Dual Port ethernet NIC Available?

I have two NICs in my PC.

One is connected to my DSL modem.

The other is connected, via a crossover ethernet cable, to a PC in another
room of my home.

I would like to free up a slot in my PC by installing a NIC with dual ports.

Problem is, I don't see any such dual port NIC in local stores.

Is it available, and if so, please give me a pointer to where I can find it.

Thanks.

- Don

PS: No, I don't want to use a router. I use a software firewall and it
works just fine, and I use XP's ICS (internet connection sharing) so the
other PC can access the internet.

On Fri, 28 Nov 2003 23:23:33 GMT, "Don Enderton" <(E-Mail Removed)>
wrote:

>I have two NICs in my PC.
>
>One is connected to my DSL modem.
>
>The other is connected, via a crossover ethernet cable, to a PC in another
>room of my home.
>
>I would like to free up a slot in my PC by installing a NIC with dual ports.
>
>Problem is, I don't see any such dual port NIC in local stores.
>
>Is it available, and if so, please give me a pointer to where I can find it.
>
>Thanks.
>
>- Don
>
>PS: No, I don't want to use a router. I use a software firewall and it
>works just fine, and I use XP's ICS (internet connection sharing) so the
>other PC can access the internet.

What if the multi-port alternative costs a few times that of any commonly
available router?

> What if the multi-port alternative costs a few
> times that of any commonly available router?

I agree; the Intel Pro/100 S Dual Port PCI NIC would cost more
than several entry level router devices.

http://www.intel.com/network/connect...rt_adapter.htm

Is that the only one? Can it be used in an ordinary desktop, or is it
suitable only for use in servers? Thanks.

- Don

"Michael J. Apollyon" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:AVbyb.16750$(E-Mail Removed)...
> > What if the multi-port alternative costs a few
> > times that of any commonly available router?
>
> I agree; the Intel Pro/100 S Dual Port PCI NIC would cost more
> than several entry level router devices.
>
> http://www.intel.com/network/connect...rt_adapter.htm
>
>

My question stands; I'll consider price later. It may be worth quite a bit
to avoid the desktop clutter of a router, while at the same time regaining a
PCI slot.

"daytripper" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> On Fri, 28 Nov 2003 23:23:33 GMT, "Don Enderton"
<(E-Mail Removed)>
> wrote:
>
> >I have two NICs in my PC.
> >
> >One is connected to my DSL modem.
> >
> >The other is connected, via a crossover ethernet cable, to a PC in
another
> >room of my home.
> >
> >I would like to free up a slot in my PC by installing a NIC with dual
ports.
> >
> >Problem is, I don't see any such dual port NIC in local stores.
> >
> >Is it available, and if so, please give me a pointer to where I can find
it.
> >
> >Thanks.
> >
> >- Don
> >
> >PS: No, I don't want to use a router. I use a software firewall and it
> >works just fine, and I use XP's ICS (internet connection sharing) so the
> >other PC can access the internet.
>
> What if the multi-port alternative costs a few times that of any commonly
> available router?

Don Enderton wrote:

> Is that the only one? Can it be used in an ordinary desktop, or is it
> suitable only for use in servers? Thanks.
>
> - Don

Virtually every multiport ethernet adapter is geared toward network
server, routing/firewall, corporate high availability and failover
applications. That being said, they will work fine in anything with a
PCI slot, even a desktop.

Adaptec has a line of multiport adapters. The Duo66, although certainly
overkill, would seem to fit your requirements.

You can also search on eBay, these multiport cards can be had at a
fraction of the original price. (I see some Compaq ones are fairly
common there.)

Perhaps a USB ethernet adapter on the broadband side would be a much
more cost effective solution. You would still free up a PCI slot.

On Sun, 30 Nov 2003 02:14:37 GMT, "Don Enderton" <(E-Mail Removed)>
wrote:

>My question stands; I'll consider price later. It may be worth quite a bit
>to avoid the desktop clutter of a router, while at the same time regaining a
>PCI slot.

Whatever. Go nuts...

I might free up a port by replacing my old SCSI scanner with a USB scanner.
I thus could get rid of my SCSI adapter.

Trouble is, all the likely replacement flatbed scanner candidates aren't
long enough to scan legal size documents.

Or I could buy a new computer with one NIC on board...

I can think of even more expensive ways to deal with this than buying a
$200+ new dual port NIC.

Getting back to dual port NICs, when I look at the HP (formerly Compaq)
drivers offered for the old Compaq dual port NICs (that are plentiful and
cheap on Ebay), none of them are for XP.

Would the Windows 2000 drivers work in XP?

HP (with Compaq merged into it) is selling a dual port NIC only through the
end of this year. I guess much of the Compaq merchandise is about to be
dropped, and the NIC is part of that. Don't know about the Proliant
servers, or whatever they are called.

- Don

PS: Go nuts, you say?

"daytripper" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> On Sun, 30 Nov 2003 02:14:37 GMT, "Don Enderton"
<(E-Mail Removed)>
> wrote:
>
> >My question stands; I'll consider price later. It may be worth quite a
bit
> >to avoid the desktop clutter of a router, while at the same time
regaining a
> >PCI slot.
>
> Whatever. Go nuts...

Check this out:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...category=51195

4 of those Intel dual port nics for $120

You could probably buy them, keep two (1 for backup) and sell the other two
on ebay to break even or maybe profit. If you really want to go that route.

--Dan

"Don Enderton" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:O6yyb.365488$(E-Mail Removed)...
> I might free up a port by replacing my old SCSI scanner with a USB
scanner.
> I thus could get rid of my SCSI adapter.
>
> Trouble is, all the likely replacement flatbed scanner candidates aren't
> long enough to scan legal size documents.
>
> Or I could buy a new computer with one NIC on board...
>
> I can think of even more expensive ways to deal with this than buying a
> $200+ new dual port NIC.
>
>

Thanks; I didn't see that yesterday. Dan, I wonder why the item is offered
only as "buy it now" and not for auction.

- Don

"dg" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:HaLyb.62897$(E-Mail Removed) om...
> Check this out:
>
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...category=51195
>
> 4 of those Intel dual port nics for $120
>
> You could probably buy them, keep two (1 for backup) and sell the other
two
> on ebay to break even or maybe profit. If you really want to go that
route.
>
> --Dan
>
> "Don Enderton" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:O6yyb.365488$(E-Mail Removed)...
> > I might free up a port by replacing my old SCSI scanner with a USB
> scanner.
> > I thus could get rid of my SCSI adapter.
> >
> > Trouble is, all the likely replacement flatbed scanner candidates aren't
> > long enough to scan legal size documents.
> >
> > Or I could buy a new computer with one NIC on board...
> >
> > I can think of even more expensive ways to deal with this than buying a
> > $200+ new dual port NIC.
> >
> >
>
>