Tom Landon <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Hello all,
>
> I suddenly need to establish a network connection between two home
> computers. The tape drive I have been using for backup is failing. Right
> now I only need to be able to do cross backups between the two machines,
> both running Win 98SE.
>
> I currently am under severe financial constraints. A friend has used ISA
> NICs and cable he can loan me for a couple of months.
>
> Questions:
>
> 1. Will this work?

Yes, you need a crossover cable if you don't have a hub.

> 2. Do the two NICs need to be matched?

No, ethernet is a standard, any card should interact with any other card, even
different computers entirely, like Unix workstations.

> 3. Later I plan to go to a network which will allow me to add ADSL (AT&T
> RoadRunner). How hard will it be to disengage the old network protocols
> and  upgrade?

I am not too familiar with the AT&T DSL, but if they use an external router that
is ethernet based, then you should be able to just plug everything into a hub.
You should just load TCP/IP protocol, you can share drives and printers since
Win98 supports NetBIOS over TCP/IP, and internet browsing in the future will use
TCP/IP. If the ADSL is an internal solution, you should still be able to setup
one system with ICS (Internet Connection Sharing).


--
Russ Poffenberger               Engineering Specialist
Schlumberger Technologies ATE   DOMAIN: [log in to unmask]
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San Jose, Ca. 95134             Voice: (408)586-6718  FAX: (408)586-4675

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