Setting up to be a "router" using YDL?

[Dakidd]

Hiya folks...
Now that I've figured out how to get the 7600/G3 running YDL 3.0.1 online
directly via PPP and my dialup account, I'm looking to get the rest of my
local network (connected to the 7600 via Ethernet) online at the same time
- Essentially, I guess the proper way to say it is that the 7600 is going
to function as a router/connection sharer.

The planned network topology is expected to look something like this:

Dialup/modem <--> 7600 <--> E'net hub <--> 7500 (MacOS 9)
                             | | | |
                             | | | +----> IIci (MacOS 7.5.5)
                             | | +------> Performa 637 (Macos 8.6)
                             | +--------> noname Wintel box (Windows '98)
                             +----------> possible future additions

Seems *PRETTY* straightforward - Configure/fire up the DCHP daemon on the
7600, set everybody else up to get their network info via DHCP over the
ethernet wire, and >poof< everybody's online at once! Wow... Magic! :)
(Yes, ladies and gents, I'm quite aware of the bandwidth limitations the
modem is going to impose. Pretend that isn't a consideration - 'cause it's
one of those "Either live with the limitations, or forget the entire
concept" situations.)

But it seems there's a catch: like most, my dialup assigns a dynamic IP.
So setting up the 7600 to act as DHCP server seems to have a fatal flaw
even before I begin. Or perhaps I'm too green in the *nix world to
understand how things work?

Over in "Mac-land", it takes something like VicomSoft's "Softrouter",
"Surfdoubler", or similar, to get the Macs talking to the internet via the
"master" machine - more or less a "create two networks with a wall between
them" situation - the one on "my side" of the "wall" being one (probably
using the 10.1.x.x or 192.168.x.x non-routed spaces) and the other being
"just" the modem and 7600, with a 204.?.?.? address - The 10.1/192.168
machines talk to the 7600, which "shows" them a fixed 10.1.x.x or
192.168.x.x address, and deals with the voodoo of shipping their traffic
(either inbound or outbound) "over the wall" to the "real" internet as
needed, while at the same time, showing the "real" internet its 204.x.x.x
address.

I know how to create (using PPP) the "internet" side of the wall, and I
have a pretty good idea of how to deal with the "local" side, but trying to
get something/somebody to "go over the wall" (either way) with packets in
hand is eluding me.

I get this far, and my head starts spinning...
What am I missing? Anybody feel like helping me stop the rotation?

And is this question even appropriate for this list? If not, where would be
better?


Don Bruder -  dakidd at sonic.net      <--- Preferred Email - unmunged
I will choose a path that's clear: I will choose Free Will! - N. Peart