RE: can iSeries handle nat for small pc network

[Chris Bipes <chris.bipes@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I would start looking for a new ISP.  First of all, this firewall should
have 2 ip addresses, public and private.  
If it does not do NAT, then how do they suggest you setup clients behind the
firewall?  You need to speak with someone at your ISP who know what they are
doing cause who ever you have talked to is full of $h1t.  The way fire walls
work is to block incoming request and NAT outbound request from you private
to it's public address.  There are many other functions that firewalls do,
but that is the basic job.  You will also need a default route set to the
private address of the firewall.  If Bellsouth can not/will not help you,
keep looking for an ISP that can.

Chris Bipes

-----Original Message-----

Have a customer at v5r2 on small model 800 with single ethernet card.
Changing isp, and new isp (Bellsouth) will not do nat or dhcp - they only
deliver 
a preprogrammed firewall (we can't touch) with public address. (For 
over $260 mth they offered to manage "something" to do this). Current isp 
had too many outages.
There is no pc "server", only pc workstations, and a windows solution
is not an option.
I know iSeries can do dhcp, but can it (or should it) handle nat for a 
20 pc lan? They are all 10.x.x.x (iSeries has both 10.x.x.x and public,
and is doing light web serving). PC users do a fair amount of web surfing 
for work. Or should I have them purchase a router to put inside the firewall
to do nat
(and what's recommended that will not ever have to be reset-will be on ups)?
Shop has no onsite tech, and management wants absolute reliability and
uptime 24x7x365. 
iSeries only comes down for monthly ipl at 3am (not really needed) and cume
ptfs.