What is the necessary hardware to connect two computers in a LAN configuration?

schneidz · 02-13-2013, 08:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stf92

@frieza:

I'm telling you. It has one and only one Ethernet jack and one (empty, i.e., not used) USB jack.

ignore the usb port (some people like to connect to internet using usb but i think it is preferential to use ethernet). -- fyi, the internet transceiver cannot provide internet access to both usb and ethernet at the same time. that would be the function of a router.

the easiest thing to do would probably be to buy a router and the necessary cables (probably a 802.11n wifi router).

the cheapest thing to do would probably be to transform an old pc into a router using something like smoothwall linux (but that would require basic system administration knowledge).

TobiSGD · 02-13-2013, 08:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stf92

It's a Motorola Surfboard SB5101i.

According to the manual this device acts as router, so you can simply extent your network using a switch.

Quote:

I can get the Cat5-E cables and, about the switch: they offer me for 10/100Mbits/s. My ISP is presently giving me 1Mbit/s. Does this mean that switch is 100 times faster than I need?

Yes, that means that the switch can handle 100 times the bandwidth of your Internet connection. It also means that your PCs are able to communicate with a bandwidth of 100 MBit/sec (theoretical, in practice you will get about 11 MByte/sec, which is slightly slower) with each other (if both also have 100MBit or better network adapters). Trust me, you will not want something that is slower.

stf92 · 02-13-2013, 08:57 AM

So the fact it (the Motorola) has only one RJ45 jack means nothing. Alright! However the manual, for which I thank you very much, does not apply to the SB5101i. Could this mean the SB5101i is not a modem-router?

schneidz · 02-13-2013, 09:00 AM

any reason why a switch would be preferable over a wifi router ?

stf92 · 02-13-2013, 09:10 AM

According to this link, http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/1483426 the difference between the SB5101i and the SB5101u is just the stand-by button. The SB5101i has it, the other has it not. They are identical units otherwise, according to the poster. So, I'm already buying cables and switch. Thanks again, TobiSGD.

stf92 · 02-13-2013, 09:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by schneidz

any reason why a switch would be preferable over a wifi router ?

A switch is sensibly cheaper?

onebuck · 02-13-2013, 09:53 AM

Hi,

You can extend the LAN using a Network Switch.
Network Switch;

Quote:

A network switch is a computer networking device that links network segments or network devices. The term commonly refers to a multi-port network bridge that processes and routes data at the data link layer (layer 2) of the OSI model. Switches that additionally process data at the network layer (layer 3) and above are often called layer-3 switches or multilayer switches.
Switches exist for various types of networks including Fibre Channel, Asynchronous Transfer Mode, InfiniBand, Ethernet and others. The first Ethernet switch was introduced by Kalpana in 1990.[1]

Function
A switch is a telecommunication device that receives a message from any device connected to it and then transmits the message only to the device for which the message was meant. This makes the switch a more intelligent device than a hub (which receives a message and then transmits it to all the other devices on its network). The network switch plays an integral part in most modern Ethernet local area networks (LANs). Mid-to-large sized LANs contain a number of linked managed switches. Small office/home office (SOHO) applications typically use a single switch, or an all-purpose converged device such as a residential gateway to access small office/home broadband services such as DSL or cable Internet. In most of these cases, the end-user device contains a router and components that interface to the particular physical broadband technology. User devices may also include a telephone interface for VoIP.
An Ethernet switch operates at the data link layer of the OSI model to create a separate collision domain for each switch port. With 4 computers (e.g., A, B, C, and D) on 4 switch ports, any pair (e.g. A and B) can transfer data back and forth while the other pair (e.g. C and D) also do so simultaneously, and the two conversations will not interfere with one another. In full duplex mode, these pairs can also overlap (e.g. A transmits to B, simultaneously B to C, and so on). In the case of a repeater hub, they would all share the bandwidth and run in half duplex, resulting in collisions, which would then necessitate retransmissions.

You can expand your LAN with a router.
Router

Quote:

A router is a device that forwards data packets between computer networks, creating an overlay internetwork. A router is connected to two or more data lines from different networks. When a data packet comes in one of the lines, the router reads the address information in the packet to determine its ultimate destination. Then, using information in its routing table or routing policy, it directs the packet to the next network on its journey. Routers perform the "traffic directing" functions on the Internet. A data packet is typically forwarded from one router to another through the networks that constitute the internetwork until it reaches its destination node.[1]
The most familiar type of routers are home and small office routers that simply pass data, such as web pages, email, IM, and vidoes between the home computers and the Internet. An example of a router would be the owner's cable or DSL modem, which connects to the Internet through an ISP. More sophisticated routers, such as enterprise routers, connect large business or ISP networks up to the powerful core routers that forward data at high speed along the optical fiber lines of the Internet backbone. Though routers are typically dedicated hardware devices, use of software-based routers has grown increasingly common.

Hope this helps!

WiseDraco · 02-13-2013, 12:58 PM

if look at start scenario, that can be done with ethernet switch: on the computer where must be internet connection, do aliase for ethernet, like as eth0:0 192.168.1.1 asides of another ethetrnet address, given to it, with cable modem for internet, and configure eth on another computer somehow a-la eth0 192.168.1.2, then put all three etjhernet cables to switch. but on many things is not best solution. hardware router is better, and put additional ethernet card in one of computers, and use them as router ( with iptables and packet forwarding) is also good variant, imho.

stf92 · 02-13-2013, 03:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WiseDraco

if look at start scenario, that can be done with ethernet switch: on the computer where must be internet connection, do aliase for ethernet, like as eth0:0 192.168.1.1 asides of another ethetrnet address, given to it, with cable modem for internet, and configure eth on another computer somehow a-la eth0 192.168.1.2, then put all three etjhernet cables to switch. but on many things is not best solution. hardware router is better, and put additional ethernet card in one of computers, and use them as router ( with iptables and packet forwarding) is also good variant, imho.

Thanks a lot. For the moment I prefer simplicity over effectiveness. So, the hardware conditions are now:

1. Cable modem-router (in what follows called modem) connected to ISP.
2. Switch connected to modem, computer A and computer B.

I'm reading The Network Administrator's Guide (The Linux Documentation Project) and really all this is for the benefit of the book I am about to begin reading. That is, so I can see the examples working. But, if things are so simple, perhaps I can make the thing work right now!

A question: what is, or how do I do an alias of the type eth0:0 192.168.1.1. From the man page for ifconfig, I can do 'ifconfig eth0 <some address>'. Do you mean the alias builtin command?

fbobraga · 02-13-2013, 06:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stf92

A switch is sensibly cheaper?

No: it's not as easy to find - wifi-routers are very common, even in supermarkets you will find them, what makes it very cheap

* at home, I have one of these: http://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-TL-WR3...words=TL-WR340 (cheapest I've found, at the time I've bought it [two years ago...])

TobiSGD · 02-13-2013, 06:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fbobraga

No: it's not as easy to find - wifi-routers are very common, even in supermarkets you will find them, what makes it very cheap

* at home, I have one of these: http://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-TL-WR3...words=TL-WR340 (cheapest I've found, at the time I've bought it [two years ago...])

You can find switches in any computer store and in home improvement stores here, for about these prices: http://www.amazon.com/D-Link-DES-110.../dp/B000GHD73Y

So, yes, they are significantly cheaper.

stf92 · 02-13-2013, 06:46 PM

By chance, do they use infrared technology? Some part of the electromagnetic spectrum has to be used. Infrared would make them very poorly efficient.

stf92 · 02-13-2013, 06:48 PM

TobiSGD, you would not be so kind to write two or three command lines so I can see the thing in action? It would highly motivate me.

TobiSGD · 02-13-2013, 07:30 PM

I don't quite get what you mean with that. Wifi routers (aka WLAN routers) use radio transmission. I am quite sure you have heard about WLAN earlier, I would think.
What commands do you mean?

stf92 · 02-13-2013, 08:16 PM

Well, about network aliases (ifconfig eth0:0 192.168.111) I think they're used only for security reasons, so for the moment I could dispense with them. I see, you posted while I was writing and I was not aware of that. Suppose I have things as in post #24. Some elementary procedure, that is the minimal one that would make one machine connect to internet while talking to the other machine? The machine I am using right now to post let it be A. I presume some ifconfig commands alone would make the three things, A, B and the ISP to be connected together, where B is the other machine. Am I right?

EDIT: in an electronics forum, they told me it is as easy as electrically connecting the two hosts and the switch.But there is post #23, showing things are a little more complex.