For anyone, IPX still alive?

[fahim]

Hi All,

My first time posting here but seems like I have hit good company. Came searching for some clues to a specific problem I face regardimg implementing an idea from my boss ;)

The scenerio: One students lab having 50 odd PCs connecting to Novell server purely via IPX protocol. The Novell Server is only used for doing Print and File sharing services. The Windows 2000 Clients DO NOT require IP on the machines to get connected to Novell Servers but they need local Administrative previleges.

The nuisance is, they install IP addresses on these machines and start to browse the InterNet. They know address pool that we have and sometimes end up conflicting with already assigned IPs creating a mess on the network.

Now, I have tried Sunscreen firewall but couldn't somehow let the IPX pass through. The other option is to utilise one Cisco Router 2611 lying around with me, which has two Ethernet Ports.

If I assign one Private IP pool to this room and connect it to one Ethernet Interface of the router and let the second interface connect to my Office LAN and then put in an Access List that denies all IP but allows all IPX traffic to pass throught Ethernet Interface E0/0 to say...E0/1, would it help solve my problem?

If yes! Then how do I route all my traffic via E0/0 to E1/1? I am novice on routers, need some clues on configuring interfaces for this purpose.

Any answers in this regard would be appreciated.

Rgds

[thisisshanky]

You dont even need an access-list. All you need is "no ip routing" which will disable ip routing on the router. enable ipx routing and assign appropriate ipx network numbers to the router's ethernet interfaces so that it can route traffic between segments. Also make sure you mention the correct IPX encapsulation type on each interface.

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/sw/iosswrel/ps1835/products_configuration_guide_chapter09186a0080080f3d.html

This link might help!

[#3]

First, set client workstation security so students cannot change network settings. Pesky users.

Novell has supported IP at the client and server since Netware version 3. Most Novell networks have transitioned to pure IP networks long ago.

If you run IPX on your student lab computers, no one is going to hack them from the Internet!

You may want to leave the lab computers on IPX and set up a Netware IP to IPX gateway. The computers will talk IPX to the gateway that will then send an IP request for them. Magic - IPX only computers surfing the Internet!

For all the rabbid IP evangalists - the best features of IPX are being reincarnated in IPv6.