In article . com,
wrote:

OK this is 99 and 44/100% OT, but you guys know everything.

The place I work has an IT department straight out of a
Dilbert cartoon. For a department of 15, we have been allowed
1 (!) internet computer, located in the far corner of our area.
Major nusiance. We use this alot, and would like to set up
a clandestine sub-network off of our department computer, to
get web access to our desks. We asked repeatedly via offical
channels and where refused, with no explaniation. Never a group
to avoid from such a challange, I turn to you for help.

Our internet connection is a T1, distributed over an internal
network, seperate from the "regular" company network. We originally
tried the obvious, which was to plug a hub into where our web computer
is and distribute from there, but it won't work. I found out that the
system is set up to communicate only with the MAC address of the
specific ethernet card in that computer. It ignores any other network
device that is plugged into it.

Now I understand that it is possible to put 2 network cards in 1
computer. Is that true, and would it be possible to do that and
use the second network card to allow "passthrough" (for lack of
a better term) access to the web? What would it take, SW and HW wise?

As I am sure you have gathered, I am not any sort of networking
expert, but maybe know just enough to be dangerous. Any ideas or
suggestions as to the best way to accomplish this?

All of these computers are P3's (sad, I know...) running Win98 or
98SE.

Thanks for any suggestions!

This is very easy to do. Here's how you do it.

1. Install a second ethernet card, connect it to the ethernet hub or
switch of your clandestine sub-network.

2. Install a software router to route between the two cards. Do a google
search on "software router" for your operating system. All Internet
traffic will pass from your hub or switch to the 2nd ethernet card, then
get routed via software to the first card. All traffic will appear to
originate from the "authorized" card.

Some of the other suggestions routers w/NAT were pointing you in the
right direction, but were not exactly what you needed. The more modern way
to do this is with a router w/NAT, but in that case, your router would
have a different MAC address, which wouldn't work in your situation.

Some of the other suggestions viruses and other dangers were also on
target; so be careful if you succeed.

Incidentally, I did exactly as described above for many years, back when
dedicated routers w/NAT cost a lot of money. I had a server that did very
little beyond routing traffic between a couple ethernet cards. Then I
replaced it with a little Linksys router for around $50.

--
Jedd Haas - Artist
http://www.gallerytungsten.com
http://www.epsno.com