DSL Router & XP Firewall - how to share LAN ? (WXP)

[Spaniard]

Using a combined router DSL modem and a XP's builtin firewall with more than 1 PC connected to the router. These PCs cannot see each other on their LAN because each PC is running a firewall. Can I edit the firewall settings to allow local LAN traffic ?
I want a firewall for protection from the internet and my router does not support a firewall itself.
Obviously if I disable the XP firewall, the local LAN is visible and all works but ...

[7ate9]

Most routers use NAT (Network Address Translation) to give a phoney IP address to each machine, therefore making it non-accessible from the Internet by default. Are you sure your router doesn't do this? What type of router is it, by the way?

7ate9
WinGuides Driver Guide</font color=blue> (http://www.winguides.com/drivers/><font)

[Spaniard]

yes, I should have said its an Amigo Conexant AMX-CA64E (4 port) ADSL router.

So I think you are suggesting that I use NAT as a pseudo firewall. Then I turn off the XP built-in firewall and my LAN PCs will then be able to see each other.

If so, is NAT sufficiently secure like that ? I feel safer having an XP firewall.

[7ate9]

NAT should be safe. If you have ip address 1.2.3.4 from your ISP, and someone traces that, they run into your Router and would be unable to go any further than that, because your router will be giving you a totally different ip address. This is my understanding of it, and this is the way that my Linksys router acts. Because of that, I dont bother to use any firewall software, I just rely on the router and NAT.

7ate9
WinGuides Driver Guide</font color=blue> (http://www.winguides.com/drivers/><font)

[Spaniard]

THANKS for your help - much appreciated, I'll do that.

[7ate9]

Great,you're very welcome /images/forums/icons/smile.gif

7ate9
WinGuides Driver Guide</font color=blue> (http://www.winguides.com/drivers/><font)

[3urn]

this web site is great for explaning things like NAT and other areas of networking.

Hope this helps

http://www.howstuffworks.com/nat.htm

[adg]

There's no need for both. Just disable XP's firewall.

Allan
<a target="_blank" href=http://www.tweakdatabase.com/idealbb>tweakxp.com</a>

[demark]

The advantage to using *certain* software firewalls in addition to a router is that the firewall will catch phone home behavior; routers only protect you from incoming traffic, not outgoing. You would be amazed at the applications that engage in two way chatter with distant servers. Most of such traffic is benign - Antivirus checking back for signature update availability - but if you want to know who your computer is talking to, and when, a software firewall will do that in real time. ZoneAlarm, for one, will catch outbound traffic. The XP firewall will not. You can, of course, enable your router's logging feature, but that only tells you after the connection has left your network.