Setting up a network and sharing internet

[Henry Spencer]

On Thu, 18 Aug 2005, Chris Friedt wrote:
>> BTW, a crossover cable is cheap.  Go buy one, if you need it.
> 
> It's a lot cheaper to cut one yourself ;-) ($1 + 2 x $0.85) parts -
> crimper vs. $7-$15 or whatever at computer shops

Unfortunately, it takes some practice to make them right and do it
reasonably quickly; it's easy to get details wrong.  It's advisable
to be set up to *test* the resulting cables.

(Quite apart from the possibility of sheer miswiring, there are other
things that can go wrong.  I once made a perfectly fine-looking cable that
turned out to have a *short* in one connector, between the two wires of
one pair.  I've never figured out how that could have happened -- maybe a
manufacturing defect in the connector? -- but it unquestionably did.)

Especially if you put some value on your time, DIY network cables no
longer make much sense, unless you're doing a lot of them or you need
something unusual.  I'm still set up to make my own, but for ordinary
requirements I buy the commercial ones. 

                                                          Henry Spencer
                                                       henry-lqW1N6Cllo0sV2N9l4h3zg at public.gmane.org

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