Connecting hubs!!! howto

[oalee]

I need help, I have 2 8-port hubs and 12 computers. Can I connect the two hubs together to make it function as 1? If yes, how do I do it? Do I need special hardware or software to do it? I'd very appreciate all the help you can give me. Thanks,

[Zachery]

I really suggest not using hubs and rather getting routers or level 3 switches (mini routers)

Hubs need to be connected via Cross over cable. not via whatever you usualy buy at bestbuy.

[oalee]

ok, so if i want to inter-connect hubs i'm going to need a crossover cable. what about switches? does it need a crossover cable too?

[TheOgre]

It depends on the switch - some models don't require them, others do. If you don't want to spend the money on switches, since you already have 2 hubs, just connect the hubs together with a crossover cable. There should be ports marked on the hubs to indicate where the uplink ports are located. The user manual should also tell you which ones they are, and how to connect them.

[oalee]

but switches are better than hubs right? so, i'll probably be using switches... i'll run through the manual, (if i can find it) and try some things... thnx ...

[alc6379]

but switches are better than hubs right? so, i'll probably be using switches... i'll run through the manual, (if i can find it) and try some things... thnx ...

Switches do the same thing as hubs, basically. The difference is that switches are faster. Hubs utilize a single "bus", if you will, and all traffic runs on the same line to get to any host on the hub. Switches, however, have the capability to create direct logical circuits between two communicating machines, so other network activity doesn't interfere so much.

If all you ever do is swap files every now and then between machines, a 10/100 hub will do. But, if you're constantly serving files, or if you're planning a LAN party, you'd benefit from having a switch, as it would decrease latency and eliminate network packet collisions.

[oalee]

so if i connect 2 8-port switches together i'll have to use a crossover cable?

[cscgal]

Not if they have an uplink port.

[oalee]

now you're getting me more confused here... what's an uplink port for? i saw one old switch i had that says uplink... with a small switch in it... what's it for?

[alc6379]

the uplink port used to be included on most hubs. It was there so you could connect two hubs using a straight-through cable. Most companies stopped including them for three reasons:
crossover cables are easy to get ahold of nowadays
it saves money to not include the uplink port.
They want you to buy a bigger hub/switch if you need more ports

Crossover cables are pretty easy to make, and they're also available to purchase at most computer stores, maybe even WalMart. If I needed to connect some hubs together, I'd just get a crossover cable.

[oalee]

ok, ill give it a try.. thanks all... :)