I tried searching various forums about this issue but was unable to find answers that could solve this specific issue.

My infrastructure setup - I have windows Vista laptop with wireless internet connection. And a desktop with Fedora10, this desktop has no internet connectivity and is very far from my main source of internet cable/wireless router. So cable connection is kinda not possible.

What I am trying to do ? - want to make my Fedora desktop to be able to access internet via my Vista laptop, basically want to use my Vista laptop as my network router and access internet through it.

I believe this is possible!

I have network cable to connect the Fedora and Vista laptop. Next I want to know how to setup harware and other software configurations.

Usage of Linux is made possible by people like you who help others to bring upto the speed in using Linux.

Thanks for everybody's contributions.

1st Ethernet can go like 100m without a booster and if you daisy chain switches you can go as far as you want.

2nd. Why not just put a wireless card in the desktop with a decent antenna (pretty easy to go 1/2mile)?

3rd. You understand the F10 is on the short clock to EOL(End Of Life)?

4th. If you have to really do it this way, it is really a windows problem. On the linux end you just assign it an IP, tell it the ip of your windows machine(gateway), and from there on it is all windows.

Thanks lazlow

about the hard connection, can I just plug-in the network cable between the laptop(Win Vista) and desktop (F10) ?

Physically, yes. If neither of the machines have a GigE port then you will need a crossover cable(GigE handles this automatically).

Routing wise you will have to do some stuff on the windows side(as I stated in #4 above).