BeBits > TableOfContents > BeOS > HardwareSupport
One way to connect two or more BeOS pc's is by having a working network card in each computer. The most common is an ethernet card that has RJ-45 cables (look similar to US phone line cables.) If you have only two computers and no network hub or switch then get a crossover cable. Otherwise a small network can be made using a hub or switch. Hubs and Switches can support different speeds, as can Netword cards. Normal speeds are 10, 100 and 1000 mega-bits. Small networks will work well at speeds of 10, but larger (corperate) networks tend to use 100. The 'gigabit' network (1000) is an emerging technology, and as far as I am aware, no BeOS drivers currently support this speed. (EDIT - actually, theres an Intel 1Gbit NIC with a 55MB driver zip which claims to have BeOS drivers in it... don't quote me on this though)
Set a static IP Address in network preferences to something like 192.168.0.1 on one and 192.168.0.2, 192.168.0.3 etc on the others. Each card needs a unique IP Address. You should be able to use the terminal and run the ping command.
e.g.
% ping 192.168.0.2
If you are on the 1st box. If it works then you have a network. Use FTP or TELNET commands or better yet SSH, to transfer files. BeOS also comes built-in with CifsMount a termial command to mount shared folders on Windows networked PC's using the CIFS/SMB protocol. SAMBA can be used in the opposite direction. If you're really psychotic, you can use WON (World 'O Networking), which can be found on the R5 pro CD in the 'experimental' folders, to mount these shares (and explore your CIFS network) using a GUI. Unfortunatley WON crashes like a boy racer in a ford escort, so I'd advise all but the patient not to use it. You can use PoorMan for a simple local web setup, but Robinhood or Xitami HTTP server to really get your intranet going.
It's worth noting here that support for networking really differs depending on whether you are using Netserver or BONE. BONE is more stable, more rugged and faster, but it's still not a final product (till Zeta comes along, we all hope), and so it may well flake out in some areas. However, Netserver is slow and crashprone when using WON, but pretty dependable, when all is said and done. Don't assume you need BONE.
Another way to transfer files is by using a serial "nullmodem" cable and the program Serialtransfer. It may should be possible to use SLIP (Serial Line Internet Protocol) but this is unconfirmed.
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