2 NICs in WinXP

RubberDuckie · Post by **RubberDuckie** » Fri Jan 24, 2003 9:04 pm

Is this easy to setup...Im thinking about it.

Will they bridge one IP accross both NICs?
Hows that work?

Post by **FlyingPenguin** » Fri Jan 24, 2003 10:36 pm

What you trying to do, Internet sharing?

It's easy. Install the 2 NICs. Whichever is connected to your broadband right click on it in Network Connections and click properties. One of the tabs should be for Connection Sharing. Just enable connection sharing.

On the other computer just make sure TCP/IP on the NIC is configured to get the IP address automatically.

Only snag you might run into is sometime you get PCI IRQ channel sharing issues with 2 NICs. If you have problems, try moving one of the NICs to another slot. Another alternative is to use a USB NIC for the broadband connection.

HOWEVER, the better way to do this is to buy a router. That way you don't need 2 NICs on one computer, and both computers get their own independent net access (the "server" doesn't have to be on all the time to provide net access to the other computer). Also a router provides more security.

nero wolfe · Post by **nero wolfe** » Fri Jan 24, 2003 10:54 pm

Originally posted by FlyingPenguin
What you trying to do, Internet sharing?

It's easy. Install the 2 NICs. Whichever is connected to your broadband right click on it in Network Connections and click properties. One of the tabs should be for Connection Sharing. Just enable connection sharing.

On the other computer just make sure TCP/IP on the NIC is configured to get the IP address automatically.

Only snag you might run into is sometime you get PCI IRQ channel sharing issues with 2 NICs. If you have problems, try moving one of the NICs to another slot. Another alternative is to use a USB NIC for the broadband connection.

HOWEVER, the better way to do this is to buy a router. That way you don't need 2 NICs on one computer, and both computers get their own independent net access (the "server" doesn't have to be on all the time to provide net access to the other computer). Also a router provides more security.

yup thats all ya gotta do it works like a charm too

RubberDuckie · Post by **RubberDuckie** » Fri Jan 24, 2003 10:57 pm

nope...Im just trying to double my bandwidth
I have a router
I would like to have double the bandwidth at a LAN party

Both Nics will be connected to the router

PreDatoR · Post by **PreDatoR** » Fri Jan 24, 2003 11:38 pm

in reality your not gonna double your bandwidth... if the router is 10/100 which i'm sure it is... then it can't move more that 100 anyways... so running 2 nics at 100 isn't gonna do much good for you. now if their 10baset nic's then ya that would benefit ya

not sure how it can be done though... i know you can multilink with 2 modems and esentially thats what your trying to do here i think...

Busby · Post by **Busby** » Sat Jan 25, 2003 12:12 am

Not necessarily true, I've looked into this but never found an answer. I believe he basically wants one NIC to be used solely as upload and one solely as download, each hooked up to different switch ports. I would LOVE to know an answer because I have 2 NICs onboard and doubling bandwidth (200 Mbps each way due to full duplex), I would think.

RubberDuckie · Post by **RubberDuckie** » Sat Jan 25, 2003 6:55 pm

sort of busby.

If it were one for upload and one for download, wouldnt that only be 100 ful duplex?

But you are correct were I have two NICs pluged into 2 different ports...to get 200 Full Duplex.
It is possible....but I dont know how

Busby · Post by **Busby** » Sat Jan 25, 2003 7:21 pm

Using Full Duplex enables 200 Mbps because it allows for simaltaneious(sp?) uploading and downloading, which allows for 100 Mbps up and 100 Mbps down, so theoretically speaking having 2 NICs act as a single connection, where one is dedicated for up and one for down, would allow a theoretical maximum of 400 Mbps, unless the Full Duplex wouldn't allow it to happen.

CaterpillarAssassin · Post by **CaterpillarAssassin** » Sat Jan 25, 2003 7:39 pm

or u could buy gigabit equipment

Judg3 · Post by **Judg3** » Sun Jan 26, 2003 8:00 am

Your talking about "Port Aggregation"* which isn't implemented on a majority of consumer based NIC's and on none of the 'home routers' out there that I know of.

I've used it (or should I say, attempted) a lot.

We used dual Adaptec 64bit NICs (Would give you the model, but Adaptec.com is dog slow right now) connected to a Cisco 36xx switch. You'd have to install the adaptec software, tell it use port aggregation and THEN go to the cisco switch and connect the circuits into a logical link and then watch your machine blue screen and do all sorts of weird stuff since it's a fairly new standard and has a lot of glitches in it.

For use at a lan party, you'd only get a max of 100mbit off it anyway, since you'd be the only guy there with 400mbps full duplex. (200mbps each way)

(Port Aggregation: A protocol and hardware features are defined which allow multiple point-to-point links connecting two devices to be automatically discovered and aggregated into a single logical link, providing both load sharing and redundancy.)

RubberDuckie · Post by **RubberDuckie** » Sun Jan 26, 2003 2:56 pm

For use at a lan party, you'd only get a max of 100mbit off it anyway, since you'd be the only guy there with 400mbps full duplex. (200mbps each way)

True but that is not my goal. When was the last time you went to a LAN and only one person connected to you or you only connected to 1 computer.

Just wondering if two NICs would allow me to say download from one computer at full bandwith and download from another computer at full bandwidth?

Judg3 · Post by **Judg3** » Sun Jan 26, 2003 3:46 pm

Originally posted by RubberDuckie

Just wondering if two NICs would allow me to say download from one computer at full bandwith and download from another computer at full bandwidth?

In a quick answer, it depends.

Long answer:

There's a few ways to do this. The easiest and most cost effective way is to put each NIC on it's on LAN, by default Windows will look for an address on a default adapter, if it doesnt find it it tries the second one. We had a seperate LAN at work that worked that way to reduce network overhead. My machines primary address was a public IP, the second card was bonded to 10.10.10.x, we ran our game servers off the 10.x network, so they would pick it up that way.

For your purpose that wouldn't work very well I don't think.

Now the technical answer (Im using a Compaq 4port NIC as the example here, but other industrial use nic's which support the below will also work)

You want port bonding. There's 2 diffrent types. TLB (Transmit Load Balancing - which wouldnt really work for you since it's balancing of transmit traffic) and SLB (Switch-Assisted Load Balancing).

SLB provides port failover and balancing of both transmit and receive traffic across all adapters when connected to a switch that supports this feature.

Once again that brings us to the $4,000+ CISCO switches which I know support this (I know the Catalyst 35xx+ supports this, though I'm sure most layer 3+ switches can do the same thing).
Either way, it won't really work unless A. Your NIC's are connected to a switch that supports balancing B. You use NICs that support balancing and C. You install the software :-p.

Im almost (about 99.9%) postive any of the normal switches you'd find at a LAN party wont be able to do it. They are usually inexpensive unmanaged (i think layer 2?) type. Basically, the price diffrence on the two types of switches is insane. a 24 port unmanaged rackmount switch is 240$ (CDW.com), while the same model in a managed switch is 2100$.

But hey, if you find out the LAN party you normally goes to has the network equipment to support it and the netadmins who know how to use it then I think I can find a nic for you to use. Or you can use Ebay, just a quick check show's a compaq dual port nic for under 50$ (Plus, you can buy the expansion for the port and give yourself fiber if ya wanted heheh)

Sorry if that's long winded, but being unemployed and all, I rarely get a chance to talk technical anymore these days