On Friday 19 October 2001 13:55, Dennis J. Tuchler wrote:

I am playing with the idea of setting up a home network connected to a DSL line, using wireless connections. I need to know about networks. I have a vague idea about firewalls, but that's about it. Is there a source from which I can drink some elementary knowledge as to networks?

Thanks

Dennis J. Tuchler Professor of Law 3700 Lindell Blvd. St. Louis, Mo. 63108 314-977-2793

Hi, Dennis: This may be overkill, but I just found a really great book called "The SuSE Linux Network" with the SuSE Press imprimatur on the cover. The actual publisher is M&T Books. I found my copy at a large local bookstore here in Albuquerque, for about 39 bux. You may want to check www.mandtbooks.com and www.amazon.com. It will tell you everything you never wanted to know about building your internal (small home or business) network, and then connecting it to the Internet. Very comprehensive, and yet very readable, and it begins with the basics. It was a real find for me. I am about 1/3 of the way through the 600-odd pages. HTH Regards, Glenn -- Glenn Williams - n0hn@abq-nm.com Registered Linux User #135678 Powered by SuSE 7.2 Linux Professional

I am playing with the idea of setting up a home network connected to a DSL

The Tiger catalog that came today has the cheapest wireless stuff that I have seen. However, it only runs at 1.6 MBPS. It is 2.4 GHz hopping spread spectrum using the HomeRF protocol. Just to connect to DSL, it looks more than fast enough, since the DSL will be the limiting factor. However, it may not be fast enough for you to connect the internal computers to each other, depending on what you want them to do. F'rinstance, you can't send live full-motion video over that link. It does contain a firewall, almost surely Linux-based, as the LinkSys is. I am tempted, even tho it would only cost about $15 and an afternoon of running CAT-5 to do it in hardware. (I already have the 4-port LinkSys Router, and a batch of Ethernet cards.) The 2.4 GHz rf band is becoming very popular, with a whole batch of rf protocols, and if you live in a very populated area--like an apartment in Manhattan or the Bronx, or the equivalent on the west coast-- you might find that in the next couple of years, you might have drop-outs, or loss of data, depending on the robustness of the protocol, on which I am not competent to comment. There is 802.11b, and there is Bluetooth. The Bluetooth, if it ever catches on at all (it's a solution looking for a problem) will probably not bother you, since the power level it uses is ridiculously low, but 802.11b can run up to about a watt, and will get out pretty well. I have not seen any analysis as to how it will work with HomeRF, or vice-versa, but it looks like HomeRF is a lot lower power than 802.11b, but perhaps a bit more than Bluetooth. If you should buy and install this system, I would hope that you would report your satisfaction, or lack thereof, to this list. --doug At 14:55 10/19/2001 -0500, Dennis J. Tuchler wrote: line, using

wireless connections. I need to know about networks. I have a vague idea about firewalls, but that's about it. Is there a source from which I can drink some elementary knowledge as to networks?

Thanks

Dennis J. Tuchler Professor of Law 3700 Lindell Blvd. St. Louis, Mo. 63108 314-977-2793

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