JB> you need a null modem thingy, a hub, or a crossover cable.
JB> (which ls like a null-modem cable for 10base-T, (and 100base
JB> T...)) Crosover cables are usually red, (but mine is beige
JB> 'cause I made it myself from a scrap of cable and the specs
JB> found in the back of the dick smith catalogue)

 Yair... a week ago, I went to Dicky Smith and asked the "expert"
behind thecounter what sort of cable I needed to hook up two computers
so he sold me a cable. I have since returned, got a credit for the
wrong cable, bought a proper crossover cable instead, and now it
works!

 In fact, it works so well I am stunned. I backed up 2 gigs across
the network and it was almost as fast as one computer. I can see why
people do it now.

 I've even got it working with Linux and Samba... but now I have to
wade through a few hundred pages of mostly-meaningless crap, so that I
can get it doing just what I want. I'll say one thing for Bill Gates:
his approach to setup makes amateurs like Linux look *really*
amateurish. Why the hell don't they just copy Windows? It's not like
they have to work it out for themselves - Bill's already done it for
them.

BL> 3. How do I tell if one of the netword cards is stuffed?

JB> Test it with a known-good setup. other wise you only know
JB> there's a problem not whose problem it is or if it's software
JB> or hardware, but if you can make the lights flicker by pinging
JB> I guess your software is probably working...

 That was my problem. With the wrong cable nothing worked, no lights,
nothing. Why the hell don't they just tell you that the light is
supposed to come on?

Regards,
Bob

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