Re: Creating a Test Network

[FocusHacks <focushacks () gmail com>]

I don't use VMWare, most of my test network systems are too slow to run it.

On my main home network, all the machines are behind a NetScreen
firewall that I picked up for cheap on eBay.  They're all addressed
internally and NATted to the outside world.  For a test network, it's
sometimes best to leave the machines (virtual or otherwise)
quarantined from the Internet entirely.

If you do wish to run services to the outside world, make sure that
your ISP allows it.  Some ISP's don't block common ports for FTP, HTTP
and the like, however, on the flip side, many of those same ISP's put
it quite painly in the contract that customers are not to run public
services unless you have a business account or pay some other premium.

I map various ports from my firewall to the internal network.  Port 22
goes to my Sun Ultra 5 running OpenBSD so that I can get a shell on my
home network (and tunnel traffic with SSH tunneling).  My wife runs a
MUD, so one port is mapped to her MUD server so that outside users can
get into it.

My test network is simply a 5-port 10/100 switch, a "dumb" Wireless
access point, and a few systems that I move on and off the network as
needed.  At any given time, I probably have a dozen machines powered
down and put away, and 9 or 10 machines (live on the NAT and
quarantined on the test network) powered up.

To directly answer your two questions:

1) With NAT (that being provided by pretty much any modern
router/firewall including wireless routers), you can put multiple
machines out on the Internet at the same time, only passing traffic to
them from the outside that you want, using only one IP address from
your provider.

2) Depending on how powerful your PC's are, you could run one virtual
machine with VMware on each PC, giving you 3 real host systems and 3
virtual systems.  VMWare runs on Linux and Windows.  I'd run whichever
you're most comfortable using for the host OS, and then try your hand
at a smattering of Windows, Linux, and BSD's between the virtual
machines.  Keep in mind you can always make more than one virtual
image on each, so you can take down and setup new virtual environments
on each.

More importantly though, is what you want to accomplish by setting up
your test network.  Do you want to play with infrastructure type
protocols by setting up your own DNS, DHCP, and routing environment? 
Do you simply want to learn how to use, configure and network
different operating systems?  Do you want to code exploits and test
for vulnerabilities in a safe, quarantined network?

Your goals should help you establish your test environment.

On 19 Oct 2005 00:46:40 -0000, nietsec () gmail com <nietsec () gmail com> wrote:
> Hey guys !!!
>
> I want to ask some questions regarding a test network for experiments...I have 3 systems.I have VMWare 4.5 .Various 
> OS's.etc etc ..I have not taken CCNA exam ..so please dont mind to answer my silly questions
>
> 1.Can I can use Internet Connection sharing for 2 machines ? Or should i have to take 3 different IP's from ISP.
>
> 2.How many OS's Should i install on 3 systems.
>
> please help me


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