IP trouble when sharing Internet-connection in Jaguar

[DjRedo]

I am trying to connect my stationary G4 733 running OSX 10.2.3 with my PowerBook G4 867 both running OSX 10.2.3. Im connected through Cable, using a Realtek RTL8139 Chipset Ethernet card with the OSX 10-2 drivers installed
to connect to the Internet,I want to use the buildt in ethernet card for sharing Net-connection as well as having the comfort of the Gigabit transfer rate between the machines.

However easy it is presented in the help documentation, I am having serious trouble sharing the connection. I have upgraded to a multiple IP deal with my cable provider (3 IPs), so it should not affect the IP setting of my provider...

I read some place that I would have to use DHCP for providing the IP for my powerbook, and the first time I did, it worked for a little while. The trouble is that as long as I keep the powerbook connected to the Stationary, neither will connect to the net. The second I pull the cable out of the PowerBook, the Stationary is back on the Internet. A friend of me got it working for a couple of minutes by cleaning out all the IPs not in use, but it was all out of control again after a short while.

Also, it seems to be dealing IPs in all directions, giving the Powerbook a new IP every time I reconnect it, claiming that the old IP is still in use. I guess i will solve this problem buying a HUB, but the way I read the documentation it should work
fine sharing this connection directly as long as I use two network cards (like a proxy). Am I wrong in this?

And yes: I have activated Internet sharing in the "sharing" preferences.

Anyone with a clue? I am glad for any help that can make me understand this a little better...

 

[Billicus]

Let me get this straight - you're trying to share cable internet from one ethernet card on the PowerMac through another ethernet card to the PowerBook? It might be more expensive, but have you ever considered buying airport cards for both?

 

[Choppaface]

you could buy a router, hook the computers into that, and then only ask for 1 ip from you ISP

 

[DjRedo]

Originally posted by Billicus
Let me get this straight - you're trying to share cable internet from one ethernet card on the PowerMac through another ethernet card to the PowerBook? It might be more expensive, but have you ever considered buying airport cards for both?

Yes, you are right in both senses.
The plan is AirPort, but it might take some time before I can afford it after buying the powerbook...

But; should this have any affect? Is the Internet sharing only for AirPort networks? And am I guaranteed that it will work in an AP network?

Another aspect of this is that if I am able to network these computers by using their buildt in ethernet cards, I will have the advantage of the Gigabit connection between the machines (which is awfully fast), which I don´t need to connect to the net. if i route it through a hub, (at least mine) or even an Airport-Station, I will not connect faster than at 100, which is a drag. I also suspect that this is where the problem is. There might be some problems running the two connection speeds at the same time, although this is just a wild guess...

Thanx for your help, mate...

 

[DjRedo]

Originally posted by Choppaface
you could buy a router, hook the computers into that, and then only ask for 1 ip from you ISP

Sure, but I have a deal with my ISP giving me three IPs. I had to get this because my IPs "freezeed" in their systems when I switched between the machines on thier network. According to them, because the Mac don´t have the "release all" function for TCP/IP that the PC has? (I´m not sure I trust that explanation, but the technical problems were real enough and disapeared when I uipgraded to Three IPs ). So I wouldn´t even need a router, just a simple two port hub, but my point was that I already had the network cards, and that the way I read it it shouldn´t be a problem. And since its working for about 1 minute before it starts getting confused over the IPs (or whatever happens), I really want to find out wether its possible, and what I eventually did wrong.

Another thing I failed to mention is that after installing the RealTek Ethernet card, the machine tells me that there is a problem with its drivers that might cause lower security. I get the choices of quitting without installing the driver, using it and "fix and use", which lets me write to the file (which Im not capable of). Maybe it could have something to do with this?

But I can hardly be the first who try this? I have searched all over for it, but no-one seems to be having the same trouble...

Thanx for your help, mate.

 

[Choppaface]

if you get a router, the router will use the one IP they give you and only that IP, and then it will assign IPs to your machines using its DHCP server

(but don't tell them you're doing that, he he)

I've got two desktops, an airport hub, and a printer on a Linksys router using one IP from my cable company, and everything works. if it makes any difference, I haven't noticed any speed slowdown when using the internet on a powerbook using the airport hub.... with full signal I can still get >300k downstream. the only think that's slow are computer-computer file xfers, for that I just plug the powerbook into the router...so I don't think you need to be so concerned about connecting them directly together unless you're doing big file xfers

is it really possible to use the connection sharing feature when the client machine doesn't use the IP suppled from the connected machine? I thought that you had to switch the client machine into DHCP in the network panel and have it accept the IP assigned by the connected machine? i dunno...

 

[Billicus]

Wait a minute, are you using a crossover cable between the two computers? I don't think it will work if you're just using any old ethernet cord. A hub, etc. changes the frequecy so that the numbers don't correspond. Hope that works.

 

[Choppaface]

I think a normal ethernet cord will work if the host machine is running X

 

[DjRedo]

Originally posted by Billicus
Wait a minute, are you using a crossover cable between the two computers? I don't think it will work if you're just using any old ethernet cord. A hub, etc. changes the frequecy so that the numbers don't correspond. Hope that works.

I think we are getting somewhere here... I were using crossover cable, but the drivers for the RealTek ethernet card which was set to share the connection with the buildt in card was able to handle the Gigabit connection on the other card, just as my HUB had the same trouble when I connected it. It was connected using normal ethernet, but the machines used crossover to the HUB, which caused a conflict somewhere between the Cable modem and the Machines. Some say it basically has to be the same cords all-over to be guaranteed hasle-free, but it sounds strange to me)

Anyway, I ended up buying a Belkin 4-port router today, together with two straight cables. It took me 3 minutes to have assigned separate IPs to the machines, Internet blasting around the room, Apple talk running and my old Bubble Jet shared... (If i followed Billicus first advice, bought an AP-station and worked the hours I´ve been scratching my ends over this, it would probably have been financed already...)


I will try putting in another network card and share the connection directly though, as I still would like to see if its possible to share the net and still have the Gigabit transfer rate. I COULD solve this by connecting the stationary to the router on the RealTek card, and then stretch a crossovercable from the Gb card to the PowerBook. In that way I would just have to switch the cable to enjoy Gigabit transfers, but will not be able to surf the web at the same time. On the other hand, its not really THAT important now that i got it working, but I just love to network without ANY lag. It just blew me the first time i tried to transfer large catalogs, its really a blast!

Thanx for a lot of useful help folks!! Im sure I will trouble you (and me) again: If I get it running with another network card, you will know, as I´ll probably come bragging about it...