Re: DSL and Debian questions Round 2
David Bellows <bfootdav@bellsouth.net> writes:
> Hello everyone,
>
> Thanks for all the responses. I think I'm getting closer to
> understanding what's going on. So just a few more:
>
> 1. After installing an ethernet card and making sure the corresponding
> module gets loaded do I just runt the pppoe program and it'll do the
> configuring? Probably more to it than that huh? Do I need to worry
> about the external modem that comes with the service re: drivers and
> such?
>
> 2. The firewall issue. I've never set up a firewall. Is there a
> Debian package that will help with this? Any advice?
Go to http://freshmeat.net and do a search on "firewall". I've heard
good things about PMFirewall as far as ease of use goes. But, setting
it up and getting a firewall to be secure and do everything you want
to do isn't a trivial undertaking.
> I'm a little surprised that this is any more of a problem with DSL
> than with a normal dial up connection, anyone want to volunteer a
> little more info?
DSL is going to give you a permanent, 24/7 connection to the
internet. If you were a cracker what would you spend time on, a system
that's connection is transitory, like a dialup PPP connection that
could go away at any minute and have a completely different IP address
the next time it shows up, or a box sitting on the net ready for your
cracking convenience any time you want to take a stab at it? If you
get tired of cracking tonight, it'll be there tomorrow, or next week,
or next year for you to continue.
> How secure is the normal Debian installation?
It's up to you. If you didn't run any network daemons it'd be pretty
safe. Of course then you'd be limited to only outgoing
connections. How much software are you going to install and run on
your system? The more network software you install the less secure
your system will be. If you just had a system with say sshd (SSH
daemon) running you'd probably be pretty safe, but then start adding
things like SMTP, rshd, telnetd, etc., and you're probably asking for
trouble. And don't even start with NFS...
> I have occasional need to telnet into my box from work, will this
> still be possible with a firewall installed?
Generally, running telnetd is frowned upon. That's not to say it's not
secure, but it's easier to crack, and very easy for someone running a
sniffer to grab your password, since telnet is not encrypted.
> 3. The service I'm looking at claims 1.5 Mbps download and 256Kbps
> upload -- is this fairly normal?
Yeah, sounds pretty typical for a home ADSL installation. Many service
providers offer more bandwidth for more money.
Gary
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