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So here is what I am trying to do:

I have a laptop with wireless that connects to an access point from the coffee shop next door. This laptop is running windows XP (work compy). I also have my desktop which runs SUSE. Unfortunately I don't have a wireless card for that computer. I have one crossover cable to run between the two and I would like to get an internet connection to the desktop. I would also like to be able to share files between the two systems (the laptop has two NTFS partitions). I have tried samba, with no luck. Please help!

Thanks in advance!

XP allows something called connection sharing .. where one machine acts as a "gateway" (router) for the other(s).

Your XP machine can do that ... in most modren ethernet cards cross-overs aren't needed as they auto-sense (but don't count on that) ..

First thing is to get XP to act like a router.It's a well supported/documented feature. Unless someone can help you here, go to MSN forums to get going or read the help on XP.

Samba is painless .. but unless you have someone giving IP address to your desktop .. samba is not going work .

This could possible be my first problem. I am not sure how to have someone give me an IP address...especially because I am getting my connection from the coffee shop next door, I have no control over the connection.

I could just break down and get a wireless card for my desktop...but that would be no fun.

I am also stuck on the file sharing issue between the two systems. I can't get either to see each other. I am going through a crossover cable with no router involved.

Thanks!

You'll need to manually set the IPs for the wired LAN port on the laptop, as well as the port on the desktop running linux. Something like this

Laptop: 192.168.10.1
Desktop: 192.168.10.2

That should work ok, they are in the same subnet and there shouldnt be any conflicts. After they both have those IPs set, try a ping command between them to see if there is comunication. That well let samba work. Follwo the other peoples advise for the built-in windows connection sharing to get internet to the desktop.

Good Luck

I think you are plyaing with a fire a bit .. don't count of coffee shop to keep giving you the "bw" .. if someone monitors it and decides that you have been there for too long they might just block your laptop mac ..
but that's a secondary problem.

I agree with the previous posts . .you can do it staticially .. but read the windows connetion sharing and
try to make sure (a) your coffee network is not the same as the previous author suggested and (b) you can
actually understand the basic of routing functions that your lap top will need to perform.

- sms

Thanks for the help everyone! So here is where I am at now. I have gotten the desktop and the laptop to see each other over the network (both pinged and through network places). I am having a problem now in that I cannot actually access any of the folders that my desktop is sharing. Windoze gives me and error that says that either the network device isin't available right now or I don't have the correct permissions.

This may be a problem with the windows side of things because I also cannot connect to my fiance's laptop through our wireless connection for the same reason (same error from windows).

Any ideas?

Are you running Samba on your linux box ?

Samba works two ways .. client when it can connect to a windows machine.
server when when it can offer shares that windows can see.

check the man page .. you can mount it typically by
mount //windows-machine-name/share_name /your_linux_mnt_pt .(typically /mnt/qqqq) -ousername=your_userid_on_win
and then enter passwd when prompted ..


read the man page ..

if the server is used you have to make sure that you are on the same "workgroup" ..
and then windows should be able to see the "shares (really directoriees exported)" in the networks neighborhood.

I finally got it to work! I don't know what the deal is with windows...if I just try to add a network place and then find it under the local network it wont let me in to the folders...it shows them, but I can't access them (this is from the win box to the linux box). But if I just type in the IP address in the address bar on windows explorer, it brings up the authentication box and I can get in. Makes no sense whatsoever.

I also think that it may have possibly been due to some firewall settings on the windows side. Since windows firewall sucks I just shut it off. Works like a charm!

Thanks for the help!