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Although we'll cover selecting your sharing
method later, there is one important thing that you should do
when planning to share your Internet connection with your LAN:
Keep
your network separated from your ISP's network!
The key reasons for doing this are security for your LAN and avoiding
problems with your ISP. Read this page
for more information.
In the typical case of:
an Ethernet-based LAN
software-based sharing method
external cable or DSL modem connected via 10/100BaseT
Ethernet
I recommend not using two of the
same exact NIC (especially 3COM, since users have reported problems
with multiple 3COM NICs). The main reason for this recommendation
is that it will be easier for you to tell the NICs apart when you go to
configure their Properties in the TCP/IP Control Panel, and when you run
the winipcfg utility.
NOTE!
Adding the second NIC is probably the most difficult part of getting your
Internet connection shared. Many of the emails that I receive tell
long tales of woe and struggle with this step.
The world of Networking has changed since I first wrote this in 1998.
New networking methods
have appeared, i.e. wireless, phoneline and powerline, and inexpensive
hardware routers have appeared and continue to get even more inexpensive!
These new alternatives create the need for exceptions to the "Two
NIC" rule, and require a shift in thinking from "Two NICs"
to "Two Network Adapters" in the case of software-based sharing
methods.
So here's the list of "Two NIC" exceptions
(and here's hoping that you don't get totally confused by this)...
Exception 1: Internal cable or DSL modems
Since the modem connects directly to your computer's internal bus (usually
via a PCI slot), you don't need a NIC to connect to it. Just one
NIC (or phoneline or wireless or powerline network card) in the Sharing
server is needed to connect to the LAN.
Exception 2: External cable or DSL modems with wireless, phoneline
or powerline-based LAN
In this case, one Ethernet NIC is needed to connect to the cable/DSL
modem, but since your LAN is not Ethernet based, you don't need a second
NIC.
Exception 3: Hardware router
The router handles the job of keeping your LAN separated from your ISP's
network and also handles sharing the Internet connection. All
you need in this case is one NIC per computer.
(When hardware routers or "residential gateways" or whatever
other term the marketing folks come up with, appear that handle Wireless
/ phoneline / powerline connections directly, this exception should
be interpreted to be one network-adapter-of-the-proper-flavor per computer.)
Exception 4: Multiple IPs The only case in which you
can't create a separate network is if you are using the multiple
IP address method of sharing.
In order for the multiple IP address method to work, all computers that
require Internet access need to be connected directly to the ISP's
network, usually via a hub or switch.
In the Multiple IP method, you need only one NIC per computer.
Exception 5: External cable or DSL modems connected via USB
In this case, one Ethernet NIC is needed to connect to the LAN, but
since the cable / DSL modem is connected via USB, you don't need a second
NIC.
(Thanks to Jason Aubrey for the tip!)
NOTE!
Adding the second NIC is probably the most difficult part of getting your
Internet connection shared. Many of the emails that I receive tell
long tales of woe and struggle with this step.
