Very Computer

Two friends and I are going to be hooking our three computers (all running
Linux, Slackware pl14) up to form a small network.  We have two 3-Com
10-BaseT ethernet cards and I was wondering that if we bought a third,
do we HAVE to purchase a hub to hook them together?  Is there some sort
of passive hub that will allow us to hook together at a LOT cheaper price
than buying a regular hub?  Given the prices of hubs, there is no way we
will be getting one (actually buying the card is spending enough money).
Does anyone know of a different linux-compatible card which we could use
to work around the problem instead?

I thought of building a "passive" hub by getting a bunch of plugs and crossing
the appropriate wires.  Would this work?  We aren't strangers to a soldering
iron, so if someone has hacked a way to do this, please let me know.

advTHANKSance

-Derek
--
"A joke is like a frog; you can dissect it and see how it works, but you
 kill it in the process."

http://web.cps.msu.edu/~middleto/

Quote:>Two friends and I are going to be hooking our three computers (all running
>Linux, Slackware pl14) up to form a small network.  We have two 3-Com
>10-BaseT ethernet cards and I was wondering that if we bought a third,
>do we HAVE to purchase a hub to hook them together?

Yes, generally you must use a hub with more than two 10baseT ethercards.
With only two you can have a point-to-point link by swapping the Rx and Tx
pairs (1-2 and 3-6).

Quote:>Is there some sort
>of passive hub that will allow us to hook together at a LOT cheaper price
>than buying a regular hub?  Given the prices of hubs, there is no way we
>will be getting one (actually buying the card is spending enough money).
>Does anyone know of a different linux-compatible card which we could use
>to work around the problem instead?

Falleron sells EtherWave adaptors and transceivers.  This device allows
multiple 10baseT devices to be daisy-chained.  You would only need one, and
they sell a 3c509 clone that includes the EtherWave transceiver.

The drawback is that it's more expensive and less reliable than a cheap
($100-$150) mini-hub and another ethercard.  IMO, you should either go for
the hub approach or switch over to 10base2 thinnet.

Quote:>I thought of building a "passive" hub by getting a bunch of plugs and crossing
>the appropriate wires.  Would this work?  We aren't strangers to a soldering
>iron, so if someone has hacked a way to do this, please let me know.

It's pretty much impossible to do the collision signal right without
duplicating a hub.

--

IDA Supercomputing Research Center
17100 Science Drive, Bowie MD 20715                        301-805-7482

Quote:>>10-BaseT ethernet cards and I was wondering that if we bought a third,
>>do we HAVE to purchase a hub to hook them together?
>Yes, generally you must use a hub with more than two 10baseT ethercards.

But if you run thinwire (to thinwire/combo cards, of course)
you do not need a hub, do you?

--

& no one will talk to a host that's close...........(v)301 56 LINUX
Unless the host (that isn't close)....kibo# 777............pob 1433
is busy, hung or dead..............vr....................20915-1433