can i link 3 pc's together off lan?and how do i do it?

[XWolfsraider]

basicly, my setup, 2 computers, set up to share files, play games , share printer,and internet.

this actually is working good ( i would say great but hp 932 c printer ( usb ) keeps going off line lol)

now what i want to do is add another computer ( lan wise ) so i can have more competition in our
games

would adding another nic card to my comp ( p4 1.5 256 ram ) and another crossover cable work for
this ? i have 2 nic's laying around and am hoping to get by with this setup at least for now.

later want to set up private server network using a switch but funds are low

any suggestions?




edit:>oops forgot all three computers are using windows xp pro<edit

 

[Techwhore]

Yes you can add a NIC and use a crossover cable... I'm confused on how your network is setup now though. You said later you plan on using a switch so do you have a hub now or are you using ICS?

 

[XWolfsraider]

ics? not sure ....

just crossover ,nic to nic, using the network connection wizard in xp pro

allowed to share dial up internet,printer and files,plus works for lan games.

that's it .


whats ics?
internet connection sharing?

if so then no. i set up network without internet. that was after i set up internet connection for dial up on main computer.

then allowed internet connection sharing in ie 6 tools

works great actually . i get higher download times than on one computer alone, but i did the qos packet fix.

 

[Techwhore]

Ok, i understand your setup now... so like i said before, it'll work, though I'd really recommend you buy a hub or preferrably a switch (a lot less complicated), and a 5 port hub/switch can be had for about $30 - $50

 

[XWolfsraider]

great news thanks


now i can still save all my money (for now) for two p-4 prestonias 2.2 gig lol

seriously thank you


ahm 1 last question any problems with the second nic in xp pro ie driver issues or network setup?

 

[ktwebb]

No, buy a hub/switch. If you have XP you can play around with bridging to bridge each segment. Either way get a hub or switch. Say the computer with the two NIC's is A. Crossover from one NIC to B and crossover from other NIC to C. B and C would be able to talk to A but not each other. A would not route the LAN. I would think only one NIC would even route to the WAN. Anyway, just get a hub/switch.

 

[XWolfsraider]

cool info!!!!

thankyou for the layman's tems
much appreciated


Again thank you

and yes a hub/switch is in order

 

[alanwj]

Just a note. If you buy a hub/switch, do NOT use crossover cables to connect to it. Not that it will have any damaging effects (that I know about), it just won't work, and will cause you a lot of frustration. Hubs/switches internally perform a crossover. Typically they will have one port marked "uplink" or such, often with a switch letting you choose if it is an uplink port or not. Traffic coming into an uplinked port is NOT crossed over. This is useful if you need to string several hubs together, without worrying about whether something is crossed or uncrossed at each step.

Also, the only difference (typically) between a switch and a hub is that a hub repeats any incoming traffic out all of its ports, and a switch only repeats traffic out the necessary port(s). Switches are good for reducing extra traffic on large LANs, but for three computers, you probably wouldn't see a difference.

 

[XWolfsraider]

man i love this place you guys rock

thank you ;techwhore , ktwebb and alanwj for the great info i will look forward to reading more
computer info here at anandtech! great work!!!!