I have my laptop which is directly connected to another laptop through an ethernet cable. I'm looking for a software that will manage the two laptops, give out IP addresses (DHCP) and display the names and IPs of the connected laptops. I basically want to automate manually setting IP addresses in order to start file and folder sharing. Does this make any sence? Thank you
You have a few options: 1. You can set one computer up as a server. This requires homework: Most versions of Linux can do this right out of the box (disc), though you may have to do some set-up. I'd look at Ubuntu Server or ClearOS, if you are more familiar with Microsoft products. The best part of these are they are free to download. There is downloadable DHCP software for Windows, but I am not familiar with any of it and cannot say whether it is good, bad, or indifferent. 2. You can get an inexpensive router/switch with built-in DHCP capabilities. 3. If you have a ADSN or Cable modem to connect to the internet, it likely already has DHCP.