Connecting an extra computer to Internet

[Kam Leo]

On 7/5/07, Paul Smith <phhs80 at gmail.com> wrote:
> On 7/5/07, Dave Ihnat <dihnat at dminet.com> wrote:
> > > I have a cable-based (not optic) modem/router to connect to the
> > > Internet (ADSL), which works fine. However, a friend comes in from
> > > time to time, bringing her laptop. Is there some cheap and easy way of
> > > letting her laptop to connect to Internet? Unfortunately, I cannot see
> > > any place in the modem/router to connect an extra cable...
> >
> > Sure--depends on how you've configured your LAN, though.  If you're
> > using the Linux box as a firewall, you put a second NIC in it and either
> > connect her to that, or (more useful) put a switch on it so you have
> > more than one connection.
> >
> > If you're NOT using the Linux box as a firewall, then you absolutely
> > should get a firewall appliance between the cable modem and your LAN.
> > All of these have at least four, usually five LAN ports.
>
> Thanks, Dave. I have still no LAN (as far as I am aware of it); I only
> have a single computer and a modem to connect to the Internet. What do
> you mean by NIC? How can I know whether I have already got NICs in my
> computer?
>
> Paul

Go here first: http://computer.howstuffworks.com/home-network.htm.

Come back to the list after you have read this and/or other similar materials.