crossover cable between two computers

[Catfisherman]

What I would like to do is connect my laptop (running mandrake 9.2) and my desktop (running xp home) using a crossover cable.

Laptop is currently hooked to the cable modem direct and the crossover would only be used for transfering files once in awhile (when i get home off the road)

I have the desktop setup with an ip of 192.168.130.1

 

What i need help with is setting up the laptop. I did set it up using drakconnect making another profile for the crossover cable but when i tried to switch the profile back to the default profile (the one that mandrake set up auto when i installed mandrake) something got screwed up and i couldn't connect to the net at all, so i did a fresh install of 9.2 to fix things. (Yes i know not what most would of done but then i'm a new linux user so still have the windows mentality of reinstall i guess).

 

So I guess what i'm asking is how do I set up the laptop (the mandrake machine) so that I would be able to easily switch back and forth between using the crossover cable when needed and then the cable modem (internet).

 

Should i just need to create another profile in drakconnect ?? and if so maybe someone could give me some kind of step by step instructions.

Also if thats the way I need to do it, when switching profiles how should i do it ?? click the profile I want and then apply or what??

If I need to make a new profile what all would I need to set , looks like lots of things to set ??

 

Maybe I'm not even going about things right.

All suggestions and help would be greatly appreciated.

 

 

PS: don't need internet connection sharing.

Thought about a router but don't really need one as I'm home about four days a month and

don't have a need to have both computers hooked to the net at the same time, so crossover

cable seemed the best way to go.

 

thanks again in advance

[Gowator]

Ooops

Sorry this one slipped through in the Xmas period.

 

For such occaisional use you can just change the IP address by hand.

 

Im presuming it gets a DHCP addres from the cable mopdem when connected.

 

The 'easiest' way is possibly to just leave the working internet connection as it is and override the IP address manually in a teminal

 

ifconfig eth0 192.168.130.99 will keep everything as it is except temporariliy change the IP address.

 

You can put it back by

/etc/init.d/network restart

 

You can add a static hostname to the /etc/hosts file and create an entry for laptop if you like, copy the localhost line but change the IP to 192.168.130.99 and the name to <laptop> or whatever.

 

There are more sophisticated ways BUT for occiasional use as you describe this is probably much easier.

 

Hope Im not too late!!!!

[Catfisherman]

thanks for the help :)

Works great doing that way, I had found after quite a bit of searching exactly what you suggest about doing it manually. I know I kinda posted at a bad time with it being the holidays and all. I do appreciate the response and answer.

I also finally figured out another way to do it by going to drakconnect and setting up another profile.

Called it crossover and ran the wizzard to set it up putting in a static ip, so now all I have to do is switch profiles when ever I need to transfer files.

Thanks again for the help :)

[fissy]

for future reference, you almost never need to use crossover cables anymore

(which is good cause they cost a lot more.)

 

The network cards in modern computers can work out for themselves whether the pins need swapping over.