If these workstations don't need public addresses, and bandwidth isn't an
issue, (100 Mbps shared is OK) try the following:
1) pick 1 of the 254 IP addresses currently in use,
2) buy a $20 router at your local Office Depot,
3) use the web thingie on the $20 router, assign the fixed IP (picked in #1
above) for the "Internet" side,
4) Change the "private" side so that the "x" in 192.168.x.y doesn't conflict
with your existing institution network,
5) connect all the other 254 PCs on the backside of $20 router,
6) Change the admin password to something reasonably secure.
$20, one afternoon. Enjoy! There's the quick, cheap answer. Use at your own
risk.
For a RELIABLE answer, find a qualified network engineer, and PAY HIM/HER WHAT
HE/SHE IS WORTH.
When 254 people lose their productivity, the cost can be stunning. Even paying
your staff a baseline US wage of $10/hour will cost you AT MINIMUM $2,540 PER
HOUR of downtime. This doesn't even factor in lost sales. Getting somebody in
there that knows what he/she is talking about should only cost an afternoon
or two of consultant's pay, and some reasonably decent quality routers and
should provide something you can count on.
-Ben
On Thursday 05 January 2006 20:06, Alain Reguera wrote:
> At this time all is working, but new workstations are planed to arrive
> and we need to increase the number of stations in the local
> institution, so 254 PCs actually are not enough. So we are looking a
> way to extend or increase the number of possibles workstation.
--
"The best way to predict the future is to invent it."
- XEROX PARC slogan, circa 1978
