Wireless, non-wireless setup.

[Xero]

Used this in the past, and very simple to use.

http://analogx.com/contents/download/Network/proxy/Freeware.htm

"Do you have several machines on a network, but only one connection to the internet? Wish you could browse the net from the other machines, just like you can from the machine that's connected? Then what you're looking for is called a Proxy Server, and AnalogX has just what you want. AnalogX Proxy is a small and simple server that allows any other machine on your local network to route its requests through a central machine. So what does that mean in English? Simple, run Proxy on the machine with the internet connection, configure the other machines to use a proxy (it's very easy, there's a detailed description in the readme), and voila! You're surfing the web from any other machine on your network! Supports HTTP (web), HTTPS (secure web), POP3 (receive mail), SMTP (send mail), NNTP (newsgroups), FTP (file transfer), and Socks4/4a and partial Socks5 (no UDP) protocols! It works great with Internet Explorer, Netscape, AOL, AOL Instant Messenger, Microsoft Messenger, and many more!


Proxy works on all versions of Windows, from Window 95 to Windows 7 and everything inbetween (including XP, Vista, Win2k, etc). If you have a general question related to any of the programs on the site, or would like some additional info related to the downloads in general, then check out the downloads FAQ."

 

[Sam.I.Am]

Analog X has always had good stuff and has been around well over a decade.

 

[ddt]

Used this in the past, and very simple to use.

http://analogx.com/contents/download/Network/proxy/Freeware.htm

"Do you have several machines on a network, but only one connection to the internet? Wish you could browse the net from the other machines, just like you can from the machine that's connected? Then what you're looking for is called a Proxy Server, and AnalogX has just what you want. AnalogX Proxy is a small and simple server that allows any other machine on your local network to route its requests through a central machine. So what does that mean in English? Simple, run Proxy on the machine with the internet connection, configure the other machines to use a proxy (it's very easy, there's a detailed description in the readme), and voila! You're surfing the web from any other machine on your network! Supports HTTP (web), HTTPS (secure web), POP3 (receive mail), SMTP (send mail), NNTP (newsgroups), FTP (file transfer), and Socks4/4a and partial Socks5 (no UDP) protocols! It works great with Internet Explorer, Netscape, AOL, AOL Instant Messenger, Microsoft Messenger, and many more!


Proxy works on all versions of Windows, from Window 95 to Windows 7 and everything inbetween (including XP, Vista, Win2k, etc). If you have a general question related to any of the programs on the site, or would like some additional info related to the downloads in general, then check out the downloads FAQ."

Frankly, I don't see how this can help in this instance, and I don't see how this can help at all. Why the hell do you need a proxy server at all?

In the setup sought by the OP, you first of all have to setup network connectivity. ICS is the simplest way to do so. And when you've done that, you don't need any proxies at all. The setup automatically provides for routing from Computer2 to the internet, and ICS's built-in NAT provides for the routing back from the internet to Computer2.

Now, the setup the OP seeks is a bit, let's say, unconventional - but interesting. Let's look at the normal setup someone has at home.

1) ADSL/Cable modem with built-in router
You just connect all your computers directly to the router, either with a switch/hub or in the four or so LAN ports the router provides (which means the router essentially also has a built-in switch). The NAT capability of the router provides internet connectivity for all attached computers, not just one.

2) bare ADSL/Cable modem, without router
There are two solutions now.

2.a) Connect a stand-alone router to the modem.
Then connect all your computers to the LAN side of the router. This router gets your public IP address on the outside, runs a DHCP server on the inside, and does NAT and thus provides internet connectivity for all your computers.

2.b) Connect a dual-homed computer (PC1) to the modem.
Then connect your other computers to the other network interface of PC1. Setup ICS on PC1 (or equivalent software on other OS'es). Then PC1 acts in the same way as the router in (2.a).

As you see, in all these three scenarios NAT is used to establish internet connectivity for the local network behind the router. So it boils down to the comparison between NAT-ing and proxying.

NAT is a trick on IP level. Incoming packets from a "hidden" computer on the local network are copied and routed to the outside; however, in the copying, the original source address is replaced by the IP address of the NAT router. The NAT router remembers which connections actually belong to the "hidden" computer, and when it recognizes a response packet that belongs to such a connection it forwards it to the "hidden" computer.

Proxying is a trick on the level of a certain protocol on top of TCP/IP. As you can see from the list in the documentation of Proxy, it only proxies 9 different protocols. Not all protocols support proxying, so they can't support all protocols.

That's the fundamental weakness of proxying: you can only proxy a dozen or so protocols, while NAT works for all protocols because it works on the basic IP level.
(in all fairness, there are some protocols that pose problems for NAT, such as active FTP and SIP, but most NAT-ing routers have provisions for that).
Another downside of proxying is that you have to configure your client programs on the "hidden" local network to use the proxy server. So, you configure IE to use the proxy server, and one day, you decide to use Firefox for once to browse. Then it suddenly doesn't work: you first have to configure Firefox too for use with the proxy server. A NAT solution, on the other hand, is transparent to all your client computers and all client software on them.

The only upside I can see for proxying is that you actually want to control what your clients can do. However, the choice of protocols your clients get is piss-poor, and a firewall (also present on your average router) can accomplish that too.

 

[Dancing David]

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

My thought, but not always desired.

 

[Xero]

Frankly, I don't see how this can help in this instance, and I don't see how this can help at all. Why the hell do you need a proxy server at all?

I've had ICS not work properly, and be a right pain to get co-operating at times, whereas this was a piece of piss.

Just trying to suggest something to make things as easy as possible. Quit over-thinking things.

 

[jmontecillo01]

Just a question.

By default, most routers provides DHCP services. If ICS also provides DHCP service, won't there be a conflict?.

 

[TheL8Elvis]

Just a question.

By default, most routers provides DHCP services. If ICS also provides DHCP service, won't there be a conflict?.

No. Router will provide DHCP services through first interface. Windows will provide DHCP service to other devices through second interface.

 

[TheL8Elvis]

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).

It sounds like older hardware, I would be hesitant to assume the NICs are auto sensing. If ICS is enabled, and computer 1 has internet access, and computer 2 does not the cable would be a good place to check.

 

[Dan O.]

Just a question.

By default, most routers provides DHCP services. If ICS also provides DHCP service, won't there be a conflict?.

It certainly was a problem in the early days when clicking Internet sharing when only one interface was active would share that Internet connection with other computers on the same network. This in combination with early cable modems that were only bridges and not routers ment that you would be competing with the cable company's head end router to provide DHCP and the Internet connection for other subscribers.

With a proper setup, the two DHCP services are offered on different networks. And don't compete.

 

[nimzov]

Hi everybody.

I finally got it running.

As soon as I connected the 2 computers with a crossover cable (just wouldn't work with a regular cable) it took 10 minutes to make it work. And as ddt said no proxy server is necessary. Maybe my hardware is too old to translate automatically a regular cable to a crossover cable.

Anyway everything is working fine now and I like to thank everyone of you for your appreciated help.

 

[Dan O.]

If you have a gigabit nic on either site, the hardware is capable of auto-crossover. There were a few older nics that would also do auto-crossover but most did not.