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samithsukumarFlag for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

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How to configure 2003 server as software router

Hi
Can you  please tell me how to configure windows 2003 server as software router and also how many systems can it support . And also the advantages and disadvantages .
Thanks
 Samith
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ChiefIT
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Basically, you have two NICs, configure RRAS to route across the server, then put a software firewall on it to manage port access.

Advantages:
You can manage the firewall.

Disadvantages:
You can manage the firewall. (this is too easy to make an unsafe connection and render your domain servers and clients vulnerable)
It's lots of traffic for one server
It will require much administrative support
A nat router offers the same thing at a reasonable price and doesn't hose up the system
You have to configure it precise in the NIC configuration, RRAS configuration, software firewall policies and port blockage, ect...
Not much tech support on your firewall.

Recommended practice:
Leave the firewall to a NAT hardware firewall and use your server for something constructive. It's way to easy to be self defeating while trying to use a server as a router.

If you want to route with windows you probably want to look at ISA Server.  ISA supports a lot of functionality, including VPN, advanced firewalls, web proxy, and load balancing.

Routing with windows is something you might do for a corporate network but I could never imagine using it for more than a corporate gateway.

I've done single 32bit server installs that can support 500 clients as an internet gateway.  I would think with better hardware you could easily run a lot more.  ISA seems to use a lot of memory because its sql backended but I found that to be my biggest limitation.
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hi teh peoblem here is our networkis on 10.249. network and our subcontractors network is on 192.168. and our subcontartcor needs internet we are the one who are givinh interenet to them how its is possible withouthe help of an hardware router can we configure the server as an softwarer router
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