Topic: Install & Bridge extra Nic

[jerryh]

As an SME and Linux Newbie I wonder if anybody can help me.
I've set up SME 6.01 as server only but have 2 NICs physically installed.
Setup recognised both, but only one eth0 is showing under ifconfig, this is the link to my gateway.

I have a wireless access point which I want to use locally to the server and only have one cable running to the gateway.
Solution 1.  Use local switch/hub

However I thought I might connect the access point to the second NIC and bridge.  I assume I will need a crossover cable.

I assume I need to manually add the 2nd NIC with a fixed IP address.
Set to bridge NIC 1 to NIC 2.

The bottom line is will it work and how do i do it
Thanks in advance for your help.

[jerryh]

For additional info the second card is recognised as

Natsemi National Semi DP83815 (MacPhyter)

[turnip]

It's possible, but I don't see any reason to use a bridge in that situation unless you don't have a hub/switch.

You'll need a crossover cable unless your nic's are autosensing. Even if they are you should use a crossover cable because it's correct.

Then you'll need to read the Ethernet Bridge HOWTO from the Linux Documentation project, and then (this is the hard bit), figure out how to make it work with SME. It's possible someone's done it before, so do a thorough search first.

A bridge is a layer 2 device. The individual ethernet cards that make it up (layer 1 devices) don't have IP addresses (layer 3). Instead, they're bound together and the bridge has an IP address (or many IP addresses, if you want to complicate things). It would help to have a thorough understanding of the OSI model before trying it.

[jerryh]

Its inconvenient to have a local switch, so I thought as there are two nics and I only require a single extra line for the wireless access point It would be a simple job.  Unfortunately I'm on a steep learning curve with Linux.

[turnip]

Another option would be to use an Asus WL500G wireless router, but put it in access point mode. That basically makes it a 5 port switch and a wireless access point at the same time. Nice thing is it's got WDS, so you can have a few of them and they'll all talk to each other over wireless. I use one next to my phone point, one in my study and one in my workshop.