[RndTbl] Airport

[Kevin Scott]

I have a LAN which uses static private IP addresses.  The machines are 
connected to one another by a hub.  The gateway machine is a Linux box 
running iptables .  This has worked well with one recent exception which 
is likely a failed NIC, and it provides a means of examining traffic.

I just purchased a Mac and want to add it to the network.  It is in a 
place where there are no cables at present. 

I should have purchased a wireless adapter for the gateway machine, but 
instead I purchased the Airport Extreme Base Station.  In hindsight, I 
don't really need a router - but is there a way to use it to simply get 
my Mac onto the network?

In setup, the airport base station insisted on having something plugged 
into the WAN port, so I eliminated the hub, plugged the gateway 
machine's LAN side ethernet into the WAN port of the airport, and 
plugged the other wired LAN machines into LAN ports.  All the wired 
machines are able to browse the internet (though I'm guessing everything 
is NATd twice - once in the router and again in the gateway machine).

I have not been able to get internet access through the wireless on my Mac.

Is there a simple way to use this device as a simple wired and wireless 
'switch' on my LAN?  or should I simply throw in the towel and let the 
base station be a router and firewall, and do away with a gateway computer?

-- 
  -Dan

Dr. Dan Martin, MD, CCFP, BSc, BCSc (Hon), MSc

GP Hospital Practitioner
Computer Scientist
ummar143 at shaw.ca
(204) 831-1746
answering machine always on


log into the airport,  turn off DHCP,  plug your existing network into one
of the LAN ports,  and you've turned the router into an access point and
switch.

WAN port on the router shouldn't' be used at all in this case.  You also get
around the double-natted issue.

Good luck,

Kevin