Re: NAT etc etc

Geoff <geoffNoSpam@totalautomotive.org> wrote:
> I realise this question gets asked time and time again and I apologise
> I watch this group with interest in the discussions about pfw's/routers
> etc etc
> BUT ;) my small network of a linux webserver,XP home (in the office)
> w98 (in the workshop)and a diagnostic computer running w98 (also in the
> workshop) are connecting to the internet via a Netcomm NB5Plus4W router
> /modem.
> Do I need to use pfw's on these other machines ?

Provided the internet gateway is properly configured, the only thing
they have to fear is each other. If they are usually secure, there is
little reason to leave a PFW enabled.

Nevermind the fact that if an attacker could get into one PC, it's
typically possible to get into all PCs.

> I do know that under the 'advanced' tab of my router configuration it
> says i can set up NAT there etc but I dont see any headings for this,it
> does mention NAT with 'port forwarding'....<snip>
> Port Forwarding Configure Firewall and NAT pass-through to your
> hosted applications.</snip>
> are these two tied together somehow ?

Yes. Plain NAT blocks all inbound access to your network, typically. If
you want to run, for instance, a web server, you'll need to allow
inbound on the proper ports (in this case, 80 and possibly 443).

> I dont understand NAT (although i know what it stands for)
> basically just interested in using my router to its maximum potential

It is always a good idea to read up on the technical side, too...

                Joachim
Received on Sat Dec 3 04:18:45 2005