Sharing Internet Connectivity via. USB cable
 

I know this seems like a silly thing to want to do, but I have no wireless network, and my university has strict regulations about one PC only to each Ethernet port they provide in our rooms, which I have complained about on multiple occasions. I have a PC running on Vista which is registered to this Ethernet port, and was wandering if I could share the connection with my Acer Aspire One running Fedora 10 via a USB cable (my PC has no network card, it's one Ethernet slot is taken). Any help would be appreciated,
thanks in advance.

Before we start to think about a software implementation: do you have a usb cable that you can use to connect the two compputers?

Standard usb cables are made to fit into a computer at one end and only to fit in a host device (and not a computer) at the other end. (usb type A connection and usb type B connection)

I've heard about cables with type A connectors at both ends, but they are sort of a hack (a host device sits in the cable) and I don't know how they work nor have I seen one.

If you need to buy new hardware, buy an extra network card for the vista box. Often there's a UTP cable included with the nick. Before you do that, be sure to ask somewhere about using the vista box as a router and as a NAT device.

There are special USB data transfer cables. Belkin makes one like http://www.belkin.com/au/IWCatProduc...duct_Id=275561. They can be used just like two computers directly connected via a ethernet crossover cable. A quick google looked like Vista did not support internet sharing via USB.

Another method would be to use USB ethernet adapters.

I do have a USB A to USB A connector, can't remember when I bought it but I have one haha. I guess I might have to buy a network card, I'll give it a go haha.

You did not say if it was a transfer cable. If it does not have the hack as janhe puts it you could possibly damage your computers by shorting out the 5 volts.

Best buy sells a USB crossover cable
Vista help and support has a section on ICS Internet Connection Sharing that will walk you right through it,