On 13 Jul 00, at 9:38, Robert Turnbull wrote:

> 1. Does this make sense and is this chain configuration the way to go?

  NO.

  Daisy-chaining your machines is a poor choice for several
reasons...  The simplest is that this requires two NICs per machine,
when each machine should only require one NIC for each network that
it is on.  [Effectively, each link in the chain would be a separate
two-node network.]

  Classic Ethernet works kind of like CB radio -- everybody connects
to a shared "channel", and each NIC knows (1) to only bradcast when
the channel is clear, and (2) only pick up packets addressed to it
(or to "all").  Originally, the shared medium was a co-axial cable,
but these days it's usually a hub or switch.
  So what you want is a hub which all of the machines on your "local"
network plug into.  Then *one* of your machines has a second NIC that
plugs into the cable modem, and that machine acts as the "gateway"
between your local network and the cable ISP's network.

David G

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