network two computers, no hub

[spreelanka]

ok, this may seem like a silly question...and it is.
but i wanna setup a network with just my laptop and my desktop cause i have files on both that i need. and so i can setup a vnc server or something. Eventually i'll buy a hub when i get the $$.

Anyway, the laptop's running RH8.1/xp and the desktop is running RH7.3.

so can i do it without a hub?

[DjTeriyake]

Cop yerself a crossover cable. They look like regular network cables, but they're usually pink or red or any other similar hue. Crossover cables are explicitely for networking 2 computers, eliminating the need for other hardware. They run somewhere near a whopping $6.00. You can make sure it's a crossover by looking at the plugs: normal network cables have a series of coloured wires that are in the same sequence when the plugs are oriented in the same way whereas crossover cables reverse the order - hence their name.

Oh yeah I'm assuming you have NICs and all that.

[kshim5]

[url]http://www.linux-usb.org/usbnet/:D

[spreelanka]

crossover cable seems the most practical, but oddly enough i do consider $6 whopping, at least until i get another job. I may make one :-) it'll be more fun anyway.

usbnet sounds interesting too, but i think a crossover cable is much more practical for me.

thanks for the quick responses :-)