Hi, All: I have one question regarding my Solaris router which has two NIC cards, one connect to Rogers Hi-Speed modem, the other connect to my local LAN using a HUB to another Solaris8 Intel box. First I have configured the stuff on the Solaris8 box which act as my router: /etc/resolv.conf (add rogers's name server) /etc/nsswitch.conf ( add dns entry) /etc/dhcp.afe1 ( to enable it as DHCP client) /etc/hosts of course, the two NICs already configured and works fine, then this machine can go online using NetScape brower in Solaris. But I want this box as a router which can lead another solaris box go online. But after check the routing script "/etc/init.d/inetinit" I find if the machine is a DHCP client, it will be disabled by Sun Solaris as a router and it will get the routing info from DHCP server, which is exactly from Rogers. And I can find the default entry in the routing table which is added by Rogers when this machine is DHCP client but actually I did not configure the /etc/defaultrouter. Ok, in that interesting script, either you configure /etc/defaultrouter or DHCP client or /etc/notrouter on your solaris box, it won't be a router. So I backup the script and modify the script to let it be a router even though it is a DHCP client and get the default routing info from Rogers. Then I reboot the machine, it also works fine and can go online, routing daemons "in.routed -s" & "in.rdisc -r" running, ip_forwarding enabled. Then I configure another solaris box on my LAN, /etc/resolv.conf, /etc/hosts. after it rebooted, it get the routing info from the Solaris router which mentioned before. Get the default gateway. But the machine only can ping alive the out NIC which is connected to Rogers Modem. And all the internal NICs. Even can not ping the gateway 24.100.158.1 from Rogers, always no answer. So I guess the Solaris router does not work properly even though daemons and ip_forwarding is enabled. Does any one has some idea? Or who has sucessfully configure such stuff to make your internal computer go online through a Solaris router? Thanks in advance! Jessica

Now letīs see if Iīve got this straight. You have two Solaris-machines, one which is supposed to be a router with two nic:s. And another one that is supposed to be a workstation/client. The router-machine get its information from DHCP via a hi-speed modem connected to its "external" nic. Ip-fowarding is enabled and all the routing-daemons is up and running. Since your workstation/client-machine get its information from the router-machine and is able to ping both the internal and the external nic on the router-machine, I can only asume one that your problem is a quiet common one. The problem is that since your client-machine is on a "private" network using, I asume, a private IP-adress, your ISP:s router (gateway) havenīt got a clue were to send the replies. That is it will send it to its default gateway who is higher up in the internet hierarky. You actualy have two problems: 1. Your isp:s gateway/router do not know about your router and which networks it connects to. 2. Your client-machine is using a IP-adress not assigned to you by your isp resulting in your isp:s gateway sending the replies out on the internet instead of to you. Solution: Skip the router and set up a firewall and use NAT (Network Address Translation) to separate your internal IP-network from your isp:s and the rest of the internet. This means nomather how many machines you have on your internal network, all trafic will be routed through the firewall and NAT will see too that every reply-packet will get to the right internal client even though it will seem like you only have one machine connected when looking from the outside. A good and simple free firewall supporting NAT can be downloaded from www.ipfilter.org //TechMark

Thanks a lot for your time and explaination! I got some idea. Mm.... But I still want to disscuss one thing with you, what about the outer machine running Windows2000 and setup internet sharing, and the internal client running Solaris? I am aware someone has done that before. So, is that mean Windows2000's internet sharing implement something like NAT & routing? And I will try your solutions provided for my case, thanks a lot again!

Yes, the internet sharing in W2k is a kind of NAT/routing/dhcp in combination if Iīm not wrong. Iīm not a W2k expert but you shouldnīt have too much troubble using that solution. Things to be aware of: * Solaris will not get itīs hostname from a W2k dhcp-server, it will refere to "unknown" when using dhcp even though the correct hostname is precent in /etc/nodename. This is due to a scripting bug in two of the RC2-scripts that causes the system to be named "unknown" if it doesnīt receive a hostname from the dhcp-server. This issue is easely solved by adding a few rows of code into the scripts. Mail me and Iīll send them over to you, the whole scripts or just the rows of code and where to put them. * The second thing be aware of is that Solaris will not receive the default-gateway adress either from a w2K dhcp-server. This is, what Iīve been told, due to the fact that windows do not use the standard port for this action. However because the default-gateway adress most certainly will be the inside-adress of your w2k-machine, simply enter that ip-adress in the file /etc/defaultrouter on your Solaris machines and it will work for as long as that ip-adress is not changed. //TechMark

Hi, TechMark: I've already changed the hostname from "unknown" to whatever I like for DHCP stuff! Nice to meet you here to get help! Jessica

Youīre welcome anytime... /TechMark

Hi, TechMark: I want to know the two script name under /etc/rc2.d which make the DHCP client hostname to "unknown". Because even though I change the hostname and /etc/hosts using a small script(I name it as /etc/rc2.d/S70****) assigning the hostname vs. /etc/rcS.d/S30network*, but the host tables still using "unknown", then I build up another script (/etc/rc2.d/S90****) to modify the /etc/hosts, my method looks a little stupid!!! Could you please tell me your method how to add few rows into the scripts, thanks a lot!