USB Computer to Computer Connection

[bsquared18]

Currently I have two computers, one running under Win 98 and the other under Win 2000, connected through a hub that networks several computers in our office.

I back up files from the hard drive of one computer to that of the other one, but the process is noticeably slower than, for example, backing up the files onto CD R/W discs.

My first question: Would the process go faster if I connected these two computers directly using a USB cable? Enough faster to be worth the effort?

My second question: Is third-party software necessary to make a USB computer-to-computer connection possible, or does Windows include that software?

And finally: Would there be a problem connecting a Win 98 computer to a Win 2000 computer using USB?

Thanks for your help!

Bill B.

 

[Enigma666]

The process would go MUCH slower with a USB cable, providing you are talking about USB 1.1. In terms of special software, I'm not quite sure, although, I don't see why you'd want to switch, as it would be much slower. And also, the only point in time that Win 98 would have a Problem with Win 2000, is when Windows 2000 is on an NTFS partition, as Win 98 would not be able to read it. Hope this was helpful.

- Enigma666
(Jonathan)

 

[KimberTech]

If you are trying to speed things up over the network, look into what speed your network cards and cabling are, as well as what your hub will support. 10 MB cards will slow down all transfers and access. 100 MB cards speed things up considerably, and the cards don't cost much to upgrade.

Good luck! I pledge to share any information I have and advise to the best of my knowledge based on the information provided.

 

[cdogg]

It depends on how fast you want the connection to be. First of all, you're already connected to a hub over ethernet, correct? Depending on how it's setup, you probably already have at least a 10MB/s connection, assuming both pc's are connected on the same network. It could already be as high as 100MB/s.

Secondly, USB 1.1 maxes out at 12MB/s roughly - not a whole lot better if at all. Plus, in order for it to work you would need to invest in a USB hub as well. You can't simply connect a standard USB cable from one pc to the next. The hub could be setup to function like your current ethernet connection.

Regardless of the route you choose, the "software" is built-in you could say. It's just a matter of setting up the network settings and knowing where to find them in Win98 vs. Win2K. The connection would work between Win98 and Win2K if setup properly.

My question: How large is the backup you're performing on a regular basis? More than a 100MB? More than a GIG?

~cdogg

 

[Enigma666]

Umm, Cdogg,

First of all, USB 1.1 maxes out at 12\Mb, which equals 1.5\MB. And actually, yes you can connect a USB cable from computer to computer to transfer information, however, it maxes out at 6\Mb, which is equal to a paltry .75\MB. Kimbertech has a good suggestion. I personally would suggest upgrading the network card using a few D-Link DFE-530TX (about $10 each), as they function as 10\100 Base-TX NICs (Network Interface Cards). If possible, use PCI NICs, ISA NICs slow things down, as they only run at a 16 bit-rate, as opposed to PCI, which runs at a 32 bit-rate. Hope this helped.

- Enigma666
(Jonathan)

 

[bsquared18]

Thanks everyone for your input.

My network administrator says that we have a 100 Mb network card, but in a test, it took me about a minute to back up a 7.6 Mb file from one computer to the other over the network. Does that speed sound reasonable? (Our network is small, so the speed wasn't affected at that moment by other people on the network.)

 

[cdogg]

bsquared18,

You should check the card's settings and verify that it is set to operate at 100Mb/s "full duplex". Also, there are other components involved like the hub you're connected to. It must be compatible. Some only support 10Mb/s "half duplex" which is what your network card will default to if that's the case.


enigma666,

Thanks for the correction about the speeds. I meant to use Mb/s not MB/s. For those of you who don't see the difference, b stands for MEGABITS while B stands for MEGABYTES.


About the USB cable...aren't you talking about a USB "crossover" cable? I didn't think a "standard" one would work, but I've been wrong before! Maybe I'm just getting ethernet confused with USB?

 

[ceh4702]

A lot depends on the number of users on the network and how the servers are set up. With a single server you can not get much over 100 users unless you have a transaction processing monitor program either built into the server/application or set up as a separate server. If you were using a workgroup switch to connect to the server you should be able to get up to 200 mbps in full duplex mode if your ethernet adapter supported it.

A lot depends how many users are accessing the server. If this is the same server that has a large database and everyone is accessing it, then the interacive transaction may be a higher priority than other tasks. When everyone is signed on to the network, even if they are doing nothing, the server is constantly handling keep-alive messages.

There are over 150 types/brands of twisted pair CAT 5 Cable. Not all of it is rated at the same speed. If you do not like my post feel free to point out your opinion or my errors.