wshare

Wshare is a handy utility for sharing an existing network connection, with two available modes: master and client. The master mode allows you to share an existing network connection, which is probably to the internet, via an unused wireless device. On the other hand, the client mode provides you with the opportunity to connect using either the scripting facility provided by the operating system or built-in features.

To enable a master mode, the script requires you to supply the -m parameter. Upon activation, wshare performs several tasks behind the scenes. Firstly, it switches the wireless device to ad-hoc mode, sets the essid, and may optionally set an encryption key (experimental WEP only currently). Secondly, the script brings up the device via ifconfig, sets up NAT and configures the dhcpd3 server to provide network and nameserver settings.

In client mode, the wshare utility performs similar operations to those in master mode. It switches the wireless device to ad-hoc mode, sets the essid, possibly sets an encryption key (experimental WEP only currently), brings up the device via ifconfig, and then runs dhclient to retrieve shared network information from the Master dhcpd3 server.

To share a network, you can either set the parameters in the config file or adapt the call as exemplified below:

# wshare -m -o ppp0 -i eth0

In this example, the -m parameter is required for enabling the master mode. To connect to the shared network, you can use the following command:

# wshare -i eth0

Alternatively, you could use NetworkManager under linux or any built-in features provided by your operating system. Overall, wshare is a useful utility for anyone looking to share their existing network connection.