connecting 2 computers

[gcb]

i have two linux computers in my house. i would like to connect them together so i could share files between them. how would i go about doing this?

[godot]

Well.... you need the necessary hardware first. A network card for each computer and a hub or switch (you could do a crossover cable instead but then you can't expand). What OS are you using on these machines and what kind of file sharing do you want?

[Choozo]

A network card in each of them, and run a crossover cable between those. For better performance, use a hub/switch and regular TP cables (crossover cables is not the ultimate solution, but cheaper).

Then use NFS for directory/file sharing between those.

Cheers :)

[gcb]

i'm running mandrake 8...is this crossover wire just a cable connecting the 2 nic cards? i'd just like to be able to use one computer to access the hard drive of the other & vice versa.

[scanez]

Originally posted by gcb:
<STRONG>i'm running mandrake 8...is this crossover wire just a cable connecting the 2 nic cards? i'd just like to be able to use one computer to access the hard drive of the other & vice versa.</STRONG>
Yeah, but the crossover cable is NOT a regular run of the mill ethernet cable tha you usually see, it has the wires at one connector switched in reverse order. So if you buy one, make sure it says "crossover cable" on it.

SC

[gcb]

cool, so i can slap some linux compatible nic cards in my pcs, link them with a crossover wire & i'm good to go? what kind of software & drivers do i need to use?

[DMR]

NICs which use the tulip or rtl8139 modules are generaly the most hassle-free under Linux. 3COM cards are also well supported, but are considerably more expensive. Mandrake 8 includes support for these cards, so you won't need to install anything. Here's a partial list of NICs and their associated modules (http://www.linuxnewbie.org/nhf/intel/network/nicmodules.html).

[gcb]

how do i connect to the other computer? telnet?

[scanez]

Originally posted by gcb:
<STRONG>how do i connect to the other computer? telnet?</STRONG>
NFS would probaly be what you are looking for. With it, you can mount partitions from one box on the other box.

SC

[gcb]

so could i play doom across this sort of network, or what?

[slacker_x]

I don't know anything about doom, but I can't see why you wouldn't be able to play doom accross the network.

How do you access the Internet, does each computer have a phone line and a modem?

[gcb]

they both connect with a modem, however i only have one phone line, so only one can be connected at a time.

[slacker_x]

If you wanted, you could share the Internet connection fairly easily under Linux.

If you are sure that you will never need to connect more than two computers to the LAN, you might as well use a crossover cable between the two computers.