Sahring modem over LAN

**Schotty** · 10-27-2002, 07:53 PM

Hey all!

Is there a way for me to share a modem over the LAN without setting up NAT on my host machine?

Would I need to symlink the /dev/modem to another dir, and nfs share it? Then point the remote machines to look at that shared dev link and use that as the "modem"?

Thanks much!

**airhead** · 10-27-2002, 07:58 PM

I don't know if they would work. (At least, I don't think so. I've tried the same thing with a cdrom) You could always use a proxy instead. But NAT is not really that hard to set up. (If you're using RH, it should be pretty easy, Slack and Debian would be a bit harder)

**pbharris** · 10-27-2002, 09:18 PM

humm... thats a pretty interesting question.
You mount the computer with the modem /dev/ directory under nfs, make a link from your computer's /dev/ directory - e.g.
/dev/modem -> /net/machine/dev/ttyS1 and then establish a connection. i think this would probably not be real secure, the machine with the modem would have to have permisions on its device opened up and you would need to have permission on the /dev/ directory open so the other otehr machine could write to it... but i don't see why it would not work.

is there a reason for not using NAT? you could set ppp up to automatically dial when a request came in.

**Schotty** · 10-28-2002, 01:35 PM

Well, I have no problem with nat, except that everytime I try it on anything except slackware or bsd it doesnt work right. So trying to avoid problems of that kind and to "Seek out new problems and headaches. To boldly go where no sane man would ever go ..." GeekTrek.

Besides, I can quick hack out an NFS share, make the symlink, have it improted on the other machine(s) and tested in about 5 minutes. With every RedHat, I have kernel compiles and crap to get the ipchains working.

**ph34r** · 10-28-2002, 03:33 PM

Grab the config file for a Slackware bare.i boot disk, and use that in "make oldconfig" to get a working kernel. And don't use the RH sources, get them from kernel.org

Anyway, setting up NAT and a firewall is really easy - just use gShield - http://muse.linuxmafia.org

**Schotty** · 10-28-2002, 08:15 PM

Allright.

If my idea doesnt work, Ill go that route. I just setup FreeBSD on my spare box and WILL need to download shit. So over the next few days Ill get around to trying this.