OT - network card connections

Please forgive an off-topic post, but I haven't been able to find
information elsewhere, and there's a lot of knowledgable people here.

I have 3 computers sharing an internet connection (no file sharing
needed) using coax to link the NICs. I'd like to either add a wireless
point, or connect a laptop, both of which only have a CAT5 connector.

The NICs are cheap, basic NE2000 compatible types - can I use one of
the unused CAT5 connectors to make the additional connection?

Sorry if it's a really stupid question.

Thanks,

Steve

On Thu, 07 Jul 2005 13:49:00 +0100, Steve
<no-(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> Please forgive an off-topic post, but I haven't been able to find
> information elsewhere, and there's a lot of knowledgable people here.
>
> I have 3 computers sharing an internet connection (no file sharing
> needed) using coax to link the NICs. I'd like to either add a wireless
> point, or connect a laptop, both of which only have a CAT5 connector.
>
> The NICs are cheap, basic NE2000 compatible types - can I use one of
> the unused CAT5 connectors to make the additional connection?
>
> Sorry if it's a really stupid question.
>
I think you have to use either the coax or the CAT5, not both on one
card. You could buy a hub and replace all the coax wiring, or you could
put a second NIC in one of the PCs and use it as a gateway. I'm not
sure if they still make hubs with coax and RJ-11 connectors, but you
could try to find one.


--
Tonight you will pay the wages of sin; Don't forget to leave a tip.

In the Usenet newsgroup comp.os.linux.networking, in article
<(E-Mail Removed)>, Steve wrote:

>I have 3 computers sharing an internet connection (no file sharing
>needed) using coax to link the NICs. I'd like to either add a wireless
>point, or connect a laptop, both of which only have a CAT5 connector.

Coax, either 10Base5 (thicknet - uses AUI connector on the NIC) or 10Base2
(thinnet - uses a BNC connector on the NIC) is a lot less common today, and
is restricted to 10 Megabit Consider replacing that with twisted pair
which can be used (with appropriate quality cables) for 10BaseT, 100BaseT
or even gigabit networking.

>The NICs are cheap, basic NE2000 compatible types - can I use one of
>the unused CAT5 connectors to make the additional connection?

No, only one connector on a card can be active at a time. For example,
some old 3Com 3C509 cards had AUI (DB-15 Female), RJ45 (10BaseT) and BNC
connectors. You used a program (from 3Com or Donald Becker) to switch
which connector was active. One computer tech drove us nuts for several
weeks by having cables attached to all three ports on one card (we used
all three media) connected to different subnets. The "unused" ports were
injecting noise into the networks - no data, just noise. Wanted to shoot
the SOB, but the legal system here says that's not nice. Pity.

>Sorry if it's a really stupid question.

Actually, it's not stupid - and it's not well documented. You can buy
hubs and switches that have both types of connections, but it's going to
be better for you in the long run to replace the coax with CAT5 cable.

Old guy

On Thu, 07 Jul 2005 14:55:30 -0500, Moe Trin wrote:

> In the Usenet newsgroup comp.os.linux.networking, in article
> <(E-Mail Removed)>, Steve wrote:
>
>>I have 3 computers sharing an internet connection (no file sharing
>>needed) using coax to link the NICs. I'd like to either add a wireless
>>point, or connect a laptop, both of which only have a CAT5 connector.
>
> Coax, either 10Base5 (thicknet - uses AUI connector on the NIC) or 10Base2
> (thinnet - uses a BNC connector on the NIC) is a lot less common today, and
> is restricted to 10 Megabit Consider replacing that with twisted pair
> which can be used (with appropriate quality cables) for 10BaseT, 100BaseT
> or even gigabit networking.
>
>>The NICs are cheap, basic NE2000 compatible types - can I use one of
>>the unused CAT5 connectors to make the additional connection?
>
> No, only one connector on a card can be active at a time. For example,
> some old 3Com 3C509 cards had AUI (DB-15 Female), RJ45 (10BaseT) and BNC
> connectors. You used a program (from 3Com or Donald Becker) to switch
> which connector was active. One computer tech drove us nuts for several
> weeks by having cables attached to all three ports on one card (we used
> all three media) connected to different subnets. The "unused" ports were
> injecting noise into the networks - no data, just noise. Wanted to shoot
> the SOB, but the legal system here says that's not nice. Pity.
>
>>Sorry if it's a really stupid question.
>
> Actually, it's not stupid - and it's not well documented. You can buy
> hubs and switches that have both types of connections, but it's going to
> be better for you in the long run to replace the coax with CAT5 cable.

Thanks for all the info and insight. All I'm sharing a 512k ADSL line, so
bandwidth really isn't an issue :-) plus I work with rf, so coax is free,
even long runs.

I think I've found a solution, which is to add a third 'orange' card to
the smoothwall box - easier than adding in the huge old hub with BNC input
I fished out of the skip (dumpster) yesterday.

Cheers,

Steve

In the Usenet newsgroup comp.os.linux.networking, in article
<(E-Mail Removed)>, Steve wrote:

>Thanks for all the info and insight. All I'm sharing a 512k ADSL line, so
>bandwidth really isn't an issue :-) plus I work with rf, so coax is free,
>even long runs.

Yeah, but the NICs are getting a bit harder to find.

>I think I've found a solution, which is to add a third 'orange' card to
>the smoothwall box

That's not unreasonable, though the routing tables may get messy.

>easier than adding in the huge old hub with BNC input I fished out of
>the skip (dumpster) yesterday.

There's a lot of us who do dumpster diving - often with spectacular
success. I've gotten my last four monitors that way. The company is
in process of changing over to fiber, and thankfully (because I don't
have to do it) they've got contractors pulling in the new fiber AND
pulling out the old cable - including the 3Base5 Experimental Ethernet
from the 1970s, and 10Base5 thicknet. Pity is that the contractor is
the one who's keeping the old cables, transceivers, patch cords and
concentrators, and nothing is showing up in the dumpster. :-(

Old guy