ethernet between 2 computers

I dropped my switch because currently there is only a PC and a laptop at
home. They have fixed IPs and don't see each other. When I insert a
switch between them everything works fine.
So far I tried arp -s <host> <HW> and I reinstalled network-cards
without success.
Since I own a working switch this is not a real problem, but I don't
understand what is going on here.

On 2006-01-25, (E-Mail Removed) <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> I dropped my switch because currently there is only a PC and a laptop at
> home. They have fixed IPs and don't see each other. When I insert a
> switch between them everything works fine.

I've saw that behavour sometimes when NICs have troubles auto-adjusting
between each other. With the switch in between they work in autosensing,
so the switch is acting as a 'buffer' between the two.
You could try to force the cards in the same way (using mii-tool), but
if you have a switch is much better.

Davide

--
BUFFERS=20 FILES=15 2nd down, 4th quarter, 5 yards to go!

(E-Mail Removed) wrote:
> I dropped my switch because currently there is only a PC and a laptop at
> home. They have fixed IPs and don't see each other. When I insert a
> switch between them everything works fine.

I presume when not using the switch you are using a "standard" CAT5
cable: you probably need to use a cross-over cable between two ethernet
cards. I say probably because whilst most switches nowadays autosense
whether a crossover is needed on a connection or not (e.g. for
uplinking), I don't think it is something that ethernet cards do (BICBW).

Paul

(E-Mail Removed) wrote:
> I dropped my switch because currently there is only a PC and a laptop at
> home. They have fixed IPs and don't see each other. When I insert a
> switch between them everything works fine.
> So far I tried arp -s <host> <HW> and I reinstalled network-cards
> without success.
> Since I own a working switch this is not a real problem, but I don't
> understand what is going on here.

Just to repeat what's already printed here. You need a crossover cable.
Once you do that the easiest thing to do is put the 2 computers on the
same logical network segment, e.g if you are using a class C netmask
(255.255.255.0) and IPv4, the first 3 number in the IP must be the same
and the last number must be greater than 0 and less than 254.

HTH

<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:7682d$43d78b47$d99c5301$29256@allthenewsgroup s.com...

> I dropped my switch because currently there is only a PC and a laptop at
> home. They have fixed IPs and don't see each other. When I insert a
> switch between them everything works fine.
> So far I tried arp -s <host> <HW> and I reinstalled network-cards
> without success.
> Since I own a working switch this is not a real problem, but I don't
> understand what is going on here.

If you hook the two PCs to each other with the same cable you used to
connect them to the switch, you are connecting transmit on one to transmit
on the other and receive on one to receive on the other. That usually
doesn't work out so well.

DS