So I wanted a faster connection between my Unraid box and my main PC, rather than buy a Gigabit router I just bought another NIC and decided to connect them Directly. I've tested the new NIC and it seem to be functioning perfectly but when I connect the unraid box I get the following.

 

 

 

I was hoping just connecting them up they'd work immediately but I knew deep down that'd be wishful thinking. So any idea what I need to do? I haven't really dealt with networking for years and am not sure what to do. I was under the imrpession I no longer needed a crossover cable and that the hardware would take care of that, was I wrong?

Search for workgroup and you will see that the UnRaid server has to be in the same workgroup. When they are in the same workgroup then the Win 7 machines have the additional option to be part of the home group which has predefined permissions and share securities. As far as crossover cable is concerned I am n ot 100% sure but I would say that you need it. With a switch you don't. Why would you not want to buy a Gig Lan switch in the good deals sub forum I believe there is one advertised for $25. Saves you a lot of headaches.

A cross-over cable is not needed.

Why would you not want to buy a Gig Lan switch in the good deals sub forum I believe there is one advertised for $25. Saves you a lot of headaches.

 

I have to agree with this.  I just bought a D-Link 8 port Gigabit switch for $25.99 shipped from Newegg.  My router is pretty old at this point, but I didn't want spend the extra money on a new one, so the new switch accomplishes what I need at a third of the cost, and provides plenty of ports for expansion.  You can't go wrong going this route.

I was under the imrpession I no longer needed a crossover cable and that the hardware would take care of that, was I wrong?

 

Nearly all ethernet devices, these days, are auto mdi/mdi-x sensing, so it is almost certain that you won't need a crossover cable.

Search for workgroup and you will see that the UnRaid server has to be in the same workgroup. When they are in the same workgroup then the Win 7 machines have the additional option to be part of the home group which has predefined permissions and share securities. As far as crossover cable is concerned I am n ot 100% sure but I would say that you need it. With a switch you don't. Why would you not want to buy a Gig Lan switch in the good deals sub forum I believe there is one advertised for $25. Saves you a lot of headaches.

The unraid server and my main pc were both on the same workgroup before I installed the new LAN card and connected them directly.

As for the gigabit router thing, they're not really cheap here but I should have considered getting a switch I completely forgot about those things.

 

What's confusing me is there doesn't seem to be any options to make this work. I can't click on the unidentified network to change it from public to home and have no idea what to do at this point.

Turn Internet sharing on.

Turn Internet sharing on.

 

I agree with this. If you turn on internet connection sharing on your main PC, it will assign an IP to your server and allow it to join the network. That should solve your problem.

Turn Internet sharing on.

 

Yes, bring up the Network and Sharing Center, click on Change Adapter Settings on the left and then right click on the Local Area Connection which is the internet connection. Pick properties and the sharing tab is at the top of the window. Read up on Internet Connection Sharing in the Windows help if you want to know more.

 

Peter

Thanks chaps, although I still have an unidentified public network I suppose what does it matter if everything is up and running. Cheers!

So just upgraded my motherboard and it's no longer working, what the hell?

A cross-over cable is not needed.

 

please when giving advice make sure that it is at least 80% correct..

 

the cross over cable is not needed IF  and ONLY IF one or both Network cards support auto-crossover (Auto-MDI/MDIX)

 

since the initial poster did not specified his/hers hardware we can not be sure that  the hardware supports this option.

and yes you can still buy NIC today that does not have this ability.

 

so for the original poster, make sure that alt least one of your NIC supports this.

if none do, then  you WILL need a crossover cable or crossover adapter.

Yeah the new Nic supports mdi/mdix, not sure why the new mobo doesn't like the direct connection.

What does "not working" mean? The ethernet link is not connecting? W7 is having problems configuring the network?

 

 

Well with the old Foxconn motherboard I had a direct connection and everything was fine but I changed the motherboard and now I cannot see the unraid box when connected directly. Connecting them both to a router and I can see unraid over the network.

ICS is on and I know the hardware is working so I don't what's happening. :'(

For Black Friday & Cyber Monday you should be able to pick up a switch that has a GigaLan connection, hook up the pieces and then forget about. It is not worth for the few bucks to forgo the switch solution. Of course if you are in an area where these type of pieces are hard to come by then that is a different story.

A cross-over cable is not needed.

 

please when giving advice make sure that it is at least 80% correct..

 

the cross over cable is not needed IF  and ONLY IF one or both Network cards support auto-crossover (Auto-MDI/MDIX)

 

since the initial poster did not specified his/hers hardware we can not be sure that  the hardware supports this option.

and yes you can still buy NIC today that does not have this ability.

 

so for the original poster, make sure that alt least one of your NIC supports this.

if none do, then  you WILL need a crossover cable or crossover adapter.

 

 

Cross-over cables are not required with 100% of Gigabit Ethernet ports.