Question : 5 computers in home network, 5 public ip's...

Ok, so I've been thinking about what would be the best way to do the following:

I have 5 computers in my home network, each with windows 2000. Through my isp, I have 5 public ip's...  I would like to be able to have each pc keep a separate public ip, but still be on same home network for file sharing.  I could just have each pc with a public ip, and they would see each other (as i've tried already), but then NetBIOS must be active therefore producing a huge security problem...

At the moment, my broadband line is connected to a switch, and each pc is also connected to that switch. One machine runs windows 2000 server, with two nic cards, one with one of the 5 ip's and other with local ip (gateway) and shares internet through it to rest of machines.

is there any way to keep a safe home network, but each pc have a separate public ip?  if so, what would I need to do?

Answer : 5 computers in home network, 5 public ip's...

Yes, to a point.

You can buy a router/firewall that will allow you to assign public addresses to map to internal addresses..

So, your network would look like this:


Internet-->Router/Firewall-->Switch-->workstation1 workstation2, workstation3, workstation4, workstation5

On the router/firewall, you program in all five public addresses.  

On the workstations, you assign each of them an internal address.  

In the config on the router/firewall, you assign each of the addresses to point to the internal addresses of the workstations.  You open or close whatever ports you want, including the ones for NetBIOS.

Bingo.  Done.

Of course, those devices don't actually have outside addreses, but from the Internet it would appear so.  Also, the router/firewall you buy won't be your average $100 dlink device.  You'll have to get something that can handle that many conduits.  (The PIX 501 comes to mind -- I'm pretty sure it would handle it.)  Of course, that will cost you.

Aside from that, you could potentially set up a software firewall to do it for you. ICA will manage it for you as would checkpoint.

Good luck!