Date: Tue, 2 Oct 2001 21:31:44 -0600 (CST) From: Ryan Thompson <ryan@sasknow.com> To: parv <parv_@yahoo.com> Cc: f-q <freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG> Subject: Re: any device to share one dial up connection among old fashioned modems? Message-ID: <Pine.BSF.4.21.0110022117310.4809-100000@ren.sasknow.com> In-Reply-To: <20011002181040.A11747@moo.holy.cow>
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parv wrote to f-q: > hi people, > > is there any hub/switch/etc. which can be used to share single (phone) > dial up connection among more than one old fashioned modems, most > possible w/o things ethernet? By definition, a hub or a switch would not work, because POTS modems rely on point to point link layer protocols. Hubs or switches work on (logical) broadcast mediums. Perhaps some sort of bridging or routing would do the trick. This would be trivial if you could, say, set up a dial-in computer to connect to the Internet, and then, with NAT, for example, provide Internet connectivity to the various connected computers. Some home routers probably already allow you to do this, with delivery over Ethernet. If adding Ethernet compatibility to the computers is not an option for you, you will have trouble "sharing" your dial-in connection. In your case, it might be the most cost-effective to just go with Ethernet. > - running a computer all the time isn't an option In any case, you are going to need "something" that runs all the time to provide service... If not a computer, maybe a cheap dial-up router. (A little more ubiquitous than a mid-tower... easier to convince your dad, maybe :-) Adding Ethernet to both systems would enable you to set up file sharing, print sharing, etc... so you could potentially gain a lot more than sharing a dial-up connection. As well, if you are able to upgrade to a high speed Internet connection at some point, most (if not all) of the consumer-level services rely on Ethernet for end host delivery. A reliable Ethernet card can be had for under $15 these days (more for PCMIA)... So it's a really easy expense to justify. You MIGHT, in the absense of Ethernet, be able to rig up a direct serial or parallel connection between the two hosts, which would be just fast enough to share a dial-up connection. Then, the computer which actually connects to the 'net would have to be on and connected all the time. You should be able to do this with FreeBSD, though, with PLIP (IP over parallel), maybe, if you can convince Windows to play along. > here are some more details: > - computer A fitted w/ linksys pcmlm56 card (ethernet doesn't work) > and windows me & freebsd 4.4 > - computer B has some sort of modem, most possibly software based > and windows (98|me) > - connection to outside world happens via earthlink dial up connection > - running a computer all the time isn't an option > > it's possible to add a working ethernet card to A on my own expense, > but not to B as that's owned by my father and he will be highly > reluctant to spend anything on ethernet connectivity since "he can > use whatever modem he has just fine". > > thanks in advance. > > -- Ryan Thompson <ryan@sasknow.com> Network Administrator, Accounts SaskNow Technologies - http://www.sasknow.com #106-380 3120 8th St E - Saskatoon, SK - S7H 0W2 Tel: 306-664-3600 Fax: 306-664-1161 Saskatoon Toll-Free: 877-727-5669 (877-SASKNOW) North America To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message
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