[Sketcher]

Is this possible? The PC is running on WIndows XP with DSL. I was wondering if it's possible to hook up a Mac with OS X 10.2.8 to that same DSL modem. If so, how?

Thanks in advance.

[John Strung]

You need a cheap Cable/DSL router. Should be able to find one on sale for $20 or so.

[ginoledesma]

Best solution is to get a cheap-o DSL/Cable modem router. You plug that to the DSL modem and then you plug the PC and Mac to the router.

[Zagadka]

I'm wondering the same thing. Despite googling my way around the net all day yesterday, I can't seem to find the answer.

I've got a PC running XP with a DSL USB modem. I've got a Mac Mini networked to it via an ethernet router. I can swap files between the machines, through the shared folder on the PC via the router. But I don't seem to be able to map the PC's DSL connection onto the router's LAN.

ICS is enabled on the PC, and the Mac says it is "connected to the internet" through Ethernet. Except, er, it isn't. The PC seems to have two distinct IP addresses as well (which is something I've never come across before) - one for each connection (DSL and Ethernet).

Frankly, I'm confused. In the past I've been used to my Mac kind of fumbling its way through these things without having to get too technical inna Windoze stylee. This, however, has me stumped.

Any walkthroughs anyone can point me to? I can't believe that no-one's ever had to share a USB internet connection with both a Mac and PC before!

Many thanks,

Zagadka.

[ghporter]

Zagadka, your situation is not all that uncommon, and unfortunately the issue is mainly the USB modem. If you had a DSL modem with an ethernet port, everything would be as in the above posts-just get a cheap cable/DSL router and plug things in.

Here's how your setup is supposed to work. In a "typical" ICS setup, the PC's WAN connection is through one ethernet port, and its LAN connection is through a second one. The LAN connection has its address assigned manually (or by ICS), and it further acts as a one-port router to assign anything attached to it an appropriate address.

With your situation, things are different. The USB DSL modem emulates an ethernet port, so the USB port actually gets assigned an IP address by the modem. The ethernet port has an address assigned by the router, so there's some bit of confusion built in. ICS really can't use that ethernet port, so anything you have connected to it is pretty much isolated.

Without a detailed diagram of what you have and how it's connected, I can't give you a detailed fix. But I can suggest a few things. First, if all you have piggybacking off the PC is ONE Mac, you don't need the router-the ICS function actually acts as a one-port router. If you disable ICS, then start it up again with the wizard, and plug the Mac into the ethernet port, I am fairly confident that it will work for you. Using the wizard is key, because it will set all the defaults you need set, including how the connection from the DSL modem is bridged, and so on.

The real fix would be to somehow get a DSL modem with an ethernet port. Most U.S. DSL providers that furnish USB modems do so because they know it's hard to network computers that use USB broadband connections. I think that's malarkey, and it's very anti-customer. See if your provider will substitute a modem with an ethernet connection. You could tell them that your USB port doesn't work (it doesn't do what you need it to do-share your DSL connection-but you don't have to tell them all the details).

[Zagadka]

Originally Posted by ghporter

Zagadka, your situation is not all that uncommon, and unfortunately the issue is mainly the USB modem. If you had a DSL modem with an ethernet port, everything would be as in the above posts-just get a cheap cable/DSL router and plug things in.

Yeah, I suspected as much.

Here's how your setup is supposed to work. In a "typical" ICS setup, the PC's WAN connection is through one ethernet port, and its LAN connection is through a second one. The LAN connection has its address assigned manually (or by ICS), and it further acts as a one-port router to assign anything attached to it an appropriate address.

Ah. This might explain why, once I'd run the ICS wizard, the PC's LAN IP changed and I had to make a DHCP request to get it talking to the Mac again. After a bit of head banging.

With your situation, things are different. The USB DSL modem emulates an ethernet port, so the USB port actually gets assigned an IP address by the modem. The ethernet port has an address assigned by the router, so there's some bit of confusion built in. ICS really can't use that ethernet port, so anything you have connected to it is pretty much isolated.

This is the bit I find incredible! Goddamn Microsoft

Without a detailed diagram of what you have and how it's connected, I can't give you a detailed fix. But I can suggest a few things. First, if all you have piggybacking off the PC is ONE Mac, you don't need the router-the ICS function actually acts as a one-port router. If you disable ICS, then start it up again with the wizard, and plug the Mac into the ethernet port, I am fairly confident that it will work for you. Using the wizard is key, because it will set all the defaults you need set, including how the connection from the DSL modem is bridged, and so on.

Thanks, Glenn, I'll give it a go. I do actually have another Mac - my trusty G3 iMac - I want to put on the network, but it doesn't specifically need net access. Sooo... Um, actually, with the router out of the question, that's pretty much out of the window, isn't it? I can't even use it to backup documents...

The real fix would be to somehow get a DSL modem with an ethernet port. Most U.S. DSL providers that furnish USB modems do so because they know it's hard to network computers that use USB broadband connections. I think that's malarkey, and it's very anti-customer. See if your provider will substitute a modem with an ethernet connection. You could tell them that your USB port doesn't work (it doesn't do what you need it to do-share your DSL connection-but you don't have to tell them all the details).

My ISP supplier is actually my prospective father-in-law, so I'll have to see if that swings things a bit. Failing that, I might eventually have to fork out for an ethernet-enabled modem.

Cheers again for all your advice - hugely appreciated!