Two-Node Networking


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Tutorial Home >Operating Systems >Windows 9x >Building a Microsoft Windows 98 Network >Cabling the Network >Two-Node Networking

  Step 1:  Building a Two-Node Network

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If you have only two computers in your home or office and you want to connect them in order to share resources, you can do so in the normal way by using a hub and running cables to each of the two computers. However, because only two computers are involved, you can eliminate the hub entirely and connect the computers together directly, as long as you have the appropriate cable.
  Step 2:  Crossover Cables

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In order for two computers to communicate using twisted pair cable, the transmit wire pair on each NIC must be connected to the receive pair on the other. This requires a crossover circuit that is usually implemented in the hub. To connect two systems without a hub, you must use a special cable, called a crossover cable, that wires the transmit pins to the receive pins in both directions.
  Step 3:  Maximum Cable Length

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When using a hub, each length of cable connecting a computer to the hub is a separate segment, and can be up to 100 meters long. Therefore, by locating the hub midway between two computers, you can have them up to 200 meters apart. However, when you use a crossover cable to connect two computers instead of standard cables and a hub, you are using only one segment, and the cable can be no more than 100 meters long.
  Step 4:  Connecting the Computers

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Once you have obtained a crossover cable, you can plug one end into the NIC in each of the two computers. No modifications to the NIC or to the networking software are required, and you can use the systems just as you would with a hub-based network.