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What
information do I need?
Before you install
NetBSD/i386 Firewall, you need to know some things about the
computer you are going to install on, the Internet
connection your service provider has, and after installation
you need to change some things on all the other computers in
your home.
Here's the information you
need, step by step:
- The
Ethernet card settings.
A lot of different kind of network cards are supported,
so unfortunately we are going to have a bit vague in
describing this section. Most modern network cards are
based on the PCI bus, and often they can figure out for
themselves what hardware settings they need. Older cards
may need settings like IRQ, Base I/O address, and such.
If you do have such an older card, it's probably a good
idea to write down the current settings if you have the
card working with Windows 3.11 or Windows 95. Click
here
for some information on how to find the information. You
need this for both cards! The installer is pretty
smart in figuring it out anyway, so you may not be asked
for this information, but be sure to have it
anyway!
- The
Ethernet card hardware addresses.
Sometimes also called 'physical address' or 'adapter
address'. Some cable modem providers require you to know
this hardware address. This is information the factory
built into the card - each card has an unique number,
which you might compare to a serial number. You only need
this for the network card that is going to connect to the
cable modem or ADSL modem, but since most people don't
know in advance which one that will be, or since they
might switch during install, it is a good idea to find
out if your provider needs that information, and if so,
figure it out for both cards. Note: not all
providers want this information. If they don't ask for
it, you don't need this information. Click
here
for some information on how to find that
information.
- (Maybe)
the fixed IP address your provider gave
you. For the
firewall to work, it needs one fixed IP address, or a
dynamically assigned one from your provider. Most cable
and ADSL providers can give you a fixed address, some
don't, and expect you to work with a dynamic address. If
your provider gave you a fixed IP address, you need that
info. Note that some may want to sell you more than one
if you have more computers in your network. After
installation of the firewall, one is all you need,
and you can connect as many computers to the network as
you want, with that one IP address. If you are already
using a cable modem or ADSL connection, you may have set
this one address up on your computer. Click
here
if you want to know how to find that information. If your
provider uses the PPPoE (Point-to-point over Ethernet)
protocol, you'll need the CD
instead, because the network based install does not
support that.
- (Maybe)
the default gateway address your provider gave
you. You only
need this if you're using a fixed IP address. If you are
already using a cable modem or ADSL connection, you may
have set this up on your computer. Click here
if you want to know how to find that
information.
- (Maybe)
the user name and password your provider gave
you. You only
need this if you're using PPTP or PPPoE to connect to
your provider.
Here's some information you
do NOT need:
- How much memory you PC
has. As long as it has some, that's OK. the installer
will figure it out and let you know if something is
wrong.
- How big the hard disk
in your PC is. Again, as long as you have one, that's OK.
Remember however that the installer will wipe the entire
disk, so if you have data on it you want to keep, make
sure you have a backup.
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