Greetings,
I want to set up a local wifi hotspot. I've got a decent cable internet
connection to feed it, a small switch to connect everything, the access
points, cabling, and I've just purchased an inexpensive box to use as the
server for the whole project. Naturally, I want to use Debian for the
server OS, because of apt's ease of management.
I've got plenty of experience with Linux on the desktop (typing this on a
Debian-testing laptop right now), but this is my first shot at setting up a
Linux server of any kind. It's probably going to be much easier than I
imagined, but anytime one goes into the unknown, it can be a little
daunting.
Down to what I need...I want to set up the Debian box to provide internet
access via the access points, give DHCP addresses, provide some basic
security via a firewall, and to direct users to a splash page on the Debian
box giving them the welcome message, usage policies, etc etc. Then they're
free to use the Internet.
The DHCP server and the splash page are the easy parts....just install dhcp
server and Apache, add a splash page and viola. No problem there. I'm going
to have to learn about iptables quickly, and I understand that iptables can
probably handle the initial redirect to the splash page (true?) without the
need for something like NoCat.
So now we get down to the guts of it....I'm using the Debian box as a
gateway server to the broadband router with Internet access. The box will
have two NICs...one for the hotspot network (eth0), one going to the router
to gain Internet access (eth1). In short, I want the hotspot users
connecting through the access points, connected to the debian gateway box
via the switch, to have Net access once they've seen the splash page. No
logons, nothing like that. Just one splash page redirect, and then they
have free Internet access. One note here...the reason I didn't go with
something like an off-the-shelf router with NoCat is that in the future, I
may expand the services the Debian box may provide...so a cheap server
seemed like a good idea for this project.
Since I'm an embarrassed newb at Linux servers, I'm asking what are probably
basic questions to you all about configuring this setup correctly. I'm
standing by, armed with O'Reilly books and Google, but one must know the
proper questions before one can find the right answers. I hope I've asked
all the right questions here...if not, please point out what I'm missing.
(A proxy server, maybe? Squid? Let me know).
Any and all help and advice is appreciated
The Network Design
______________________
*Internet*
|
Broadband Router
|
Debian Gateway Server
*connected to Router via eth1*
|
Access Points 1, 2, 3, 4, etc
*connected to gateway/eth0 via a 10/100 switch*
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