What software to use for networking.

I have 3 computers I want to wirelessly connect together and I need to
know what software to use and the best way to do it.

I have a 1.3 Ghz AMD Duron dual boot with Mandrake 10.0 Official and Win
XP with SP2 w/Mandrake being the primary system and internet access via
DSL.

I have an AMD K2 350 Mhz (Hey it was free) running Mandrake 10.0
Official that I want to use as a print and fileserver.

I also have an old Compaq Armada 4125D laptop running Win 98SE that I
use for jewelry design.

The 1.3 Ghz Duron is the only system that is, and will be, connected to
the internet. It uses an Actiontec GT701wg modem connected by Cat 5 to
a RealTek RTL-8139 ethernet card. It also contains a Via-Rhine ‎VT6102
[Rhine II 10/100] onboard ethernet card. Mandrake is the primary system
on this computer and 98% of the time it is the o/s that will be
interfacing with the network, although I will be using Win XP occasionally.

My questions are:
1. is what I want to do even possible?

2. is wireless the best way to go or should I use the onboard second
network card?

3. what software, if any, would I need to use to set the whole thing up?

John Batt
(E-Mail Removed)

On 2005-04-18, John Batt <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> 1. is what I want to do even possible?

Sure.

> 2. is wireless the best way to go or should I use the onboard second
> network card?

Do you have the wireless hardware? What's the problem in going with the
wire?

> 3. what software, if any, would I need to use to set the whole thing up?

Driver(s) for the network card(s) and the basic tcp/ip software already
installed, the will to read the iptable howto and apply the concept.

Davide

--
NT is the only OS that has caused me to beat a piece of hardware to death
with my bare hands. --Derry Hamilton

Davide Bianchi wrote:
> On 2005-04-18, John Batt <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
>>1. is what I want to do even possible?
>
>
> Sure.
>
>
>>2. is wireless the best way to go or should I use the onboard second
>>network card?
>
>
> Do you have the wireless hardware? What's the problem in going with the
> wire?

I haven't got any hardware yet.

>
>
>>3. what software, if any, would I need to use to set the whole thing up?
>
>
> Driver(s) for the network card(s) and the basic tcp/ip software already
> installed, the will to read the iptable howto and apply the concept.

wouldn't I need to use samba?

> Davide
>

On 2005-04-20, John Batt <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>> Do you have the wireless hardware? What's the problem in going with the
>> wire?
>
> I haven't got any hardware yet.

You said 'onboard network card', meaning that you have onboard network
card on the pc(s). Then you already have mosto of the hardware required
to go wired (a part from the wires I guess).

> wouldn't I need to use samba?

Samba is for sharing files between Windows and Linux machine, if you want
to just copy files around you can do the same with plain ftp/scp. But
these are are high level applications running on top of the network, and
you are talking about basic networking.

Davide

--
I have replaced NT with Linux.
Linux -- heir of the byte that dogged me.
-- Allan Willis