network installation/configuration

["Fortenberry, Michael" <michael_fortenberry medcohealth com>]

Now that I have RedHat 9 installed and running I am trying to understand how
to configure my network. I have asked a couple of questions and received
suggestions and tried those. Maybe the picture will be a little clearer if I
give an overview of what I think I am trying to set up.

I have 2 XP boxes and 1 Linux box connected to the world via a LinkSys
router/gateway. I want the XP boxes to continue the ability to browse the
internet. I want the Linux box to be able to browse also (as it currently
does) but I want to set it up as a web site server so I can host some
software providing a service. I would like to develop from the Windows box
using Exceed or a similar XServer where my tools are xterms, emacs, vim or
vi, make and various applications such as perl, scripting, php, sql, etc.

My understanding is that an Xserver requires many ports to be open and thus
to be unsafe. One question is, Can't I have that port access only open to
one of the XP boxes and not to the world? I downloaded putty for Windows and
it is the only thing I have tried that actually allows me to connect to the
Linux box but I can't seem to configure it to allow the 'ssh -X' option
which would make X applications available. I can only do non-X terminal type
work. Is there a putty or similar app that allows the -X option or am I
configuring it incorrectly.

I downloaded and installed firestarter and have played at length with it's
setup and configburation but it doesn't seem to be complete or I don't
understand something. When in 'hits' mode I can't even see the hits that
must be occuring when I am connected via putty and ssh. I tried opening many
ports and even turning off the firewall (maybe just the software one that
firestarter provides and not the real one which may be still there?) but I
see no improvement. I have seen some hits that appear to come by themselves
and not directly from my attempts but using 'open port from context on that
hit' or 'open port only for this host' from the same context doesn't seem to
change what is happening.

Next big question. I set up ssh from one XP box to Linux while perusing
Rick's link to 'how to setup ssh' and while that allows for Linux to Linux
work it doesn't discuss XP to Linux. Second part of that is... given my
Linux box now has a static ip at 192.168.1.122 (thanks to Rick's suggestion)
how do I come in from the outside world when I don't know what real ip
address the router has assigned? I guess the obvious answer is to purchase a
static ip address and have that go directly through the router/gateway?

Final for now question is, my understanding is my internet access cable
provider won't want me to host a web site unless I somehow pay for it or get
someone to host it. My problem is the software I am writing and want to host
depends on gigabytes of image data. Providers charge by space allocation
afaik and 6 g is only the current size. That is why I want to host my own
machine where I can simply use as many HDs as I need. Am I barking up a tree
that makes no sense? What is the correct/desired solution?

Please let me know as soon as I cross the line past
installation/configuration and into a point where I should be asking these
questions on a different list. Thanks to everyone here who gives of their
time to support novices such as myself. I apologize and regret that I cannot
suppress the legal disclaimer when writing to this list.

Michael Fortenberry
Senior Applications Architect
E-Commerce Strategy and Delivery Michael_Fortenberry medcohealth com 
(201) 269-4448



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