Hiding a linux computer
I have an interesting question for some of you. Where I work they are
very pro-WinNT. That's fine for them (although they could get the same
file & printer sharing for 1/8 of the cost from Linux).
Because of that they are very paranoid about Linux machines running on
their network. What I would like to do is be able to setup a Linux
machine and just telnet into it and maybe use pop-3, nothing fancy. I
just want to be able to keep learning about Linux while I'm stuck here
in Microsoft land.
However a few problems arise. They are using dhcp, which I can work
with (I get the ip address and can hit all the servers, etc.), but this
also leaves a record in the dhcp ip address listing in this format:
ipaddress hostname mac address
The Linux machine shows up like this:
X.X.X.X (null) XX:XX:XX:XX:XX
While NT machines show up with an actual hostname not "null". This I
believe is one of the few things that would allow them to suspect that
ip-address (besides maybe doing a tcpdump and checking for telnet
connections?). I can block eveyone's computer but my own with a few
simple additions to the hosts.* files. And even redirect them to
another web page, when their hostname is not one of those allowed (I
would have loved to see an administrators face when he kept getting
their local intranet web page rather than the homepage on the Linux
machine!). Simple stuff, but somehow I'd like to be able to really
"hide" the machine.
So that's the situation, anyone have any ideas?
I'd like to not even use the dhcp server but I think that would mean I'd
have to setup the Linux machine to be a DNS server wouldn't it? I don't
know what that would do to the rest of the machines on our network, I
can't be messing them up or else I'll be in hot water.
Thanks for your help and let me know if you need clarifications.
Sorry about the stupid Hotmail tag (I don't have a permanent home yet)
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