Can anyone help me with natd?

[Andy]

Well, I'm finally running out of static IP addresses on my little LAN, so I need to wander into the world of NAT. I'm still a little leary of working on the command line, so I was wondering if anyone could help me out.

First of all, should I use the OSX box I'm using as a file, web, print server to run NAT (I'm using it now for IP filtering) or should I run NAT from the DSL router (CISCO)? What are the pros and cons, remembering that I need to have web service available?

I have the man page for natd here, but I'm just not sure where to start. Thanks!

Andy

[tncook]

I have done both a dedicated "brodband" router as well as NATd. The standalone boxes are nice because they are easy to configure and administer. If you are really warry of using the terminal then they might be right for you. Also non-wireless ones can easily be had for under $100.

NATd on the otherhand is also easy to setup, but involves using the terminal. Mac Fixit has the instructions to set this up. Its not too hard and only involves spending $15 for a second ethernet card.

[sao]

Have you tried "IPNetShareX" (formerly gNAT).

"IPNetShareX is a small program designed to give users graphical access to Mac OS X's Network Address Translation (NAT) services without having to use the command line. NAT is a protocol used to share a single internet connection among multiple computers without requiring a dedicated hardware router. IPNetShareX can be used as an alternative to the basic Internet sharing feature of IPNetRouter."

(IPNetShareX is free)

You can download it at:

http://www.sustworks.com

Also, check Network Address Translation in Mac OS X:

"This file provides instructions for configuring the UNIX programs natd and ipfw that come with Mac OS X to share a single internet connection with other computers on the same network."

at: http://macosx.org/

at Software-System Utilities-Instructions to setup NAT via the command line, written by whirk


Cheers...

[Andy]

Thank you both. I think I'm going to wind up taking care of it at the router. It doesn't seem too difficult.

Cheers!

[sao]

Made a mistake in my post above:

"IPNetShareX" (formerly gNAT) is free for the first 21 days only (trial period).

Sorry about that.

Cheers...