urgent, need help ASAP! is it possible to use desktop as two port router, one phoneline and one crossover?

[lostatlantis]

ok, here's my setup:

machine #1 - P3 with 512MB and XP Pro, originally has two NICs: 10Mbps NIC for road runner cable modem and 10Mbps Netgear phoneline 10x 10Mbps to connect to machine #2 in parents' room

machine #2 - K6-2 w/128MB and WinME with one NIC, another netgear phoneline 10x 10Mbps connecting via the phone wire to machine #1 (the two machines are in different rooms)

laptop - dell inspiron 8000, got it for college and I am trying to figure out a way to easily connect it to the existing lan, cheap and fast



originally, I've had to disable the phoneline lan, and set up a crossover lan with the laptop and machine #1 via another 100Mbps NIC. That's too messy, as I have to configure like hell.

Now that Xmas break is almost over, I am sooo mad that I still haven't figured out a way to connect my laptop to the lan I know a router would solve the problem, but that's another $100 or so.


Right now, I have three NICs in machine #1: the two NICs mentioned above, plus the third 100Mbps 3COM NIC. My plan is to use the 100Mbps NIC to add the laptop via crossover cable to the existing lan and share all resourse including the cable modem conneciton.

Please tell me if this is feasible, and how do I configure the settings... the laptop is running WinXP Pro too with 512MB RAM. WinXP Pro on the desktop installed a bridge that combined the phoneline NIC and 100Mbps NIC together, and theorectically this is what I want (correct?). But I JUST CAN'T GET MY LAPTOP TO SHARE ANY RESOURSE, including the broadband. It's so frustrating. I've set the bridge to 192.168.0.1 and 255.255.255.0, and my laptop to 192.168.0.3 (.2 i guess should be machine #2) - that didn't work. I then set my laptop to auto get IP, that didn't work (this is the setting for machine #2's netgear phoneline NIC, and it works! WTF?). I've tried to disable, and later delete, the bridge and using only the 100Mbps NIC connection. Still nothing.



HELP!

 

[indianduddawg47]

ok - i have some ideas for your:
1. does msn connect on laptop?
2. try pinging outside addresses.
3. try manually enterining dns/gateway addresses
4. try pinging inside addresses

please post your results.

 

[lostatlantis]

ok, i am getting no internet connection whatsoever on the laptop. I've tried pinging sites like www.rr.com (since I am on road runner) and www.cnn.com, nothing. It says the site was unavailable.

as far as manual gateway/dns, do I set it on the laptop as 192.168.0.1? I tried that already and it didn't work I am going to ping internal address now, i'll report back.

 

[nettech98]

Here's what you can do:

PC1 NIC 1 - to Cable connection (I suppose you're using Windows ICS)
PC1 NIC 2 - to a hub or switch
PC2 NIC 1 - to the hub/switch
PC3 NIC 1 - to the hub/switch
etc.

If you want to use HPNA, you could plug an HPNA bridge into the hub and into your phone lines, but it might be better at that point to go with an HPNA router.

Also, if you use software like Sygate Home Network, you can just plug your cable modem into the hub and use one NIC in PC1.

 

[indianduddawg47]

try pinging the gateway's external ip. also try reinstalling the drivers for the laptop's NIC - that helped me many-of-times.

 

[evergreen96]

I second what nettech98 says... to much truoble with the crossover and it going to be messy.

www.practicallynetwork.com (sp?)

Cost: $20