do i need three nic cards to network 2 computers

[harderclock]

i have a hub and want to know if i can connect the cable modem to the hub and then to both the computers or do i need to establish a connection to one computer as a host (2 nics)and to the hub then to the second computer or can someone give me easy directions i have all the hardware.thanks in advance

[dozier768]

just a hub and 2 nics the cable modem plugs in to the uplink port and you cannot use the socket adjacent to the uplink port, most cable companys want you to pay for hooking more than one machine up though. with a cable/dsl router you can get away with it, but probably not with a hub, and hubs severly lack when it comes to performance, if your just surfing it'll do though

[su root]

yeah, if you plug the cable modem into the uplink port, and distribute the connection over your network, you will be allowed to run all your computers on the internet. The only problem is that my cable company says that I get 3 IP addresses. When I got 7 friends over, only 3 computers will have internet access (whichever ones were there first, to reset which ones get what, power-off-power-on the cable modem)

[Newbie_Doo]

Originally posted by harderclock
i have a hub and want to know if i can connect the cable modem to the hub and then to both the computers or do i need to establish a connection to one computer as a host (2 nics)and to the hub then to the second computer or can someone give me easy directions i have all the hardware.thanks in advance

Depends on your cable company's rules. If they allow multiple IPs, then you can go from your modem into the hub. If not, then you would need to go to the first computer, out a 2nd nic into the hub and then connect the other computer to the hub. You will need to use an internet connection sharing program to make it work.

A better plan is to use a gateway router (I use a Netgear RT314) to do the network address translation, and then you only have to pay for one IP and no need for ICS.

There are a lot of good routers on the market, go here (http://www.practicallynetworked.com) to see some good information on them and also to get some ideas about how best to make your connection.