From: John Tserkezis 
Reply-To: Fidonet AVtech Echo 

Bob Lawrence wrote:

>  I can't make the network work. Would you answer a few basic dickwit
> questions for me? I'm running Win98 on both computers just now. When I
> ping, it doesn't reach the other computer (from both ends). It's the
> same if I pull the lead out. It pings itself okay.

> 1.  Can I simply link the two computers with a 10base T cable, or do I
> need a special null-modem thingie, or a hub?

  Yes, and you need a "twisted" cable, some are available
off-the-shelf, but 
you can easily make one yourself.  You need to swap the transmit and receive 
pairs. I have RJ45 connectors, some cable and a crimp tool if you want to roll 
your own.

  A hub has the transmit/receive hardware to suit normal (straight through) 
cables.  If you're happy to wait, I can give you a 12 port (10Mbit) hub, right 
after I fix it.  (or if you want to fix it yourself)

  When I first inherited it, the fan failure killed the power supply.  After 
fixing that (about 7-8 years ago) it died again a few weeks ago.  I haven't 
bothered to fix it yet, because there's another two hubs and 17 ports that's 
taking care of the current workload...

> 2.  Are the lights supposed flicker when I ping?

  Yes, but on my network, everything talks all the time anyway, I have the BBS 
on it, the fishtank, server and my normal work machine on it.  The printer is 
on when I need to print something, and sometimes the laptop if I need to move 
stuff around.  Those lights flash all day every day, they've never stopped...

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

  It doesn't work.  Or, if you want a more specific answer, the machine starts 
working when you swap the card.

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Fido: 3:712/610  BBS/FAX: +61-2-9716-8310  Internet: jt{at}techniciansyndrome.org
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