Hook up of two computers

[Guest_imported]

I have two computers that i want to hook up together, only to play games(Starcraft, Warcraft, Half-Life). What is the best way to do this. I 've heard something about serial cables and LAN networks. If i have to use a LAN, how do i do that? Thank you

 

[paparazi]

Serial port to serial port is possible but slow for gaming so should be avoided.
The best solution is to by PCI network cards 10/100's are best but 10T base will do! you can get these for £12-£15 each and if it's just two machines being connected there is no need for a network hub, you will also need a network cable appropriately wired for direct PC to PC (ask the supplier) Ask about a kit, these can sometimes be cheaper.
Martin Vote if you found this post helpful please!!

 

[CitrixEngineer]

From my (limited) experience, a 10Mb card is only just up to network gaming. I'd go for a 100Mb card - or USB network connection. They're more expensive, but the latency you get from 10Mb cards can be really annoying.

To get a LAN going, you need a crossover cable to connect the NICs - not just any RJ45 cable. Any decent electronics store will sell these.

You also need a protocol on each PC. A protocol is a set of rules that allow the NICs to "talk" to each other, but has come to mean a suite of utilities, such as TCP/IP.

For most LAN gaming, TCP/IP is what you need, and Microsoft supply their own version with Windows. If you've got a modem, it's probably installed already.

If not, it's really easy to install - when you install the NIC, Windows will ask you to configure it with a protocol.

Use a private IP address, from 192.168.1.x, where x is any number you like. I tend to start at 20 and work up, but that comes from working for corporations where numbers below 20 on a subnet are reserved for printers and routers.

It's not important what 'x' is, and you won't need to configure DNS, WINS or anything else, except the subnet mask. Make that 255.255.255.0.

If you're on the internet, don't enable File Sharing, - it's a massive security hole.

If you need any more help setting up your network, post back.

I hope this helps

 

[Theed]

In addition to the two above posts, I'd recommend getting a linksys hub as well as 10/100 ethernet cards. Linksys has a very good rep with their parts as well as customer support.