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Date |
: Dec 7th, 2000 |
| Category |
: Networking |
| Manufacturer |
: N/A |
| Author |
: Jin-Wei Tioh |
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I remember my maiden foray into networks, way back in 1997. Borrowed two 3Com Etherlink III ISAs (those were expensive back then), and tried to get two Win95 machines to talk to each other. Installation (setting IPs, subnets and such) went without a hitch. Connected both machines using the only ethernet cable I had. Then the moment of truth came. Booted up both machines and tried to ping each other, and the results were less than exciting...
After lots of soul-searching and head-scratching, it finally dawned on me that I needed a crossover cable, not a normal, straight-through cable like the one I was using. I had neither the equipment nor the expertise to go the DIY route, so I bought one. Reconnected the 2 machines, and voila!
This guide will show you how to properly construct a crossover network cable. It is used to directly connect _two_ computers to each other without the use of a hub or switch. Why a crossover cable? A cable is much cheaper than even the cheesiest generic no-name hub, is simple to transport and requires no additional accessories (eg. power brick, etc.)
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