Question about networking two computers under XP

  • Thread starter Thread starter az-willie
  • Start date Start date
A

az-willie

A friend just called and he has two computers, one hooked to a cable
modem, the other not connected to the net.

He wants to connect both to the net via his cable connection.

His cable company ( different than mine ) told him he needed a router.

I think he should be able to do it via Internet Connection Sharing
without buying anything else.

Does he need a router? What are the advantages to using a router via not
using one and using Internet Connection Sharing?

--
TRUTH to a right winger is ...

like ....

a wooden stake to a vampire
 
A friend just called and he has two computers, one hooked to a cable
modem, the other not connected to the net.

He wants to connect both to the net via his cable connection.

His cable company ( different than mine ) told him he needed a router.

I think he should be able to do it via Internet Connection Sharing
without buying anything else.

Does he need a router? What are the advantages to using a router via not
using one and using Internet Connection Sharing?
Click to expand...

Willie,

ICS requires the computer running ICS to be on for either computer to
access the internet. ICS requires two network connections: one for
the cable modem, the other for the ICS client(s). If the ICS computer
has a problem, the ICS client may lose internet connectivity.

A NAT router connects both computers equally, so neither has to be on
for the other one to access the internet, and problems with one
generally do not affect the other. With a router, each computer
requires only one network connection.

ICS requires a software firewall (ICF in WinXP) to provide protection
against undesirable network traffic. ICF and ICS both require
resources on the computer. A NAT router provides these resources with
its own processor.

ICS is a proxy service. ICS client software (such as browsers) have
to be configured for proxy service. All internet applications do not
necessarily support proxy connectivity, or may not operate at maximum
efficiency if they do. A NAT router can (by configuration) share more
internet services than ICS, and is more configurable than ICS.

Connecting a third computer involves nothing more than connecting a
network cable between an additional port on the router and the
computer.

A NAT router can be purchased for $50 - $100. Generally anybody with
more than 1 computer can afford one.

Cheers,


Chuck
I hate spam - PLEASE get rid of the spam before emailing me!
Paranoia comes from experience - and is not necessarily a bad thing.
 
ICS is a proxy service. ICS client software (such as browsers) have
to be configured for proxy service.
Click to expand...

No. It's transparent to the client the same as using the nat router.

Jim.
 
Yes, ICS uses NAT, not a proxy.

ICS with a crossover cable is cheap and efficient enough for what is
intended if the ICS computer is running XP (even WinME). With Windows 9x and
less so with WinME the TCP/IP configuration on the ICS computer can be a
pain as the ISP and LAN configurations interreact.

Using a router (which are not terribly expensive) adds a world of
convenience in that both (or many) computers can connect to the internet
simply and independently of each other. Reboots, crashes and lockups on one
computer do not affect the others or the internet connection. He should pick
a router that can be configured to work with the applications he intends to
use... that might be most of them nowadays but it pays to do your homework.
 
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