When using the default network architecture, these rules apply:
You need exactly one main server.
You can have hundreds of workstations on the main network.
You can have a lot of LTSP servers on the main network; two different subnets are preconfigured (DNS, DHCP) in LDAP, more can be added.
You can have hundreds of thin clients and/or diskless workstations on each LTSP server network.
You can have hundreds of other machines which will have dynamic IP addresses assigned.
For access to the Internet you need a router/gateway (see below).
A router/gateway, connected to the Internet on the external interface and running on the IP address 10.0.0.1 with netmask 255.0.0.0 on the internal interface, is needed to connect to the Internet.
The router should not run a DHCP server, it can run a DNS server, though this is not needed and will not be used.
In case you do not already have a router or your existing router cannot be set up accordingly, any machine which fulfills the requirements for a minimal Debian installation and which has at least two network interfaces can be turned into a gateway between the existing network and the Debian Edu one. See installation documentation for a simple way to install and set up a Debian machine using debian-edu-router-config
.
If you need something for an embedded router or accesspoint we recommend using OpenWRT, though of course you can also use the original firmware. Using the original firmware is easier; using OpenWRT gives you more choices and control. Check the OpenWRT webpages for a list of supported hardware.
It is possible to use a different network setup (there is a documented procedure to do this), but if you are not forced to do this by an existing network infrastructure, we recommend against doing so and recommend you stay with the default network architecture.