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Obsolete Releases => SME Server 7.x => Topic started by: SoftDux on November 08, 2007, 02:51:02 PM

Title: gateway with only 1 NIC - can this be done?
Post by: SoftDux on November 08, 2007, 02:51:02 PM
Hi all

Before you jump in & tell me to search the forums, I have, and I couldn't find anything constructive.

How do I use SME with only 1 NIC. The reason for this? I have an ADSL modem, with 4 10/100 ports, and built-in Wifi. All the clients will connect via Wifi, except for the SME server, a HP printer & 1 PC right next to the modem. So, I don't, and cannot add, have another switch / wireless AP on the network. Adding two NIC's with different IP's onto the same switch isn't going to work either.

So, how do I set SME to work in gateway mode, with only 1 NIC? I'm more than happy to work with network aliases (eth0 = 192.168.0.1 & eth0:0 = 192.168.1.1)
Title: Re: gateway with only 1 NIC - can this be done?
Post by: byte on November 08, 2007, 03:46:52 PM
How do I use SME with only 1 NIC.

Server only mode.

Quote
So, how do I set SME to work in gateway mode, with only 1 NIC?

You can't, you will have to use Server only mode.
Title: Re: gateway with only 1 NIC - can this be done?
Post by: Elliott on November 08, 2007, 04:19:15 PM
I would think vitualization should be an option for you.

Perhaps installing SME using VirtualBox with 2 NICs in Vbox... you could run this from a Windows machine that's setup to handle your DHCP serving and for any special case clients you could use reservations in the DHCP manager.

Just my suggestion.

-E
Title: Re: gateway with only 1 NIC - can this be done?
Post by: SoftDux on November 08, 2007, 06:42:24 PM
Server only mode.

You can't, you will have to use Server only mode.

So you want to tell me that SME can't handle network aliases / VLAN's ?

Elliott, I can't afford to purchase Windows just for this. Then I could just as well have purchased MS Exchange, which totally defeats the purpose of something linux SME
Title: Re: gateway with only 1 NIC - can this be done?
Post by: Elliott on November 08, 2007, 07:17:25 PM
Elliott, I can't afford to purchase Windows just for this. Then I could just as well have purchased MS Exchange, which totally defeats the purpose of something linux SME

VirtualBox is in almost every current linux repository. Install Debain or Ubuntu on what will be the SME box and use VirtualBox or whatever other free Virt package you like... Then setup a Virtual machine with 2 NICs and install SME.

-E

p.s. Of course you will be taxing this system so I'd choose a very lightweight gui like fluxbox or at the worst, Xfce.
Title: Re: gateway with only 1 NIC - can this be done?
Post by: SoftDux on November 08, 2007, 07:35:41 PM
The defeats the purpose of SME then. Why would I want to setup 2 instances of Linux on the same machine, just to have a nice to use interface, and use the same NIC for 2 VLAN's? I have already setup CentOS & Fedora Core servers, with DRBD & Hearbeat, Cacti, Zimbra, RAID, etc etc, but it takes a lot longer to get working, and involves a lot of manual work.

Sme automatically sets up RAID, installes & configures Samba, VPN, email, etc - much less work, but it's limited and for me it's really just a glorified file server with email capabilities. When you hear "SME server" - what do you think? What do you expect? I at least expected a few basic linux stuff to be present, stuff that I can do with a base CentOS / Slackware / Debian / FC / FreeBSD install, with the added bonus of less time spent to setup a mail  & file server.
Title: Re: gateway with only 1 NIC - can this be done?
Post by: jameswilson on November 08, 2007, 07:36:11 PM
Buy a modem and use the existing as a switch / ap?
Title: Re: gateway with only 1 NIC - can this be done?
Post by: Elliott on November 08, 2007, 08:00:31 PM
Sounds like you're familiar with hacking around so good luck with getting this working. Since it's not currently supported (and I doubt it will be) if you do get it working a HOWTO would certainly be in order.

Sorry I couldn't help.

-E
Title: Re: gateway with only 1 NIC - can this be done?
Post by: SoftDux on November 08, 2007, 08:34:38 PM
I'm sorry to say it like this, but you're clearly new to linux, or UNIX for that matter.

Setting up a network alias is not hacking. It's far from hacking. creating a network alias (ifconfig eth0:0 xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx) is standard networking.

Quote
[root@sme ~]# ifconfig
eth0      Link encap:Ethernet  HWaddr 00:0F:EA:DA:B6:B0
          inet addr:192.168.10.5  Bcast:192.168.10.255  Mask:255.255.255.0
          UP BROADCAST RUNNING ALLMULTI MULTICAST  MTU:1500  Metric:1
          RX packets:583 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:460 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:1000
          RX bytes:136999 (133.7 KiB)  TX bytes:163832 (159.9 KiB)
          Interrupt:217 Base address:0xa800

lo        Link encap:Local Loopback
          inet addr:127.0.0.1  Mask:255.0.0.0
          UP LOOPBACK RUNNING  MTU:16436  Metric:1
          RX packets:251 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
          TX packets:251 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
          collisions:0 txqueuelen:0
          RX bytes:16904 (16.5 KiB)  TX bytes:16904 (16.5 KiB)

[root@sme ~]# ifconfig eth0:0 192.168.1.5
[root@sme ~]# ping 192.168.1.5
PING 192.168.1.5 (192.168.1.5) 56(84) bytes of data.
64 bytes from 192.168.1.5: icmp_seq=0 ttl=64 time=0.113 ms

--- 192.168.1.5 ping statistics ---
1 packets transmitted, 1 received, 0% packet loss, time 0ms
rtt min/avg/max/mdev = 0.113/0.113/0.113/0.000 ms, pipe 2
[root@sme ~]# ping 192.168.1.50
PING 192.168.1.50 (192.168.1.50) 56(84) bytes of data.


As you can see, this is done on the SME machine, so it's not something that needs to be hacked into the system.

The problem is that SME won't put the machine into gateway mode with just one nic. And to tell a client that the hardware he has is inferior isn't logical, especially not since the existing CentOS server does exactly what I'd like SME todo. I connects via 1 LAN cable to a Netgear DG834GT ADSL modem, which has Wifi & 4 network ports. Then there's a printer & a PC on the modem as well, leaving 1 LAN port open. They have 5 laptops connecting to the network, all getting their IP's / routing / DNS info from the Linux server, which also initiates the PPPoE connection & maintains the firewall.
Title: Re: gateway with only 1 NIC - can this be done?
Post by: Elliott on November 08, 2007, 08:38:38 PM
I'm not here to start a pissing match. The reason that I referred to this as hacking around is because you are going to have to take a packaged system and figure out a hack to get around the issue you're dealing with.

I'm plenty familiar with linux/unix and aliasing on NICs. I was simply wishing you luck HACKing around the system to get what you want.

Once again, good luck and if you get it working consider sharing a HOWTO with the rest of the community.

-E
Title: Re: gateway with only 1 NIC - can this be done?
Post by: SoftDux on November 08, 2007, 09:23:25 PM
I'm not trying to upset you, sorry about that.

It's just strange to me that something that works on every Linux distro doesn't work on SME, and it doesn't seem like it's being planned to implement it either.....
Title: Re: gateway with only 1 NIC - can this be done?
Post by: shell on November 09, 2007, 12:40:24 AM
The sme database uses key words such as ExternalIP in its templating system.  You pretty much have to use two network cards if you want to come out of server only mode.  There is extensive use of these keys to create the templating and automation which is what is attracting you to SME.  Unfortuantely you can't have one without the other.  My 2c would be to buy a cheap adsl modem, turn the adsl functionality off your existing wap / switch and put a second nic in.  Leave the existing modem/switch/wap in place for internal and use the new adsl modem as external.  Nice, simple and inside the SME framework.

Alternatively you can customise your SME however you see fit, but expect changes to the SME functionality that are not as you would expect, that will most likely be altered each time you update or perform other functions such as adding a virtual domain that call the SME events that utilise the SME database....

Just out of curiousity - if you did 'hack' the changes to make sme server - gateway mode off one nic how can you ensure a rogue client on the network traffic is going through the server and then out the adsl (ie using the server as a gateway) as opposed to being able to get the router as its gateway manually and be off?

Cheers,
Shell
Title: Re: gateway with only 1 NIC - can this be done?
Post by: CharlieBrady on November 09, 2007, 02:26:12 AM
The sme database uses key words such as ExternalIP in its templating system.  You pretty much have to use two network cards if you want to come out of server only mode.

There's simply no point in using Server Gateway mode unless you have two network cards. The whole point of Server Gateway mode is that the SME server acts as the gateway/firewall between the Internet and a protected LAN. If you don't have separate interfaces, SME server can't act in the firewall role, and you don't need Server Gateway mode - it's just a server, which may or may not be reachable from the Internet, depending on the rest of your network, and SME server's default gateway setting.
Title: Re: gateway with only 1 NIC - can this be done?
Post by: SoftDux on November 13, 2007, 09:48:35 PM
I'm sorry, but I don't agree with your point of view on this. Dissalowing anyone to setup a VLAN on Linux is, almost wrong. What's the point of using Linux for SME if you limit the usage of Linux itself?

I honestly don't see why a machine needs to NIC's to be in server mode. Why can't it run server mode with 2 virtual local area networks (VLAN's) on the same NIC? Why can it be so difficult to understand this request?
Title: Re: gateway with only 1 NIC - can this be done?
Post by: thomasch on November 14, 2007, 04:12:09 AM
I'm sorry, but I don't agree with your point of view on this. Dissalowing anyone to setup a VLAN on Linux is, almost wrong. What's the point of using Linux for SME if you limit the usage of Linux itself?

I honestly don't see why a machine needs to NIC's to be in server mode. Why can't it run server mode with 2 virtual local area networks (VLAN's) on the same NIC? Why can it be so difficult to understand this request?

SME not an ordinary linux distro.. the way it configures things, the way it handle installations is very special to SME, SME is linux flavoured distro, but most linux distro does not flavoured like SME.. just don't compare it with other distro.. SME is not CentOS although it's based on centOS.. and vice versa

I am sure now the developers understand what you want...
In SME, I think it is a new point of view of using gateway with just one NIC and VLAN/IP Aliasing...
thanks to bring it in..

All you have to do now is to admit that SME not configured to do what you want..
Put a NFR in bugzilla and pray hard... because I don't think it is as easy as to put a "Enable server-gateway mode with one NIC" button in server-manager

OR : do the customisation by yourself, and if it works, would you mind write a HOWTO for all of us ?
Title: Re: gateway with only 1 NIC - can this be done?
Post by: CharlieBrady on November 14, 2007, 05:24:22 PM
Dissalowing anyone to setup a VLAN on Linux is, almost wrong. What's the point of using Linux for SME if you limit the usage of Linux itself?

Nobody is disallowing you or preventing you from doing anything you want to do.
Title: Re: gateway with only 1 NIC - can this be done?
Post by: SoftDux on November 14, 2007, 09:49:04 PM
Gee, that went well. The developers just don't care about this.

Well, I'm sorry that I have wasted your time, and I'm very sorry that I have tried to suggest some improvements to your proprietary program. I wan't aware of the fact that it doesn't follow standard Linux / GPL guideline, and that you're the only ones who decide how the product gets used. It's a great product, make no mistake, but you need to be more open minded about it. If you really want to control security that much, then patent SME and charge a price for it.
Title: Re: gateway with only 1 NIC - can this be done?
Post by: CharlieBrady on November 14, 2007, 09:55:33 PM
Gee, that went well. The developers just don't care about this.

Well, I'm sorry that I have wasted your time, and I'm very sorry that I have tried to suggest some improvements to your proprietary program. I wan't aware of the fact that it doesn't follow standard Linux / GPL guideline, and that you're the only ones who decide how the product gets used. It's a great product, make no mistake, but you need to be more open minded about it. If you really want to control security that much, then patent SME and charge a price for it.

Rudi, you appear to be quite a rude, and apparently an ungrateful, person. SME server is a gift to you. You cannot demand a gift which is exactly what you want.

SME server software development is in complete compliance with GPL "guidelines". You are free to do with it anything you like, as long as you comply with the license. No GPL developer anywhere is under an obligation to develop features which you think should be developed.

SME server developers do not decide how SME server gets used. It's free software - all recipients are free to use it as they choose fit.
Title: Re: gateway with only 1 NIC - can this be done?
Post by: SoftDux on November 14, 2007, 10:03:50 PM
Charlie, I'm not demanding anything from anyone. I gave a suggestion which I felt is valid and very useful. You chose not to incorporate it, and I'm sorry for wasting your time, sounding rude. If I knew how to fix the problem myself, I would have, but a lot of stuff in SME is not the same as in a standard CentOS installation, which is why I was looking for help, and got told that it can't be done. Then I submitted a feature request and was told it won't be done.

I accept that, and will happily get back to setting up a simple mail / file server with PPPoE on the same NIC as the local LAN manually.
Title: Re: gateway with only 1 NIC - can this be done?
Post by: Elliott on November 14, 2007, 10:07:44 PM
I'd like to suggest that this thread be locked. It certainly will not go anywhere positive.

 :shock:
Title: Re: gateway with only 1 NIC - can this be done?
Post by: byte on November 15, 2007, 10:40:48 AM
I'd like to suggest that this thread be locked.

I agree, locking thread.