Re: Linksys BEFSX41 firewall/router & Linux?

From: MyndPhlyp (notreally@home.now)
Date: 04/25/03 

From: "MyndPhlyp" <notreally@home.now>
Date: Thu, 24 Apr 2003 23:47:44 -0400

"John Brock" <jbrock@panix.com> wrote in message
news:b89kgn$16e$1@panix3.panix.com...
>
> From what I gather there should be no trouble using the Linksys
> BEFSX41 firewall/router with Linux or other non-MS OSes, since the
> interface is web based. Still, Linksys only claims compatibility
> with Windows, so I thought I would check and see if others were
> using it with Linux, and if there were any showstopping problems.
> Any comments? And is there anything better (within a reasonable
> price range) that I should be looking at instead?

John:

Check the data *** on the BEFSX41:

ftp://ftp.linksys.com/data***/befsx41ds.pdf

And, check the main product page for the BEFSX41:

http://www.linksys.com/products/product.asp?grid=34&scid=29&prid=433

Both state that the unit is "easily configurable through a web browser from
any networked PC." Also, since the BEFSX41 is a network device, it doesn't
really care what operating systems are on the WAN or LAN side of the unit.
All it is interested in is IP traffic.

>
> Also, the spec *** says that the BEFSX41 supports PPPoE, which
> is what I believe Verizon uses. Does this relieve the OS of any
> responsibility for supporting PPPoE? I would rather not have to
> install any special PPPoE software on my PC, and would prefer to
> connect to the router via vanilla TCP/IP. If I get the BEFSX41
> can I do this?

Yes. The BEFSX41 takes care of the PPPoE logon to your ISP. All the machines
on the LAN side need is the LAN address of the BEFSX41 configured into them
to use it as a gateway. (Which also means the BEFSX41's LAN IP address and
the IP addresses of all the workstations on the LAN side will be in the same
network. For example, 192.168.1.x with a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0. But
if you set everybody up to use BOOTP or DHCP, they will get their
configuration from the DHCP server contained in the BEFSX41 which is enabled
by default.)

> And can I avoid installing Verizon's software on
> my PC and use the router to configure the DSL modem? (Does that
> even make sense?

The question doesn't make much sense. The DSL modem shouldn't require any
configuration other than what the ISP already preloaded. However, if you
want to Telnet into the DSL modem to do some diagnostics or just nose
around, you'll have to temporarily disconnect it from the WAN port of the
BEFSX41 and plug it into either a NIC on one of your workstations (using a
crossover cable) or into a hub on the LAN. Typically, the ISP-supplied DSL
modem will come preconfigured as LAN IP address 192.168.1.1 (which,
coincidently, is the default LAN address of the BEFSX41, but it won't cause
any problems). Check your documentation. If there is none, check the
manufacturer's web site and see if you can locate some product specs and
documentation.

If you tried to Telnet to the DSL modem through the BEFSX41 to
monitor/configure the modem, the BEFSX41 (and every other home router
product I've played with) would take your Telnet session and send it out the
PPPoE pipe to the Internet. The DSL modem would never see it regardless of
what IP address you assign the LAN port of either the router or the modem..

Hope this helps you better understand your new toy.