[ILUG] Home LAN

[Tiarnan O Corrain]

Hi,

I recently changed to Red Hat Linux 6.1 (kernel 2.2.12)
from Windows and charged with possibility, I'd like
to create a local area network at home. I know nothing
about networking, unfortuntely.

I have a Pentium 500 Compaq with loads of hard drive space
and memory, running Linux. I'd like this to be a gateway
to a dialup connection to the net. There are four other
machines, which were rendered useless by Microsoft bloat
(low spec 486s). Is it possible to use the Pentium as
a server, and the 486s as (almost) dumb terminals
with a minimal installation of Linux? If so, can the
Pentium serve X sessions to the 486s (with all applications
and most processing done on the Pent)? I was intending
to use ethernet for the internal network.

I'd appreciate any pointers, documents, hints or
vague indications. I've read the Networking
HOWTOs, and saw no light.

Cheers

Tiarnan