Hello Neil!
16 Feb 98 07:13, Neil Croft wrote to Jonathan Hunter:
 NC> My experience of Frame Relay isn't huge but ours all present on a
 NC> standard X21 interface. Whether Linux can handle the concept of
 NC> virtual paths properly or not I' don't know.
Um... Dumb question time, then. What are virtual paths?? :-)
 JH>> to be getting one IP address, for a Linux box to use for IP
 JH>> masquerading, can I assume that we don't need a fully-fledged
 JH>> router?
 NC> No. Even if you get X21 for the Linux box, what do you think it'll be
 NC> doing?
Routing packets from the machines connected to the ethernet card, down the 
X21 link??? Or isn't it that simple (and why not! :-)?
 JH>> Can we simply get a frame relay interface card for the Linux
 JH>> machine, and plug the leased line direct into that??
 NC> I doubt it.
OK, then.
 NC> Pass. I can recommend 3Com Office Connect routers if you choose to buy
 NC> your own as we use them at work. I guess the "without router" option
 NC> is for outfits like work with multi-slot routers. The theory behind
 NC> Frame relay says you don't need multiple ports 'cos you've got
 NC> multiple (virtual) paths.
Right.
 NC> Whilst Linux (and OS/2) boxes can do some IP routing, I'm still a
 NC> firm believer that it's horses for courses and seeing the problems
 NC> (bugs) in existing 3Com and Cisco routers that are supported by
 NC> enormous budget and resource companies, I have to be sceptical about
 NC> Linux's abilities. Then again, a box with a default route up the WAN
 NC> link shouldn't have too many problems.
Well, the only thing is that no packets are *routed* by the Linux box.. As we 
only have one IP address (and it'd be cheaper and more secure to get only one 
IP address with the leased line) the Linux box would be doing masquerading. 
Effectively it would be the only thing connected to the WAN link, all the 
other PCs would be behind it. That is why I thought it might be more sensible 
to have the router in the Linux box, but obviously it's not actually that 
simple!
 JH>> I'm sorry if these questions are a bit basic, but I've never had
 JH>> the chance to play with leased lines at all yet... Hopefully the
 JH>> day will come soon! 
 NC> We all started somewhere.
I think I'm starting here, as far as X21 goes! :-)
Thanks very much for your help,
Jonathan 
... Eye of newt, toe of frog and a bag of chips please.
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