[Romeo]

I plan to switch from dialup to DSL in the near future, but since I have never used a DSL before I thought I should ask some questions:

a. Must I use a Firewall on my computer?
b. If so, which one is a good but modestly priced Firewall that would work with Mac OS 9.2?
c. Must I use a router, or can I plug the DSL unit directly to the Ethernet port at the back of the computer?

I would appreciate your answer on these subjects.

For the time being, I am using a Mac 7300 with a Sonnet 400 MHz upgrade, and plan to buy an iMac next year. Also the OS has been upgraded from OS 9.1 to OS 9.2.2 (with Mac OS9 Helper), and the old Mac works flawlessly. I have no choice but to switch to DSL since that's what the ISP will provide within two weeks.

[qualey2]

Depending on what broadband provider you are using they some times will provied you with one.

No you dont have to use a router. you should be able to plug into your eithernet port from your modem.

[ghporter]

A firewall is a Very Good Thing, even if your ISP is a Very Good ISP. The bad guys probe every address, and if they can't find anything because of a firewall, they move along (until the NEXT bad guy's scan comes up). You want one that checks both incoming and outgoing traffic, and is easy to manage. Start looking for something that makes sense to you.

You don't NEED a router, but it can't hurt. Most, if not all cable/DSL routers perform Network Address Translation, or NAT. This has two benefits: it lets you share your single connection with more than one computer, and it effectively hides everything on the computer side from the outside world. It's a "poor man's firewall," but it is useful. Me, I'd use BOTH. The hardware is inexpensive (if you shop around you can spend less than $45 for a nice router), and you can find software firewalls for anything from free to ridiculously expensive. Again, shop around.

[Romeo]

Thanks for the replies.