Wireless, non-wireless setup.

[nimzov]

I have the following setup:

Two computers running XP with SP3.

Computer1 has a wireless Linksys USB adapter and connects to the router. This works fine.

Computer2 has a regular network adapter card (not wireless).

Now I would like to connect computer2 to computer1 with a regular network cable (4-5 feet) so that computer2 connects also to the Internet via the connection already established by computer1.

I have an extra network adapter (not wireless), I could put in computer1.

Is this feasible ? How should I configure the 2 non-wireless adapter cards ?

Thanks for your help.

 

[Spaghetti]

Did you try googling for "internet connection sharing xp"?

 

[Segnosaur]

I have the following setup:

Two computers running XP with SP3.

Computer1 has a wireless Linksys USB adapter and connects to the router. This works fine.

Computer2 has a regular network adapter card (not wireless).

Now I would like to connect computer2 to computer1 with a regular network cable (4-5 feet) so that computer2 connects also to the Internet via the connection already established by computer1.

I have an extra network adapter (not wireless), I could put in computer1.

Is this feasible ? How should I configure the 2 non-wireless adapter cards ?

Thanks for your help.

Not sure why you want to have 2 computes connected like that. I'm assuming this is what you want:

Router--(wireless connect)--Computer 1--(cable)--computer2

I think it is possible, but the cable from computer 1 to computer 2 must be a special Ethernet Crossover cable. (see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethernet_crossover_cable)

 

[Sherman Bay]

Ethernet crossover cables are rarely needed nowadays; the interfaces are sophisticated to be able to detect how to connect.

If you have a spare Ethernet card in each computer, you can certainly connect them directly without conflict with the router connection. You will have to assign a local IP to each, distinctive from the other IPs in use. It will probably begin with 10.7.x.x or 192.168.x.x.

Not sure why you want to do this, as your router should allow you to communicate between computers. It so happens I have a system much as you propose, but that's because the router cannot go faster than 100Mb (for compatibility with older hardware) yet the 2 computers are connected with 1Gb cards. The only reason I can see to do this is to maximize bandwidth and route traffic more efficiently.

 

[Little 10 Toes]

Have you tried using XP's Network Setup Wizard?

 

[ddt]

Not sure why you want to have 2 computes connected like that. I'm assuming this is what you want:

Router--(wireless connect)--Computer 1--(cable)--computer2

I think it is possible, but the cable from computer 1 to computer 2 must be a special Ethernet Crossover cable. (see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethernet_crossover_cable)

That's the setup I understand too. I second Sherman Bay's comment about crossover cables, however, it doesn't hurt to use one.

I see a bigger problem. You establish two local networks:
1) between Router and Computer 1
2) between Computer 1 and Computer 2
That means that Computer 1 has to act as a router. You have to explicitly turn on this feature (link).

 

[The Norseman]

That's the setup I understand too. I second Sherman Bay's comment about crossover cables, however, it doesn't hurt to use one.

I see a bigger problem. You establish two local networks:
1) between Router and Computer 1
2) between Computer 1 and Computer 2
That means that Computer 1 has to act as a router. You have to explicitly turn on this feature (link).

Yeah, I was gonna suggest turning on the bridging function of Computer 1's ethernet card.

All in all, it's just that simple though, so follow the link that ddt provided.

 

[nimzov]

Thanks.

Not sure why you want to do this, as your router should allow you to communicate between computers.

The router is located so that it is impratical to use a cable. And I do not wish to buy another wireless adapter.

Router--(wireless connect)--Computer 1--(cable)--computer2

Yes. Impratical to run a cable from the router to computer2.

Did you try googling for "internet connection sharing xp"?

 

[Sherman Bay]

Wireless adapter, $10 US

 

[nimzov]

Wireless adapter, $10 US

If no practical solution exist or is to complicated I will of course buy appropriate hardware.

For the time being. I am seeking a solution with the hardware I already have (one 4-5 feet cable and 2 non-wireless card).

I have also tested some other wireless adapter on computer2. But for some reason I don't yet understand (older computer?), they did not work.

 

[ddt]

Yeah, I was gonna suggest turning on the bridging function of Computer 1's ethernet card.

All in all, it's just that simple though, so follow the link that ddt provided.

[nitpick mode on]
It's more than a "bridging function of the ethernet card". The OS - in this case WinXP SP3 - actively receives ethernet packets on NIC2, assembles them into an IP packet, inspects the destination address and then actively sends out a copy of the IP packet on NIC1.
[/nitpick mode off]

And on a more serious note: that link says that the local network that ICS creates has fixed addresses in the 192.168.0.X range. You should check that your router doesn't use the same address range, otherwise it's not possible at all. AFAIK, most ADSL/Cable modems/routers use the 10.X.Y.Z range nowadays, so that is not likely to be a problem.

 

[Sherman Bay]

I have also tested some other wireless adapter on computer2. But for some reason I don't yet understand (older computer?), they did not work.

Pre-XP Win versions are fussy, and really not worth the effort if they don't work right away.

 

[nimzov]

Pre-XP Win versions are fussy, and really not worth the effort if they don't work right away.

The computer is old but has nevertheless XP SP3 installed but the software that came with the wireless (linksys ae2500) just would't run. In fact, it would not run on 3 different machines. I downloaded another copy of the software from linksys with the same result.

 

[nimzov]

And on a more serious note: that link says that the local network that ICS creates has fixed addresses in the 192.168.0.X range. You should check that your router doesn't use the same address range, otherwise it's not possible at all. AFAIK, most ADSL/Cable modems/routers use the 10.X.Y.Z range nowadays, so that is not likely to be a problem.

My router addresses is 192.168.2.1 and it distributes address in the range 192.168.2.xxx. I should be ok on that side of the problem.

 

[jmontecillo01]

It has been awhile since I've done networking but this is what I remember.

In order that computer 2 will know where your gateway is, you'll have to tell it how to go about it.

You'll have to issue the command "route" in computer 2.

I'm sorry but I can't remember the command format. Probably someone with networking experience call tell us.

 

[Jim_MDP]

If no practical solution exist or is to complicated I will of course buy appropriate hardware.

For the time being. I am seeking a solution with the hardware I already have (one 4-5 feet cable and 2 non-wireless card).

I have also tested some other wireless adapter on computer2. But for some reason I don't yet understand (older computer?), they did not work.

Ok, how's this... swap locations of computers one and two.

 

[ddt]

It has been awhile since I've done networking but this is what I remember.

In order that computer 2 will know where your gateway is, you'll have to tell it how to go about it.

You'll have to issue the command "route" in computer 2.

I'm sorry but I can't remember the command format. Probably someone with networking experience call tell us.

No, the ICS on Computer 1 sets up a DHCP server and gives out a dynamic IP address to Computer 2. So it will also tell the gateway and Computer 2 sets up a default route.

 

[jmontecillo01]

No, the ICS on Computer 1 sets up a DHCP server and gives out a dynamic IP address to Computer 2. So it will also tell the gateway and Computer 2 sets up a default route.

Both computers are running XP. Real question. How do you setup XP as a DHCP server.

This is how I remember the procedure.

1) connect the two machines using a cross over cable. I know that these days, you can use a straight thru cable and the interface will detect it. Please note that this is not true for all interface cards.

2) On computer 2, you will have to specify a static route. If I remember it right, route add 0.0.0.0 ,..... where the destination 0.0.0.0 is the default route.

ETA:

I forgot, you will have to assign static ip's on both machines.

 

[The Norseman]

[nitpick mode on]
It's more than a "bridging function of the ethernet card". The OS - in this case WinXP SP3 - actively receives ethernet packets on NIC2, assembles them into an IP packet, inspects the destination address and then actively sends out a copy of the IP packet on NIC1.
[/nitpick mode off]

And on a more serious note: that link says that the local network that ICS creates has fixed addresses in the 192.168.0.X range. You should check that your router doesn't use the same address range, otherwise it's not possible at all. AFAIK, most ADSL/Cable modems/routers use the 10.X.Y.Z range nowadays, so that is not likely to be a problem.

Thank you! Pick away, seriously. I keep learning new stuff nearly every day. (Or stuff I should have remembered but didn't)

 

[ddt]

Both computers are running XP. Real question. How do you setup XP as a DHCP server.

The web page I linked to earlier - as well as the wiki page on ICS - says that activating ICS simply starts up a DHCP server on the host.

Disclaimer: I've never used ICS myself, so I go by what the documentation says, and my own Linux experience and general network knowledge.

This is how I remember the procedure.

1) connect the two machines using a cross over cable. I know that these days, you can use a straight thru cable and the interface will detect it. Please note that this is not true for all interface cards.

In most cases, you want to connect a DHCP server to multiple clients, so you'd attach it to a switch or hub. Then of course, a crossover cable is not needed as switches are wired to expect a computer attached to it. Older hubs and switches have a special port marked "X" which is wired for an "uplink" so you can chain two hubs/switches to make a larger local network, or a special port marked "8/X" or some such (typically the highest numbered one) which has an autodetect.

2) On computer 2, you will have to specify a static route. If I remember it right, route add 0.0.0.0 ,..... where the destination 0.0.0.0 is the default route.

ETA:

I forgot, you will have to assign static ip's on both machines.

The DHCP server must have a static IP address. ICS takes care of this: it assigns 192.168.0.1 to the DHCP server, i.e., to the interface of the DHCP server where it provides DHCP.
The DHCP client has a dynamic address: that's the whole point of DHCP, that the clients get their IP address from the DHCP server.
The DHCP server also gives its clients the range of local addresses in the form of a netmask, in this case, 255.255.255.0 which means that all 192.168.0.X addresses are local.
Lastly, a DHCP server gives its clients the gateway address - the address where IP traffic for non-local addresses has to be directed to. Here, that's the address of the DHCP server. The client then can (and in most cases will) automatically set up a default route to the gateway.

I'm very confident this all happens automatically as advertised with ICS.