Anyone using VE Pro on 2 machines, via GB Ethernet?

[Killahurts]

Hey Scooter,

Nothing wrong with the switch, as long as it's a Gigabit switch. You need to have a router ALSO. Here's why:

The router senses that a computer comes online, through a switch, or directly connected. The router then gives an address to that computer (or other device). The address is just a number- as more computers, etc. come online, the router gives each of them a distinct number, so they can be addressed individually.

Here's what I have: My "modem" is a box from Verizon (my internet service provider) that also serves as a router. I have 8 or 9 computers online, hooked up through several switches, that each get their address from the router. The switches create the connections between computers, and from the computers to the router. Why are they switches? Well because they "switch" connections between different devices... but those different devices all get their addresses from the router, which is just another device on the switch system. The switches can be connected to other switches.

My switches are all Linksys gigabit switches. Some have 5 ports, others have 8 ports.

I hope this helps!

[scooter]

Wow!
Thanks killahurts.
But now I'm really confused.
The diagram from VSL shows only one (router or hub) connected from the main computer to the slave computers. So that must not be a switch.
Interesting.
Well, you obviously know your way around the ethernet world.

So do I need 2 units, a switch and a router?
Or can I do this with just a router?

scooter

[scooter]

Here's also the reason I'm confused. VSL support sent me this info and it only mentions a switch and nothing else;

to have computers networked you need to connect them all to a gigabit switch (don't get a too cheap one, ~8 ports for ~100 EUR would be a good category)
all network interfaces need an IP address now which i recommend to be class C (= network mask 255.255.255.0) and should reside in the private range (say 192.168.10.x where 1 <= x <= 254, different IP for each machine) ... basically you're done now.

scooter

[KEVORKIAN]

But now I'm really confused....

So do I need 2 units, a switch and a router?
Or can I do this with just a router?

scooter

Actually, a Router, by definition is a type of switch that routes traffic between subnets. This has generally come to mean a device that routes traffic between your home network and the internet (the kind of unit your ISP provides)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Router

Some internet routers have a DHCP server feature within them that can hand out IP addresses to your computers dynamically. However, this is not a component of a "router" by definition, just an extra feature.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_a_dhcp_server

You don't need a DHCP server to complete a home network (if you don't have one) as you can assign IP addresses to your computers manually.

So... if you buy a Gigabit ethernet switch, and assign unique IP addresses to your computers they will be able to communicate.

Note: if you have an Airport base station, that has a DHCP server within it and this can assign your IP addresses.