On 30 Nov 2002, at 17:29, Michael A. Wosnick wrote:

> Peter et al
>
> It has been a while since I posted to start this thread, but I have just
> gotten around to trying the NET USE command.
> I am indeed able to set up the share using the internet IP address of the
> laptop. Problem is that the connection is created via my cable modem and not
> via my Ethernet hub so I am losing tons of speed even though the laptop is
> sitting right beside me. (The IP address of the laptop is a separate
> "outside" IP compared to my desktop - I have two accounts).
> If I use the laptop's "computer name" instead of its internet IP address,
> the Net Use does not work, it comes back saying network path not found.
> Surely there must be something fundamental I am missing to allow me to
> connect the two computers via my Ethernet hub one foot away from each other
> and not have to go out to (slower) cyberspace to do it???
>
> Michael

  Being able to resolve machine addresses by name rather than by numeric IP
address is not going to do anything for the performance issue you describe!

  There are three basic solutions which can help:

1.  Assign a second (private!) address to each PC, with masking defined so
that each knows that the other is local.  Rely on the cable provider to
squelch broadcast traffic with a private origin address.  I'm not sure that
your versions of Windows actually allow for this.

2.  Install NETBEUI, so that the machines can talk to each other via local
broadcast.  Since this actually uses the names instead of addresses, you may
need to make sure the domain/workgroup names match so that they show up in
each other's Network Neighborhood.  Since NetBEUI is broadcast (rather than
routed), it will not porpagate out to the Internet.

3.  Install a second NIC in each machine, and connect these via a hub or
crossover cable.  Assign private addresses per #1; make sure that each PC's
default gateway still points toward the cable modem.

  Any of these should allow your machines to tak locally without going
through the cable system.

David Gillett

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