on 2/5/03 2:31 PM, (PCI PowerMacs) at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > so if i want to do it the three macs way, with subnet masking so several > machines can go on the net at once and go different places or do > different tasks simultaneously, do i want my switch, or was i > bamboozled into buying something I shouldn't have? will i need a router > too, or instead of?
The gentleman was correct. In the setup you are describing the front end Mac with the modem is acting as the router and it and the other Macs can be connected to either a switch or a hub. There is no need to use your fastest Mac for the modem and the router functions. Networking actually uses very few resources and a very modest Mac is more than capable of handling the data flow of a typical network. Remember that the Mac used for routing will not be processing any of the data it will simply be passing it along to another computer. Sustainable Software(?) makes IPNetRouter, which is excellent router software for both old and new Macs. The manual for the software is downloadable and even if you do not use the software, the manual is an excellent resource for networking both in theory and practice. bill -- PCI-PowerMacs is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Refurbished Drives | -- Sonnet & PowerLogix Upgrades - start at $169 | & CDRWs on Sale! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> PCI-PowerMacs list info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/pci-powermacs.shtml> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive:<http://www.mail-archive.com/pci-powermacs%40mail.maclaunch.com/> Using a Mac? Free email & more at Applelinks! http://www.applelinks.com
