There used to be several 3rd party products that support this model, but MS has built it into the OS now (another strike for free enterprise that demonstrates the utter foolishness of trying to market any generally useful software for Windows).
The trouble with a shared modem is that modems don't have a lot of bandwidth to begin with. The so-called 56KB modem is usually closer to 33KB due to line limitations. So while two machines can share a modem, the performance is going to be pretty bad if they try to use it simultaneously. Probably easier and cheaper to just get a serial switch for the modem so you can switch it from one machine to the other.
One interesting variation on a shared modem is Apple's AirPort hub. The hub has a 56KB modem built in, and it supports wireless connections to any machine within 150 feet with an airport card in it (as well as Ethernet-like performance among all the machines). The hub handles all the TCP/IP routing details itself.
Here's some other information about shared modem products and techniques that people have sent me:
For Macs
A friend forwarded me a posting from a listserv concerning a product called Internet Gateway from VICOM. It allows you to share an ISDN or analog modem over an AppleTalk or LocalTalk network. I just wanted to say that it works like a charm. Of course, you're dividing the bandwidth between two computers if you're on simultaneously, but at least you only need one connection. I thought there might be someone else out there like me who could use a solution like this. Their web site is http://www.vicomtech.com/.
And for Windows
I've really enjoyed your site, and found lots of useful information on it. I just wanted to bring to your attention that there is a way to share an internet connection over a windows 95 network. The solution is a program called WinGate.. you can find it at http://nz.com/webnz/qbik/wingate . it also provides links with more instructions on setting it up. sloop (sloop@ipass.net)
And from Jim Peri (JPeri@gcscexc1.ims.att.com)....
IPRoute will run on a 286 with only a fdd and no monitor and still run at an optimal speed with only 2 MB of ram. What it does is when a user calls for an IP out of your subnet, the software will dial your modem string and log you on to your ISP; sounds like a regular dial on demand software doesn't it! Check this out: All you need is one IP from your ISP you can have many PCs on you local network. The IProute software assigns you a different port number (HIGH) in order to differentiate which user made what request and routes it accordingly!Here's the latest description: IPRoute is PC-based router software for networks running the Internet Protocol (IP). It can act as a demand-dial router between your LAN and a PPP or SLIP link, and allow transparent access from your LAN to the Internet using a single IP address through network address translation (NAT). It can also act as a PPP server for dial-in connections, or route between LANs.
Other features include routing between multiple ethernet and serial interfaces, packet filtering, RIP, and event and packet logging to a remote syslog daemon. More recent features include proxy ARP, remote management via telnet and ftp, and support for RealAudio & RealVideo.
A version that includes DES-encrypted IP tunnelling based on RFC 1827 & 1829 is also available in the US only. IPRoute V1.10 is currently shipping.
You can find "Iproute" at http://www.mischler.com/iproute/order.html
Another comment from a reader (Howard Ochs...
If anyone should ask about these little internal proxy server programs (i.e. WinProxy and WinGate), please recommend WinProxy. I tried WinGate and it was very complicated to setup. Although WinProxy costs $50 after a 30-day trial, it was a snap. All you do is run the executable and it takes over seamlessly.
And from Terry Hamel...
ishare v2.5 http://www.artisoft.com/ishare/index.html ishare is about as simple as you can get for sharing a modem. You install the program, select a computer on your network and it does the rest. No config hassles like Wingate.And if you want a Real operating system, use Linux....
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