[plug] newbie, adsl, and linux internet sharing queries

[Michael Hunt]

Ari Finander [mailto:Outrider at operamail.com] wrote:

> My reasons for upgrading to cat5/hub are ease of using the
> network with the
> laptop 1) because its docking station is cat5 and 2) I want to
> use it from my
> desk and the bedroom.

Ok that sounds re4asonable.

> Are there pcmcia cards for coax?

I believe so but I would stay away from adding extra nodes to you coax and
just try and make everything utp. It will save you lots of headache in the
long run and cost wise it is not much more.

> Is it possible to put a second network card in my main desktop
> connecting the
> main desktop system to the laptop docking station with a twisted
> pair cable,
> while having the main desktop, wife's desktop, and 486 connected
> over coax,
> and then finally having the 486 connected to the adsl modem via another
> twisted pair cable?  This could also solve my problem of
> connecitng via the
> bedroom if I install a second network card in my wife's computer
> (which is
> closer to the bedroom) and string a twisted-pair cable in from
> there.  I have
> extra network cards, so there'll be no extra cost from that point
> (very good
> thing), I won't have to buy as much cabling (another good thing),
> and as long
> as I can plug/unplug the laptop from the network even though it'd
> be going
> through one of the other two computers connected to the coax then
> it would
> seem I'd be okay....right?

Okay connecting one machines NIC to another machines NIC with no hub in
between is easy./ You just need to use a special cable called a crossover
that "crosses over" (hence the name) certain transmit and receive pins. If
you then want the desktop machine to communicate with the rest of the
network then you will need to enable some form of routing which not all OS
support. What OS do you run on the desktop machine ?

One other alternative is to by a hub that also has a coax connector and then
you can use it as a bridge and not have to worry about second NIC's routing
etc. You will have to put IP_Forwarding and IP_Masquearading on the 486
though.

> TIA,
>
> Ari

Michael Hunt
An aussie in Africa