Re: Creating a Test Network

[ddeleo () du edu]

Depends very much on what you want to test.  I've been testing a syslog server setup in my house and I have gotten by 
just fine using a cheap soho router plugged in to my cable modem.  If you have a similar setup, your router is probably 
using network address translation (NAT) which re-uses the one IP you get from your ISP (typically) and allows several 
hosts to share it (CCNA topic, if you're studying for that).  Picking an OS is a very very thorny topic, and you're 
likely to get partisans telling you to use every different OS available.  Things to consider are: 1 will noobs be using 
it? 2 What do you want the machine to do?  3 How much are you willing to pay  ? 4 How much time do you want to invest? 
5 Which OS are you partisan to?  I could go on for days, but I won't...
If you are comfortable with the command line, you may want to do a minimal install of Linux or BSD for critical 
machines that offer simple services (this is what I did for my syslog server).  This can also help you get the most 
horsepower out of an older box.  If you are a total noob (hey we all were once), I would recommend getting either SUSE 
or RedHat linux since they are easy to install and will help get you proficient with the command line.  From there, go 
the opposite direction, do a very minimal install of Linux or BSD and learn about things such as cron, rc files, inet 
daemon, etc.  
I hope this has helped, try to give more specifics if you want specific answers.