Local Area Network?

[]*Kitty*[]

Hi

Anyone got any suggestions where i can get more information about setting up a 20 PC or so LAN for a Netcafe a friend and I plan to open?

Networking for games/net etc.

Where they get those handy admin programs which track timeuseage etc.

Any references would be a great help.

Ta

 

[Mr. 47]

well, unless you want it to be rediculsly slow you need:

20 PCI NIC's

1 Server (prolly NT) or router

4 network hubs (at least 6 way)


arange as so...

- client
- server / router (if you use a router you will need a trancerver, also for gameing it will need to be a server running the game server of you choise.)
- HUB (4 of 'em)
--- - strait thru cable (UTP with RJ45 connectors)



---
---
--- ---
---
---


connect all of the collision zones (the groups of 5 clients) to the router / server, there should be 4 in all.

NOTE: do not use UTP cable over a distance of 100m (300ft).

and off you go...





please correct any mistakes as i'm only 16, and don't to ruin you and your friend's business...




ps. if you want to go expencive you could get 20 Wireless NICs and one access point for the server.

this would be more expencive and slower but easyer to set up if you don't know what your doing.

also there ywould be no wires hangin' round all over the place

 

[Mr. 47]

you will also want to get broard-band internet...

 

[Will]

Hmnn, not how I'd do it. I'd suggest a router/switch setup, probably some *nix fun for the router. That should allow plenty of monitoring scope.

But I've never set up anything on that scale. I'd wait for someone more experienced to give you a reply.

 

[legendario]

Originally posted by Kahn
you will also want to get broard-band internet...

Slight understatment

 

[kanonfodda]

I would suggest one Router, One switch.

Router, with Broadband Connection.

Router =8-16 Way. All Servers go directly into the Router

Switch = 24 Way. All Clients connect into this, which then uplinks into the Router

That would be how I would set it up.

Please feel free to correct me with better ways of doing this :0)

 

[Mr. 47]

Originally posted by kanonfodda
I would suggest one Router, One switch.

Router, with Broadband Connection.

Router =8-16 Way. All Servers go directly into the Router

Switch = 24 Way. All Clients connect into this, which then uplinks into the Router

That would be how I would set it up.

Please feel free to correct me with better ways of doing this :0)

how many servers you planning on having???

10 a side CTF sound like fun...

 

[~YuckFou~]

I would suggest visiting several existing lan centres/internet cafes.
See what they are using, ask them if it all works, be a geeky customer. I'm sure they will tell you what you need to know. I would also look to see if they have any customers.

The Playing Fields was a very popular and well know lan centre and yet still went tits up. I am simply suggesting that you do a lot of research and make sure that money can be made before you spend any money.

 

[Summo]

Originally posted by kanonfodda
I would suggest one Router, One switch.

Router, with Broadband Connection.

Router =8-16 Way. All Servers go directly into the Router

Switch = 24 Way. All Clients connect into this, which then uplinks into the Router

That would be how I would set it up.

Please feel free to correct me with better ways of doing this :0)

What he said, but there's no reason to plug your server(s) straight into the router. A simple, single-port router, one interface routing out over your broadband connection and the LAN interface plugged into your swicth. I don't understand this 'fours hubs' stuff. A single switch would be lovely. Two if you can afford it. You don't want to have to shut down your LAN cafe if your switch fails.

 

[Will]

Cunning backup plan. Well played that yellow-faced smilie person.

 

[Scooba Da Bass]

Hubs because he doesn't know what a switch is?

 

[Wij]

*tweak Summo's hubs*

 

[Will]

But do you use a hardware router, or something software based?

While this topic is going, if anyone could explain the DMZ in a way that makes sense to me, that would be a bonus.

 

[Summo]

Maybe.

Kitty, hubs are big no-no as they chuck all traffic down every port only for it to be rejected by the PCs that aren't interested in it. Switches 'know' which IP address is on the end of each port (ARP cache, you see?) and so they can fire traffic straight to where it is needed. Result: less traffic, faster routing of it and far fewer collisions.

If it were me I'd go for a 24-port Cisco Catalyst 2950. You could go for a combined switch/router of course....

Redundancy. You want some of that.

 

[Testin da Cable]

Originally posted by Will.

explain the DMZ in a way that makes sense to me, that would be a bonus.

the local lan is where some people are. the dmz is where some people /and/ anyone can be. the interweb is where everyone can be. make sense?

edit: summo, I'd say that's a tad over the top. fully switched networks are nice though

 

[Summo]

Originally posted by Will.
While this topic is going, if anyone could explain the DMZ in a way that makes sense to me, that would be a bonus.

The DMZ is a De-Militarised Zone (geddit? Ha-ha! Like no-man's land! Ha ha! Cmputer people are funny!) that sits outside a firewall. Usually it will be used a limited public-access 'buffer zone' between a corporate LAN and the big, wide Internet. It might look something like this:

Corporate LAN | Firewall | DMZ | Firewall | Big bad Internet

Or similar. Not necessary to have two firewall's though. Could have:

Corporate LAN | DMZ | Firewall | Big bad Internet

But you get the idea.

 

[Testin da Cable]

too tecnicall!!!1 teh geek0r si FAIL!!1

 

[Will]

Yeah, I understand the concept, I just don't get how or why. Is it an area with less strict packet filtering rules?

 

[Lester]

Originally posted by Testin da Cable


the local lan is where some people are. the dmz is where some people /and/ anyone can be. the interweb is where everyone can be. make sense?

edit: summo, I'd say that's a tad over the top. fully switched networks are nice though

In my day DMZ used to mean de-militarised zone, what does it stand for these days then?

 

[mank!]

Still stands for de-militarised zone in my book.

 

[Testin da Cable]

Originally posted by Will.
Yeah, I understand the concept, I just don't get how or why. Is it an area with less strict packet filtering rules?

more or less. it's an area where external connections to servers are tolerated.

 

[Summo]

Still stands for that, Lester! READ THE POSTS, YOU BIG FOOL!

Originally posted by Will.
Yeah, I understand the concept, I just don't get how or why. Is it an area with less strict packet filtering rules?

The DMZ is a good place to house corporate web servers, for example. Your firewall can allow public Internet access to a specific server in your DMZ (allowing TCP port 80 for HTTP traffic, for example) but dropping everything else that tries to come through. Security and all. At the same time, from the other end your Corporate LAN people can have full access to modify/change the content of the web server.

 

[Wij]

It comes from Star Trek if I remember correctly. Bastard nerds !

 

[Will]

Ok, I'm with you now.

I think that makes my machine on my network part of the DMZ, but I could be wrong. I'll just start nodding unless anyone throws me a pearl of beautifully crafted cyber-wisdom.

edit :// Summo, thats just the pearl I was looking for. You rule.

 

[Summo]

Originally posted by Will.
But do you use a hardware router, or something software based?

Good point! A *nix system would make a nice combined router/firewall.

Originally posted by Testin da Cable
edit: summo, I'd say that's a tad over the top. fully switched networks are nice though

Fair point, but we're only talking one of them. Switches all the way!

 

[Wij]

Hands up who likes tits ?

 

[Summo]

 

[~YuckFou~]

Originally posted by Wij
Hands up who likes tits ?

 

[Lester]

Originally posted by Summo
Still stands for that, Lester! READ THE POSTS, YOU BIG FOOL!

NNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!111 Time has played evil tricks on my post!!1111!!

I was 1st I tells ya!!!

 

[~Lazarus~]

Kitty,

Have a look on Microsofts Technet :

Here

and here

or here

Its worth a browse through them