Options for connecting two computers with USB?

  • Thread starter Thread starter John
  • Start date Start date
J

John

I want to connect two computers with USB 3.0 and run IPv4 over USB.
Seems to be easier said than done. How can I make a PC into a USB
device? I can't find PCI cards or similar that will make the PC act as
a USB device rather than a USB host. Do I have to wait until someone
is kind enough to make a cable with a device-host-device in the
middle? Surely there will soon be such a cable on the market, but I
doubt it will run at 5 Gbps... which is the entire point since I don't
want to invest in 10 Gbps Ethernet of infiband.

Any ideas are much appreciated :)

/Z
 
I want to connect two computers with USB 3.0 and run IPv4 over USB.
Click to expand...

Why? If the computers are lacking NICs, why not purchase two
USB NICs and connect them with an ethernet cable?

If the two computers have serial ports, why not connect them
with a serial cable and run PPP over the serial cable?
How can I make a PC into a USB device?
Click to expand...

With one of these cables.

<http://www.google.com/products/cata...ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBgQ8wIwAA#ps-sellers>

For transferring data over a USB cable from one PC to another.
Surely there will soon be such a cable on the market
Click to expand...

I am afraid you scored 0/10 for your ability to use web searching
tools.
 
Why?  If the computers are lacking NICs, why not purchase two
USB NICs and connect them with an ethernet cable?
Click to expand...

Because I want to benefit from the 5 Gbps transfer speed of USB 3.0
without spending a lot of money. Your idea would require me to
purchase 10 pieces of 1 Gbps NICs and put 5 pieces in each computer,
then use a devive driver that bonds them to create one virtual 5 Gbps
ethernet interface.
If the two computers have serial ports, why not connect them
with a serial cable and run PPP over the serial cable?
Click to expand...

Are you joking?
With one of these cables.

<http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&q=usb+to+usb+transfer+ca...>

For transferring data over a USB cable from one PC to another.
Click to expand...

My PC USB connector will still act as a USB host. And that cable you
linked to is USB 2.0 which is limited to 480 Mbps -- then it would be
much better to use to gigabit NICs.
I am afraid you scored 0/10 for your ability to use web searching
tools.
Click to expand...

Maybe not.

/Z
 
It is some sort of cosmic justice that people making snotty replies
often are making errors of their own.
Click to expand...

Sorry if I sounded snotty -- the last point I was making is that one
should really should show some effort at having done some searching
and declaring that something is not available when a quick search
reveals that there is something similar or provides the same
functionality is a little perturbing.
To the OP: I have yet to see that device, and have only seen complaints
reported concerning its USB 2.0 analog.
Click to expand...

The cable for which I provided a link was the USB 2.0 version.

I was pointint out that such a cable existed, not how well it may
or may not work.

So what are the complaints about this cable which you have heard?

I am most intrigued.
 
Because I want to benefit from the 5 Gbps transfer speed of USB 3.0
Click to expand...

At what speed are you reading and writing the data on each machine?
Your idea would require me to purchase 10 pieces of 1 Gbps NICs
Click to expand...

Why would you not just buy one 10 Gbps NIC for each machine?

to create one virtual 5 Gbps ethernet interface.
Click to expand...

I may very well be incorrect, but I doubt very much that you are
going to get 5 Gbps *ethernet* on a USB 3.0 5 Gbps cable.
Are you joking?
Click to expand...

No, trying to ascertain what you want and why you want it.
And that cable you linked to is USB 2.0 which is limited
to 480 Mbps
Click to expand...

Yes, because there is very little USB 3.0 equipment available
*yet*. But it will arrive in due course.
Maybe not.
Click to expand...

Maybe not, but you gave no indication of having done any
searching.
 
John said:
I want to connect two computers with USB 3.0 and run IPv4 over USB.
Seems to be easier said than done. How can I make a PC into a USB
device? I can't find PCI cards or similar that will make the PC act as
a USB device rather than a USB host. Do I have to wait until someone
is kind enough to make a cable with a device-host-device in the
middle? Surely there will soon be such a cable on the market, but I
doubt it will run at 5 Gbps... which is the entire point since I don't
want to invest in 10 Gbps Ethernet of infiband.

Any ideas are much appreciated :)

/Z
Click to expand...

Everyone wants to beat the commercial pricing of high speed Ethernet
adapters. I haven't seen a "USB3 ping-pong" chip yet, to do that.

If any company was going to do one, it would be these guys.

http://www.prolific.com.tw/eng/Products-2.asp?ID=10

They claim to have already done one other chip, with a
USB3 PHY on it, so that means they have all the ingredients to
make a USB3 ping-pong chip if they want to (or see a market
for such). My guess is, this will be further down their
"to-do" list, as there isn't enough product volume to
justify rushing one out.

USB is a host to peripheral technology. The "ping pong" chip,
allows host to host communications, by faking it (making each
computer think the connection is host to peripheral). The
innards of the chip are pretty simple, consisting of a couple
unidirectional FIFOs ("mailboxes"). At USB3 rates, that structure
may need some adjustments, to lead to high performance. Otherwise,
it could have a relatively high CPU overhead requirement
(data copying and the like). In fact, without care, it might
even be CPU limited and not make it all the way to 400MB/sec.

Paul
 
At what speed are you reading and writing the data on each machine?
Click to expand...

At the speed of DD3 RAM, i.e. more than 5 Gbps.
Why would you not just buy one 10 Gbps NIC for each machine?
Click to expand...

Because they are expensive.
I may very well be incorrect, but I doubt very much that you are
going to get 5 Gbps *ethernet* on a USB 3.0 5 Gbps cable.
Click to expand...

So do I, but I would like to have facts before I dismiss the idea.
No, trying to ascertain what you want and why you want it.
Click to expand...

Ok, I thought it was obvious that I wanted high performance since I
wrote in the original post that the alternative was 10 Gbps Ethernet
or infiband.
Yes, because there is very little USB 3.0 equipment available
*yet*.  But it will arrive in due course.
Click to expand...

What I just don't get, and would like to know, is why there aren't USB
device chips that plug in to the PCI port of a PC.
Maybe not, but you gave no indication of having done any
searching.
Click to expand...

That is quite true.

All the best,
Z
 
Everyone wants to beat the commercial pricing of high speed Ethernet
adapters. I haven't seen a "USB3 ping-pong" chip yet, to do that.
Click to expand...

5 Gbps (or slightly less) would be perfect... there really is a window
in time for that now. Few people really needs 10 Gbps, quite a few
want more than 1 Gbps.
If any company was going to do one, it would be these guys.

http://www.prolific.com.tw/eng/Products-2.asp?ID=10

They claim to have already done one other chip, with a
USB3 PHY on it, so that means they have all the ingredients to
make a USB3 ping-pong chip if they want to (or see a market
for such). My guess is, this will be further down their
"to-do" list, as there isn't enough product volume to
justify rushing one out.
Click to expand...

But the kind of peripheral chip that sits in USB 3.0 portable disk
drives on the market now, why can't one take that kind of chip and put
on a PCI-express card that plugs into the PC? And then let the PC/PCI-
card act as a peripheral?
USB is a host to peripheral technology. The "ping pong" chip,
allows host to host communications, by faking it (making each
computer think the connection is host to peripheral). The
innards of the chip are pretty simple, consisting of a couple
unidirectional FIFOs ("mailboxes"). At USB3 rates, that structure
may need some adjustments, to lead to high performance. Otherwise,
it could have a relatively high CPU overhead requirement
(data copying and the like). In fact, without care, it might
even be CPU limited and not make it all the way to 400MB/sec.
Click to expand...

So it's even more unlikely that we will se a USB "switch" that makes
it possible to create a small high-speed LAN? Then all peripherals
must route their packets through the PC acting as host?

All the best,
Z
 
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