[plug] Home Networking

[Kim Covil]

> Cheapest way to start is to pick up three 10/100Mb Network Interface Cards
> which can handle both 2Base-T (black coaxial-cable -- BNC connectors) and
> 10Base-T (blue Unshielded Twisted Pair cable -- RJ45 connectors)

Yep I would agree with this... at home I use a 10Base-2 (BNC-coax)
network as it was easy to rig up and run a single long cable over the
house and up to the garage...

Occasionally I want to plug a box in (often a friend's notebook or my
empeg) that only has 10Base-T and for this I have a box with two network
cards in as a bridge and plug a cross-over cable directly between
them...

Eventually I will get around to buying myself a hub... but I haven't
seen a real need yet... :) Plus with machines in two different buildings
the coax is easier to manage rather than having to have multiple hubs...

> That way, you can get started with nothing more than the NIC's, some
> coaxial-cable fly-leads (, and two 50 ohm terminators to connect the three
> computers. Later, if you want, you can use CAT5 fly-leads through a hub (10Mb)
> or switch (100Mb) to connect them up.

Good luck... :) Home networks are great fun and are one of the real
strengths of Linux... I am just putting the finishing touches on a LRP
(Linux Router Project - a distribution on a floppy disk) box for a 
friend to run the modem connection for his home Window$ network...

Cheers

Kim

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Kim Covil - CSIRO Exploration & Mining   E-mail: kimc at ned.dem.csiro.au
            PO Box 437, Nedlands,        Tel: +61 8 9284 8425   ,-_!\
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