[LUG] Sharing an internet connection on Win98 with a Linux box

[Neil Williams <mail at neilw2.eurobell.co.uk>]

>>
ICS under 98se has a DHCP server deep in it that they don't like you to
fiddle with (no conf tool).  I found some time back that the gateway box
refused to talk to anything else on the LAN that it didn't have a DHCP
lease out for.
By defauly, in your case the DHCP server scope will be 192.168.0.1 to
192.168.0.254. (the whole subnet)
<<

After all this, I'm now writing from the Linux box over the shared connection.
It's working fine. I went back to basics and removed everything that I thought
I might have added and started again. Basic host information of only the domain
and the IP of this box. The DNS was enabled with only the IP of the Win98 box
that is connected to the internet.

The final secret was:

(Duh!)

Only start Linux AFTER the Win98 machine has got passed the logon dialog.

Why?

Linux sets up the eth0 protocols BEFORE loading the shell or allowing logon.
Windows waits until the shell is loaded before loading the network drivers.
Hence, if, like me, you start both machines at the same time, despite starting
Linux on a dual boot slower machine, it looks for the eth0 about 20 seconds
before the Windows box has created the sockets at the other end!!

No wonder it doesn't work!

Now I start the Win98 machine and once that has loaded the desktop, I start the
Linux machine.

Very easy when you think about it. The Win98 is acting as a server and needs to
be started before the client - the Linux!


My brain hurts!!!


Thanks for the help in the meantime.


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