Networking Broadband

Customer has the following installation.
Broadband "set top box" which has ethernet card. This is networked to a pc in one room via a crossover cable. The card to which this cable connects is a realtek. This pc also has an onboard sis 900 which extends the network to a second pc, which has a realtek card installed, via crossover cable.

The first pc works perfectly on the internet (TCP/IP) but the second pc only sees itself in network neighbourhood and the first pc sees nothing. If netbeui is enabled on the two pcs then they will see each other but the internet is lost.

What is the best way to provide broadband internet service to both of these pcs?

Any advice most welcome.

Best wishes

 

With that setup, you may not be wanting to run new cables and buy a router?

If I understand correctly, there are a total of 2 computers. Computer One has two network cards - one to the DSL modem and one to the second system; computer Two has one NIC and is attached via a x-over cable to Computer 1.

I'd start by installing NetBEUI on both systems. This is a non-routable protocol that's (usually) very easy to setup for internal network communication. Simply installing NetBEUI for the correct NIC is usually all that's required to start communicating. In your case, make sure NetBEUI is installed for the SIS 900 NIC in system 1 and the Realtek in system 2. Install File and Print sharing, share the drives and that should be it for that part - they should now be able to communicate with each other.

Then, look into one of the ICS programs. Win98SE & WinME both come with ICS, but a lot of folks have problems setting it up and keeping it working - myself included. We're using Sygate's ICS program here, which works very well. I installed it on the ICS computer (the one with the DSL modem) in server mode and setup the TCP/IP protocol per the DSL providers instructions (DNS servers, IP address etc.) then installed the TCP/IP protocol on the other systems. I didn't install the Sygate client software on 2 of the other 3 system because it wasn't needed - they automatically picked up that the connection was shared without it.

When setting up the TCP/IP protocol on system 1, install it only for the NIC that's attached to the DSL modem - the second NIC doesn't need to use that protocol. Actually, it should work with the protocol installed for both NIC's. But you do want to make sure that TCP/IP for the NIC attached to the modem is not bound to File or Print sharing. This is a security thing, if the protocol isn't bound to the sharing, it's harder (if not impossible) to use that protocol to access the shares on the network.

 

Tim - your customer can uncomplicate life and get better performance by going with one of the things cliffh recommended. It has the advantage of being a hardware solution (which I prefer whenever possible) and simpler + lots more flexible than the current setup.

Get a small internet router/switch. I'm running a 4 port Linksys and love it but there are other good ones out there. Should be able to get one for under $100.

Run 1 NIC per PC (multiple NICs are not for amateurs or the faint of heart)

Run TCP/IP only on the PCs

Hook broadband modem and the PCs to the router.

IP addresses for the PCs will be assigned automatically by DHCP from the router and you should have all the usual functions of a LAN plus internet access for all PCs.

Good firewall built into the router plus they will have the added protection of their PCs having an assigned address that won't work with the internet - private, reserved address series that won't route out there.

Using NetBEUI is a cludge that is useful if you can't manage a pure IP setup but is just added overhead if you don't have to have it.

ICS is tricky and again adds some unneeded overhead. The ICS that M$ ships is often a major headache for the users as it is software trying to do some fairly unnatural things. Sygate and the other 3rd party products are better but still can't compare with a good hardware solution.

 

Newt's right - hardware solutions do offer the best versitility and reliability.

 

DITTO on the Linksys 4 port. You can even clone the MAC address in the Linksys to elliminate a call to your ISP which some of them frown on ICS.

 

Thank you very much to each of you for your advice. Certainly sounds like the "Hardware" option is the one for me!

Think I should be able to sort this now but will shout for help if needed.

Best wishes

Tim