[NCSA-discuss] wrt54gs and openwrt, rfc1918/dhcp question

[Steven Champeon]

Hello, group. 

I've got a question for anyone who's used the openwrt package to replace
the built-in functionality of a Linksys WRT54G*. Or, for anyone using
the WRT54GS inside a larger network (as opposed to as a home cable/dsl
access point).

At the moment, our internal network is relatively simple: Linux firewall
masquerading traffic using iptables from our rfc1918 (192.168.1.0/24)
internal net to the outside. Works great.

I've got two Apple Airport base stations (one graphite, one snow) doing
DHCP and handing out 192.168.1.x addresses, and shuffling traffic from
the wifi world to the hardwire world. Again, no problems, works great.

Problem is, I've been asked to provide 802.11g support, and the existing
Apples only do 802.11b. Rather than pay $250 or so for a new BS Extreme,
I sent the CFO out to best buy and she got a WRT54GS and PC cards to
match (oh, well - close enough; I asked her to get WRT54Gs :).

Seems, however, that the s/w that comes with the WRT54GS expects to hand
out 192.168.1.x addresses - and there's no way to change it. Also, it
doesn't seem to want me to treat its IP as anything but 192.168.1.1.
Well, I've already got one of those, thanks. And I'd like to be able to
say "hey, WRT, be 192.,168.1.129, and hand out IPs from 130 to 140" or
some such, and have it route traffic over to 192.168.1.1, my Linux
firewall, and on the internal network.

So, I've been looking at maybe throwing openwrt on it, in hopes that it
will allow it to behave like the Apple Airports do, and let me assign an
IP of my choosing and tell it to hand out DHCP addresses in 192.168.1.y-z
as well, without overlapping the ranges I've already assigned to the
DHCP server on the Airports. 

Anyone play with this, have any advice, warnings, recipes, etc.?

It's not really that complex a network setup. But it seems to be too much
to ask for from the WRT54GS, which is obviously targeted at your typical
home audience. 

So, do I take a chance at turning it into a brick, take it back and
trade it for a different Linksys model, or is there a trick to making
it act like something other than a dumbed-down consumer grade AP?

tia,
Steve

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