Connecting a Color Classic to an iMac running OS X via Ethernet

E

ericskilling

Registered
Hello all,

Just a few questions here. I want to set it up so that both my colour classic and imac can share a cable internet connection. I'm going to pick up an Ethernet card for the CC this weekend at my local used mac dealer. My end goal is to turn the CC into a UNIX "dumb terminal" or to at least load a minimal OS and run zterm or something. However, in the latest MacAddict Issue they recommend using a router. My problem: router's are frickin' expensive and I'm on a budget. Is it possible to use an Ethernet hub. If worse comes to worse, the CC doesn't need it's own internet connection, it just needs to be able to network to the imac and log into the command line. My networking skills are lacking to say the least so any help is appreciated.

Cheers,
Eric
 
I've seen cable/DSL routers with a 4 port switch (checkout www.pricewatch.com) for around $70. Thats not really too much and you'll be able to use it for the rest of your life... think of it as an investment.

If you just buy a hub it would be hard to use both the iMac and the CC on the 'net at once. OSX lets you set up your box as a router (DHCP server too if you want) but you would have to leave your iMac on all the time to keep the internet availible to your CC. Plus its not the most secure thing to do with only one since the iMac will not be acting as a firewall (another reason to buy a cheap router). If you want to do that the instruction are out there on the net.

As far as making the C a dumb terminal box, with a minimal classic os install you can find a variety of telnet/ssh terminal programs that will work (check versiontracker.com). Again, telnet isn't secure so if you don't end up using a firewall, make sure you are atleast using ssh so you don't leak out your admin or root passwords.

I highly recomend Linksys products (www.linksys.com). The make a network easy to set up and their routers can be configured over a web interface. You can have a network up and running 10 minutes after opening the box.

Good luck,
Tom
 
Thanks for the help. The Color Classic doesn't need net access - it just needs to connect to the iMac through a terminal emulation program. If I really need the net I'll use lynx via the command line from the CC. Plus, I just the idea of being able to issue the "kill" command from my kitchen table - which is where the CC now resides. :)

Eric
 
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