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Turn an Old PC into a LAN Server with RouterOS, Part 1

  • Article is provided courtesy of Cisco Press.
  • Date: Sep 21, 2009.

Contents

  1. Getting Started with RouterOS
  2. Installing it on the Drive
  3. Configuring the Internet and Router IP Settings
  4. Moving to the WinBox Configuration Utility

Article Description

Want an enterprise router for your network at a fraction of the cost of a Cisco router? Connect your offices together, remotely access files, run enterprise Wi-Fi encryption, and more. Eric Geier, author of Wi-Fi Hotspots: Setting Up Public Wireless Internet Access, shows you how to get started with the MikroTik RouterOS software that you can load onto an old PC.

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Configuring the Internet and Router IP Settings

Configuring the Internet and Router IP Settings

Just like when setting up an off-the-shelf router, you must configure the Internet connection. The following paragraphs cover a few different connection types.

If you have cable Internet or a connection that doesn't require specific configuration (a dynamic IP), you're probably used to just plugging in a router[md]and the Internet just works. RouterOS works similarly, but you must enable DHCP first. This is already turned on for off-the-shelf routers. Here's how to enable it in RouterOS:

  1. From the command line, type setup and hit Enter.
  2. Type d to bring up the DHCP client settings.
  3. Make sure that the correct name is given for the network interface/adapter that's connected to your Internet modem and hit Enter. You should have noted the interface names when monitoring the traffic earlier.

If you have a static Internet IP address (advanced service) from your ISP, and you are using a type that doesn't require login details, follow these steps to configure your connection:

  1. From the main menu, type setup and hit Enter.
  2. Type a to bring up the IP and gateway settings.
  3. Type a to create a new IP address.
  4. Make sure that the correct name is given for the network interface/adapter that's connected to your Internet modem and hit Enter. You should have noted the interface names when monitoring the traffic.
  5. Type the Internet IP address given to you by the ISP, followed by a forward slash (/) and netmask number, and then hit Enter (for example, 209.165.155.124/20).
  6. Type g to set the Default Gateway.
  7. Type the IP of the Default Gateway, given to you by the ISP, and hit Enter.
  8. Type x to exit the IP settings menu.
  9. Type x to save the changes you've made and to return to the main menu.

If you have a PPPoE or PPTP type of Internet connection, such as DSL, type setup from the main menu and hit Enter. Then depending upon which connection you have, type p or t and follow the prompts to input the details.

Next we'll create the IP address for your router. This enables the router to communicate on the network. It also gives you an address to use when connecting from the configuration utility. Follow these steps to add the IP information:

  1. From the main menu, type setup and hit Enter.
  2. Type a to bring up the IP and gateway settings.
  3. Type a to create a new IP address.
  4. Make sure the correct interface is defined and hit Enter. You should have noted the interface names when monitoring the traffic earlier (ether1).
  5. Type the desired IP and the netmask divided by the forward slash (/) and hit Enter (for example, 192.168.1.1/24).
  6. Type "g" to set the Default Gateway.
  7. Type the desired IP, which is probably the one you just created, and hit Enter.
  8. Type x to exit the IP settings menu.
  9. Type x to save the changes you've made and to return to the main menu.
4. Moving to the WinBox Configuration Utility | Next Section Previous Section

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