Configure dual ethernet ports on MacPro

dallenk

Registered
Hello. I have just bought a new MacPro and was wandering how to configure the dual ethernet ports.

What I want to do is this (if possible):
Configure my cable modem to use one port
Configure the other port for my home network (3 Macs and a printer)

If it makes a difference, I do not have a wireless network.

Any advice will be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.
 
In short:

1. Set up your first port for DHCP, hook up the cable modem and try if you can connect to the internet from the Mac

2. Enable Internet sharing on your MacPro for the interface that is connected to the modem.

3. Set up a private IP network in the range 192.168.X.nn for the second interface and your home network.

4. On the other systems, set the DNS manually to what is set on your MacPro by DHCP and set the default route to your MacPro.

Now, the MacPro should work as a router for your home network.
 
Step 2 should be:

2. Enable Internet sharing on your MacPro for the interface that is connected to the rest of the computers.

You don't want to share the internet connection back to the modem, you want to share it with the other Macs, connected to the other ethernet port.
 
Do you really have to set the DNS manually? I thought they'd get the correct DNS information via DHCP as well...
 
Thanks for the correction. I was thinking it was the same as in Windows.

Setting the DNS automatically requires a DHCP server on the MacPro side. I don't know if that is available in the desktop version of Mac OS.

Marcus
 
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