Re: connect 2 computers with USB
On Thu, Sep 12, 2002 at 07:38:36PM -0400, Matthew Weier O'Phinney wrote:
> --Geoff Crompton <geoff.crompton@bjhcontrols.com.au> wrote
> (on Friday, 13 September 2002, 09:26 AM +1000):
> > On Thu, Sep 12, 2002 at 01:32:02PM -0400, Derrick 'dman' Hudson wrote:
> > > On Thu, Sep 12, 2002 at 03:28:45PM +0200, Robert Ian Smit wrote:
> > > | On Thu, Sep 12, 2002 at 03:17:00PM +0200, Olivier Esser wrote:
> > > | > Is it possible to connect two computers with a USB cable?
> > > |
> > > | Yes, but it won't get you a network if that is what you
> > > | want.
> > >
> > > Sure it will. Ok, the network will be very small (precisely 2
> > > machines), but it is a network. If you want to share your Internet
> > > connection, then one of the machines would need another connection to
> > > the outside world, and you would need to find a way to
> > > proxy/masquerade requests. The former condition is easy, but the
> > > latter I'm not sure about.
> > >
> > > -D
> >
> > What sort of drivers do you use? And what sort of usb cables do you
> > use to plug each computer into each other?
> I did some research on this a couple years ago, and have followed it
> ever since. You need special USB devices to do this -- such a device
> allows two usb hubs to connect and communicate with each other, as well
> as to communicate information about their systems. It's basically a
> point-to-point network.
>
> It is NOT as simple as getting a cable and connecting the two
> controllers, however -- it's a device that sits between the two
> computers and to which each computer is plugged. And they are no cheaper
> than going out and getting a couple of network cards and a hub -- but
> are more of a pain to set up and considerably slower.
>
> Go get a couple cheap network cards and a four-port ethernet hub. It's
> easier and cheaper.
>
If you will never need to connect more than two, get the cards, forget
the hub and get a crossover cable.
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