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Do I need 2 network cards?

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olrac   02-05-2002 at 07:20:16 PM

I would like to share my cable internet connection between my 2 pc's. Can I use a hub to split the signal and only use 1 network card in each machine or do I need 2 network cards in the host machine? If I need 2 regardless then I can eliminate the hub all together right? The reason is I already have a hub but don't want to go and buy a second card for my host machine.

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upec   02-05-2002 at 08:34:00 PM
- 0 +

If you only want to connect 2 PC then you do not need a hub. You need to use crossover cable to connection 2 PC.

Reply to upec
Zoron   02-05-2002 at 08:57:33 PM
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That's not quite what he was asking.

You don't need a hub... but if you do use one, that would eliminate the need for a second NIC in the primary internet machine. Just remember you'll likely need a crossover cable to connect your cable modem to your hub.

<font color=red> If you design software that is fool-proof, only a fool will want to use it. </font color=red>

Reply to Zoron
olrac   02-06-2002 at 12:04:54 AM
- 0 +

O.K Let me get this straight. I connect both my PC's which are equipped with a network card in each to my hub using regular network cable. The hub is then connected to my cable modem which is connected to th internet via coax cable. This would eliminate the second NIC in the main computer. Can I still have file sharing or do I need a router for that? I've been asking around and from what some local technicians have told me is that the router and the hub do the same thing but the router has the firewall built in as opposed to the hub where you have to independently install a software firewall. The main objective here is to have internet access to both computers without having to have 1 on all the time. If I can get file sharing with a hub, thats a bonus. But why would I need a crossover cable if I have a hub?

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camieabz   02-06-2002 at 01:19:31 AM
- 0 +

A hub and a router are definitely not the same thing. For a start, a hub is a multiport repeater. It simply takes a signal and sends it to all its ports. If there is a connection there the signal continues to the device. If there are too many hubs on a network, the traffic on said network can become too much for the network to handle and data transfer between devices slows down.

To explain other devices quickly.

A bridge is used to filter traffic in a network by MAC address. The MAC address is the unique address of your NIC. A bridge has a table of MAC addresses and it will only allow data to pass if the data is bound for a MAC address on its table.

A switch is effectively a multiport bridge allowing many connections to several smaller networks.

A router sends and receives data based on IP numbers.

If you plan to have two computers on a cable modem, you need either:

A router

or

Two I.P addresses

or

One of the computers to have two NICs (one receives data from the outside world, and the other serves the other computer(s).)

:cool: <b><font color=blue>The Cisco Kid</font color=blue></b> :cool:

Reply to camieabz
Zlash   02-06-2002 at 02:12:23 AM
- 0 +

I have a router and a hub and it works great with nice protection. And you can always hook up more pc's with a router and a hub.

...

Reply to Zlash
olrac   02-06-2002 at 02:12:43 AM
- 0 +

Thank-You. You have been a great help. I think I'm gonna go with the 2 network cards in one computer. Thats the most economical route for me right now.

Reply to olrac
lagger   02-06-2002 at 12:40:12 PM
- 0 +

get an inexpensive router.. linksys, d-link etc .. you can share a connection , use one nicd each pc and network both together with it .. no need for crossoversetc and it acts as a hardware firewall too

lagger

<b><font color=blue>** Speed 2108(down)/365(up) kbps **
(At least 42 times faster than a 56k modem) </font color=blue>

Reply to lagger
CALV   02-06-2002 at 02:22:23 PM
- 0 +

if you have a spare 486 or something knocking about, you may want to look at <A HREF="http://www.freesco.org" target="_new">freesco</A> doesnt even need a hard drive, runs from floppy, dead easy to set up also.


If they squeeze olives to get olive oil, how do they get baby oil?

Reply to CALV
Zoron   02-06-2002 at 05:06:27 PM
- 0 +

The ethernet port on your cable modem is a cross-over port, which is why you need a cross-over cable when connecting to a hub (the modem is designed to connect directly to your computer's NIC... therefore you would ordinarily need a cross-over cable, but with most modems the enet port on them is a cross-over, so a straight-through cable will work) but not when you connect to a router. If you wish to run your PCs independently then 2 NICs will not address that issue. One will still have to be left on all the time for the other machine to have access... even if you have more than one IP for your modem. (File sharing can be done with a hub, that's what they were designed for). If you want both machines to be able to access the internet without one of them being on at all times there are only two options available to you...

1) Use a hub to connect both computers and your cable modem. You will have to check with your ISP to see if you have more than one IP address for the internet. If you do, this may be the cheapest option to do what you want to do.

2) Purchase a router. This does not require another IP, and you will still be able to file-share and access the internet from any machine connected to it independently of the others.

<font color=red> If you design software that is fool-proof, only a fool will want to use it. </font color=red>

Reply to Zoron
upec   02-06-2002 at 07:13:47 PM
- 0 +

Freesco is pretty cool. I will try it on my old pentium PC.

Reply to upec
CALV   02-07-2002 at 12:57:27 PM
- 0 +

I've only had it on since last week, had red hat before but had some forwarding problems and a friend reccomended freesco, works fine


If they squeeze olives to get olive oil, how do they get baby oil?

Reply to CALV
olrac   02-07-2002 at 02:33:16 PM
- 0 +

O.K, I have it all figured out. I can...
a. Install 2 network cards in my main computer, one in the other, a crossover cable betwwen them and the main machine is connected to the internet and must always be on or
b. Use the little hub I have, which has the uplink port on it but must pay my ISP an additional $10/month for the extra IP address but both run independantly of the other.
The only thing now is that I heard that the first method without a hub can be very unreliable. Also how long of a distance of cable can their be? My ISP recommends no greater distance than 15 feet.

Reply to olrac
Zoron   02-07-2002 at 04:12:25 PM
- 0 +

CAT 5 cable can run a maximum of 100 meters without a hub.

<font color=red> If you design software that is fool-proof, only a fool will want to use it. </font color=red>

Reply to Zoron
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