router software for windows

[pauloandre]

I have 3 network cards on my pc and wanted a software to act as a router, to make windows send all packets for an ip range through one interface, other ip range through another interface and so on, but I don't want a software that stops me from working normally on windows xp. any ideias?

 

[harvyk]

Although it is not a true router check out bridging, you may be able to setup a bridge between your network cards with the required addresses attached (eg 192.168.0.1/24, 192.168.1.1/24 and 192.168.2.1/24) and then to make the packets forward to may need to setup a gateway for each address to be the other address (eg 192.168.0.1 has 2 gateways 192.168.1.1 and 192.168.2.1)

It is a little messy however it may get you out of trouble until you can find other software... Just don't forget to set the clients default gateway to the routers appropriate address (eg 192.168.0.3 will need a default gateway of 192.168.0.1)

Also don't forget that across subnets you will lose NetBIOS naming, which will mean you will either need to set up DNS, WINS, or have a host file for each client, if you don't you will only be able to address the computer by IP... (there are a number of people who don't know this one)

Just so you know good old NT will actually do the job of routing very nicely, so if you have an old copy of NT dust it off and set it up and set up packet forwarding... Not quite as good as a HW router, but certainly not bad...

 

[pauloandre]

maybe I didn't explain myself... I don't have a network, I just have one computer. However, I have 3 network cards: one for my lan (another computer), one for the internet and one for some ips. I wanted to tell windows that if I make a connection to ip 192.xxx.xxx.xxx it should use card 1, to ip 10.xxx.xxx.xxx use card 3 and to all others use card 2. however, with card 2 I can connect to all 10.xxx.xxx.xxx as well as with card 3. that's why I want to explain windows what to use.

 

[harvyk]

You are talking about some messy business there...

The simple answer is assign the IP of 192.168.0.1 with a subnet mask of 255.255.0.0 to Card 1 that will give you all 192.168.x.x addresses (as 192.168.x.x is the only private class C address available) if you allow 192.x to happen then you are looking for both private or public addresses everytime you attempt to access any class C network... Strictly speaking (and best practises) you should be using something like 192.168.0.1 with a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0 and then point the default gateway to a router (one thats not for the web but routes internal addresses)...

Card 3 would need to be assigned an ip of 10.1.1.1 with a subnet mask of 255.0.0.0 this is fairly standard and will give you access to all 10 series addresses (standard class A network here)

Now by what your saying I am assuming you want to use card 2 to browse the web, if this is the case then connect card 2 to a DSL router and configure web access through this card...

With 100 Million neurons in the brain vouching for it, it can't be wrong...