Subj : Cable modem shairing To : D.L. Schmidt From : Ross Cassell Date : Tue Jul 10 2001 01:28 am Hello D.L.! 09 Jul 01 22:02, you wrote to All: DS> I want to share the connection to the net with a cable modem between DS> more than one computer. Is the least expensive way to make it work by DS> using a second nic in the server and a single nic in the client DS> computer. Hook the cable modem to the first nic in the server. DS> Connect the server and client together with a standard hub and DS> Winroute lite? Or would a router and a second IP from the cable DS> provider work better?? DS> Or could a cross over cabel be used instead of a hub? [1] If you are running Windows98SE or better (W2k), you can use internet connection sharing, which as you surmised requuires 2 NICS in the machine setup to do the sharing... You plug the Cable Modem into NIC A, then from NIC B you could connect to the other machine or to a hub that would service any other machine on your lan. [2] You could pay the cable isp for additional IP's and then connect the cable modem to a hub and all the machines to same hub. [3] You could either via online store or a local Circuit City, Best Buy or Office Depot, get yourself a Cable/DSL router. Many have built in switched hubs 4 to 8 ports, so it could be a router as well as a hub for the lan. Cable modem connects to router, all machines connect to router.. If you buy a single port router, same hookup to cable modem, then you uplink to a hub et al. Popular SOHO routers are Linksys, Asante and Netgear.. Asante is the most expensive but have more features, Netgear is the cheapest but with less features, Linksys is in between. You will find Linksys and Netgear on the shelves of the electronics retailers, Asante can be ordered online. Personally avoid the netgear and get the Linksys, but if you can afford the Asante, get it.. :) Option 1 is the cheapest, NIC cards are inexpensive. Option 2 is what the cable ISP wants you to do, it makes them and costs you, money. Option 3 is the most expensive route, I've seen them priced from $99 to $250. Pro's/Cons: Option 1: A. If sharing machine locks up, all other machines are w/o internet. B. Sharing machine is exposed to internet nekkid, client machines are relatively safe? Option 2: A. Costs you a little more money each month on bill. B. All machines are relatively nekkid to Internet risks. Option 3: A. One time investment of $99 to $250, will pay for itself over time if used as an alternative to option 2. B. Provides a rudamentary firewall, configurable that will be more secure than the other options. Options 1 & 3: Client machines under option 1 and all machines under option 3, may have difficulty with some services, like netmeeting, dialpad and other such aps which need several TCP/UDP ports openned to communicate over the internet. Options 1 & 2: If opting for this, recommend you setup a firewall, such as Zonealarm to offset the nekkidness points I made, having a firewall under option 3 on all connected machines aint a bad idea either. Options 1 & 3 use NAT (Network Address Translation), whereas NIC A under option 1 or the router under option 3 take on the logon info for the cable ISP and the internet assigned IP addy, then the client machines under option 1 or all the machines under option 3 have internal IP's (eg 192.168.x.x). FWIW, Option 3 is what I use and I find it the best option for my setup, however your mileage may vary. == Ross http://www.the-estar.com ross@the-estar.com or rcassell@home.com ICQ = 5305939 --- GoldED/W32 3.0.1 * Origin: The Eastern Star [Mail Hub] - 864.573.7069 (1:18/500) .