more network cards = faster?

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ekÆsine

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was wondering if you have 2 computers connected to a 100Mbps switch and you install a second 1Gbps network adaptor on both computers and connect the 1Gbps NIC's together directly with a crossover cable what happens?

how does the OS decide which network card to use and how it is used.

would the speed be combined 100+1000=1100Mbps?

can you install two 100Mbps network cards on both computers and combine them somehow to make file transfers faster? i notice when tranfering files the upload/ send speed is not even close to reaching the 100Mbps maximum of the switch.

i've seen "bridge connections" option in winXP, i think it connects multiple connections together, but does it also speed things up?
 
I'm no expert at networking, but top speed will be limited to the slowest speed device in the chain.
If everything is a gigabit speed, then, in therory, all devices work at the highest, MOST RELIABLE, speed. Reliability depends on the numbers of errors present, etc.
If you have gigNICS and a 100Mbs switch, 100 will be the fastest possible transfer rate.
If two gigNICS are linked via crossover, then, in therory, you could have a maximum transfer of 1GB/sec.
Transfer speed becomes limited to the data bus speeds inside the computers, too. So, I would think that, unless you have a computer with a very fast FSB and CPU, you can't get a truly gigabit transfer rate.
Even with CPU's that are over 2GHz, the FSB's are topping out at 800MHz. And data rates for harddrives are at 133Mbs.
So, even if the car can go 200MPH, if the road is bumpy, you'll slow down to keep from getting your head smashed into the roof!
 
well if you have 2 Gb adaptors connected with crossover then you get full duplex which has 2G bandwidth. also if your switch is running on full dup mode it has 200Mb bandwidth too. CIsco's FastEther Channel is the solution for combining two links together. but I'm not sure if a 100Mb switch link and a Gb direct link can work together. Actually only Cisco Catalyst switchses can do Fast Ether Channel, and I don't think a switch can be aware of the existance of a parallel crossover link. Recommand you to check cisco's newest whitepapers about channeling.

I can't think of other solutions for your situation. why don't you just change those Gb NICs to 100Mb Nics so you can combine tham on your switch? (if you have catalyst switch, of course)
 
just like what ZeekeDaGeek said, a single computer may not be able to occupy the whole bandwidth. Such numbers like 100Mbps or 1Gbps are based on a crowded environment. or you can try to check the configuration of your switch, and make sure full duplex mode is on.
 
the switch is also a router, its the Linksys Instant Broadband EtherFast Cable/DSL Router with a built-in 4-port 10/100 Switch,Model BEFSR41. not sure how to check full duplex, i dont think it even has those options.

it sounds to me it would be smarter to just use the gigabit NIC alone. that 100+100 teaming kinda sounds nice. are catalyst switches expensive and where could i buy these, obviously not at best buy. do they make send and receiving twice as fast?
 
well with catalyst switches (not sure which kind, you got to check cisco.com) you can have up to 800Mb with 4 links bond together, running in full duplex mode. you don't need to buy a catalyst switch since you have only 2 computers. just go to linksys and look for their documentation, if any, and see if you can configure the switch (you should be able to). or you can connect the computers with crossover cable and check the transmitting speed. direct link with crossover between 2 computers is always full duplex. if this speed is higher than your current speed, then your switch is not running on duplex mode.
 
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