Return to BSD News archive
Path: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au!newshost.carno.net.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!not-for-mail From: David Henshaw <dhenshaw@silas.cc.monash.edu.au> Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc Subject: Choice of Networking cards and cables Date: Tue, 25 Mar 1997 23:55:59 +1000 Organization: Monash University Lines: 28 Message-ID: <3337D96F.48CE@silas.cc.monash.edu.au> NNTP-Posting-Host: ascend-2-09.cc.monash.edu.au Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Mailer: Mozilla 3.0Gold (Win95; I) Xref: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc:37715 Hi All. I'm looking into slipping a network interface into my PCs to create a small network of initially two computers. I'll be looking at buying a board based around the NE2000 chipset. My questions is given the small size of my network (which will consist of a FreeBSD box and a Win 95 machine) which type of cabling is the best choice ? The cards I'm looking at come with both RJ45 and BNC connectors. So I can use UTP or coaxial cable. If I use UTP (which is cheaper) then I either have to buy a hub or cross the transmit and receive pairs. Of course this seems a no win situation. If I buy a hub then I have the added flexability of being able to connected more devices. This is on the downside of an added expense. Similarly, a crossover UTP wire does not afford me this luxury, but saves me money. My other option is the coaxial. I assume I can use ThinNet (50 ohms) or any similarly rated coaxial cable. Although more expensive than the UTP it means I can add devices as required using the appropriate BNC connectors. Has any one got some recommendations (or a pointer to a FAQ) ? Thanx in advance. David H. dhenshaw@silas.cc.monash.edu.au