have. (It works with any Internet access, modem, DSL, Cable, etc.) Since you already have a 4-port hub, I'd get the LinkSys 1-port version. The external DSL modem would connect into the WAN port in the LinkSys box. Another cable would connect from the LAN connection on the LinkSys box to any available port on your hub.

The LinkSys box is easy to configure. It has no switches or anything. You talk to it through your browser. The process is quite easy.

The LinkSys box provides DHCP (the service that provides all internal non-Internet routable IP addresses). All your LAN computers would look to the LinkSys box for IP addresses and you're in! All your computers are now on the Internet.

Red Baron servers run just fine with this setup. It isn't necessary to run your server on a separate computer. You can run the server right on your Dell, minimize it, and also fly from that same computer. You have more than enough computing power for that.

Hope that helps.

Bob