this post was submitted on 07 Apr 2025
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Basic networking/subnetting question. (lemmy.dbzer0.com)
submitted 1 year ago by marauding_gibberish142@lemmy.dbzer0.com to c/selfhosted@lemmy.world
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Sorry for being such a noob. My networking is not very strong, thought I'd ask the fine folks here.

Let's say I have a Linux box working as a router and a dumb switch (I.e. L2 only). I have 2 PCs that I would like to keep separated and not let them talk to each other.

Can I plug these two PCs into the switch, configure their interfaces with IPs from different subnets, and configure the relevant sub-interfaces and ACLs (to prevent inter-subnet communication through the router) on the Linux router?

What I'm asking is; do I really need VLANs? I do need to segregate networks but I do not trust the operating systems running on these switches which can do L3 routing.

If you have a better solution than what I described which can scale with the number of computers, please let me know. Unfortunately, networking below L3 is still fuzzy in my head.

Thanks!

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[–] marauding_gibberish142@lemmy.dbzer0.com 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

asking for people to solve a solved problem

Solved using devices that run proprietary software (which is, I imagine, frowned upon in such communities) which we don't control at all. Heck, even Mikrotik who has a good rapport with this community uses a proprietary Linux distro with a severely outdated kernel for their devices. For something as critical as internal networking, I'm surprised I do not see more dialogue on improving the situation.

Let me try and explain the problem. I want to build a setup where I have multiple clustered routers (I'm sure you've heard of the clustering features in PFSENSE/OPNSENSE/DIY approach using Keepalived). But if I want to use VLANs without using a switch running god-knows-what under the hood, I'm going to need a LOT OF ports. Unfortunately, 6+ port PCIe cards are quite expensive and sometimes have many other problems.

This is why I'm trying to find simpler solution. The solution that you mention doesn't seem to be a solution at all, but just the community giving up on trying to find one and accepting what is given. I was hoping for a better outcome.

[–] bane_killgrind@slrpnk.net 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Not liking the solution you have doesn't mean you don't have a solution.

Anyway, watch the playlist I sent, it's a great overview of the OSI model with some other stuff. You mentioned not understanding some layers, once you do you will understand the limitations of the hardware you have.