Setting Up a Basic 2 Computer Network to Share DSL...

[CKDragon]

Time for ol' CK to play the newbie again...

Surprisingly, an electrician has just told me that he would be able to run the wires from computer to computer despite the distance, so now I'm gung-ho about setting up a network which will eventually share my DSL connection I'm getting in a month or two.

My problem is I don't know where to start. I see a lot of talk about hubs vs. routers. I'm only going to be paying for 1 IP address but my knowledge is definitely lacking on the topic of which to buy.

Can a router perform all the same tasks as a hub? I would prefer to be able to play games/transfer files between the 2 remote computers here, can a router do that or will it just share the DSL connection?

Is there any recommendations for the equipment I should buy? I only have 1 NIC card in 1 of the computers currently - should the two NICs be identical?

Thanks for any help anyone can provide,

CK

 

[Unclemo]

Two NICs don't need to be the same. Get a decent card and you won't have too much of a problem with conflicts.

Here is thread describing the differences router/switch/hub.... I did not read it... but i am sure the info is reliable.Click here

 

[Techwhore]

<< I'm only going to be paying for 1 IP address but my knowledge is definitely lacking on the topic of which to buy. >>


I don't know much about DSL plans, but I would think that they'd give you a few IP addresses. If it's true that you do only get ONE IP address, and you wish to have internet access on both machines you'll need a router.

I'd suggest a router anyway, having a permanent connection to the internet is a security risk. Most routers can perform firewall and filter tasks as well as share internet connections. As far as they go, i'll suggest the Netgear RT314.

 

[Serpent77]

Routers and Switches/hubs are two entirely differnet things. A Switch or hub operate on layer 2 of a theoretical 7 layer cake that describes how a network should work. The router works on Layer 3 of that cake. To break this down a little further, a switch or hub's purpose in life is to move information around between local computers (same room or same building typically) the routers purpose in life is to move information from that network, into another network (in this case the ultimate network aka, &quot;The Net&quot😉. Though a router in itself could move traffic between two PC's its a huge waste of money. This is where a switch or hub comes in. These devices are MUCH cheaper and do a significanly better job of moving local information around.

Now with that brief, very generic eplanation, lets move on. For your situation, you can use an integrated Switch/Router/Firewall. The netgear recommended earlier is probably a good device, I personally use the competing product from linksys (BEFSR41). These device have a switch built into the backend (typically 4 to 8 computer connectivity) that allows you to transfer data around in your local network, and to talk to the router that is built in the device also.

The devices primary purpose is two fold after that point. Your internet request are now directed to the device where they may be subjected to a firewall scan (to check and see if that type of traffic has been set up by you to be blocked) the nforwarded off to your DSL bridge (aka DSL Modem). The request then comes back to your Bridge, then to your router, where it is transferred internally to the switch and forwarded back to your computer (thereby displaying your webpage, downloading your file, or updating your Quake Status 😉)

Most of these devices work rather transparently, you plug them in turn on your computer and they simply work (assuming you have TCP/IP setup on yor network). The most difficult part is typically installing the network cards. Which, thanks to that 7 layer cake I mention earlier, assures you that it would be more difficult to find a network card that wouldn't work in your network, than one that would.

I hope this explanation is thorough enough, without going overboard, let us know if you need more help.

--Serp

 

[CKDragon]

Wow, thank you for the incredible amount of knowledge you've all shared with me in this thread. I will look around and price both the LinkSys and Netgear solutions mentioned. Hopefully everything will go well when I get to setting it up, but if I should need more help, at least I know you good people are out there to provide insight.

I will post again when I finally get the wire run in a week or two and get to try and install the equipment I decide to go with.

Thanks everyone for your help,

CK