Sharing Wi-Fi Internet connection via Ethernet using Bodhi
Jan 8, 2021 19:00:21 GMT
Hippytaff, ylee, and 2 more like this
Post by archaem on Jan 8, 2021 19:00:21 GMT
Hello,
In this thread I am going to discuss using an Ethernet cable as a means to share the Internet connection from one computer to another using Bodhi 32bit Legacy. One may think of this process as "Internet tethering" which is available on many mobile devices. The reason why this "Internet sharing" procedure might be necessary, can be demonstrated from the case below:
Suppose you have two old computers, or just one old computer and another more newer computer, and one of those computers has a W-Fi card while the other computer does not have a Wi-Fi card. Since one computer has a Wi-Fi card, it can connect to the Internet arguably more "easily" than the other computer that lacks a Wi-Fi card. In this case, the computer that lacks a Wi-Fi card might be sitting in a corner collecting dust because Linux (and in the case here, Bodhi) is arguably a restricted operating system without an Internet connection. Fortunately, Ubuntu has a built-in feature available within the "network manager" application that permits a computer to share its Internet connection with another computer. While this tool can be used to create a Wi-Fi "hotspot", it can also be used to share a Wi-Fi connection via an Ethernet cable from the Wi-Fi computer to the non-Wi-Fi computer.
Since Bodhi is built off of Ubuntu, the "network manager" (mentioned within the Ubuntu reference page linked below) seems to be standard within Bodhi, including Bodhi 32bit Legacy. In fact, I am writing this message now from a +10 year desktop computer that does not have a Wi-Fi card. It is worth keeping in mind that the desktop computer is over 10 years old, and the laptop that is sharing the Internet connection to the desktop has a built-in Wi-Fi card which is also +10 years old and operated by Bodhi 32bit Legacy.
Here are the steps required to setup a Wi-Fi enabled Bodhi computer so that it can share its Internet connection with another computer that lacks a Wi-Fi card:
1. From the Wi-Fi enabled Bodhi computer, connect to a wireless Internet network via the network manager.
1.1 The "network manager" application referred to here, is located within the default "shelf" of the Bodhi desktop display.
1.2 Ensure both computers are connected via an Ethernet cable.
2. Once an Internet connection has been established via Wi-Fi, open the network connection panel again and click on the "Edit Connections" link which is located near the bottom of the menu options.
3. A window will open that will display the Wi-Fi connection with some icons located in the bottom left corner.
3.1 Click the + icon that reads "Add a new connection" when the pointer hovers over the icon.
4. A window will open with the title, "Choose a Connection Type"
4.1 Choose "Ethernet" and click the "create" button
5. Another window will open displaying numerous panels.
5.1 Click the panel "IPv4 Settings"
6. A top-down menu will appear with the title "Method".
6.1 Select the "Method" drop-down menu and choose the item, "Shared to other computers"
7. Click the "Save" button located in the bottom right corner.
8. Once the above steps have been completed, open the network manager again and ensure that the two checkboxes: "Enable Networking" and "Enable Wi-Fi" are selected.
8.1 The two checkboxes are located near the bottom of the network manager menu.
9. Ensure that the networking manager displays that the computer with the Wi-Fi connection is *both* connected to a Wi-Fi network *and* connected to the Ethernet connection you just created.
10. Select the second computer (the one without the Wi-Fi card)
10.1 Again, ensure both computers are connected via the Ethernet cable (which is a vital initial step).
10.2 Open a browser on the second computer and test the Internet connection.
To demonstrate the validity of the above procedure, you can view the instructions from the following Ubuntu Help page titled, "Internet/Connection Sharing":
help.ubuntu.com/community/Internet/ConnectionSharing
Specifically, the guide I've shared is in accordance with the instructions from the following section from the Ubuntu Help page referenced above: "GUI Method via Network Manager (Ubuntu 14.04, 16.04)."
IMPORTANT QUALIFICATION:
I am *not* writing this message from a computer that is using Bodhi as its operating system; although *I am* writing this message from a computer not running Bodhi as the operating system that has an Internet connection via an Ethernet connection to a Wi-Fi enabled Bodhi computer. In others, the Wi-Fi enabled Bodhi computer is transmitting the Internet connection to a non Bodhi desktop computer via an Ethernet cable, and I can successfully access this forum from the non Wi-Fi computer.
The important points to takeaway here are the following:
- A Bodhi computer with a Wi-Fi card can share its Internet connection via an Ethernet cable with a computer that lacks a Wi-Fi card.
- Since many older computers -- especially desktop computers -- lacked Wi-Fi cards, this "Internet Sharing" feature is a valuable asset that is available within the Standard Bodhi 32bit Legacy.
- The shared Internet connection *is not* restricted to Ubuntu/Bodhi/Linux.
- In other words, a Wi-Fi enabled Bodhi computer can share its Internet connection to a non Wi-Fi computer that is not operated by Bodhi.
- As I will discuss below, this message has been typed from a computer running a live rescue/utility CD that includes an Internet browser.
CONCLUSION:
Since I am in the process of attempting to "rescue" an old desktop computer, I am currently using a version of "Hiren's BootCD" as a means to access and clean files, partition drives, and so on. What's notable here, is that the version of "Hiren's Boot CD" that I am currently using, has a "Mini Windows XP Live" operating system environment that includes an Internet browser. Remarkably, the "Mini Window XP Live" operating system has an old version of the Opera browser that detected the Internet connection almost immediately after establishing the "Internet Sharing" feature within the Bodhi network manager.
Acknowledging that the Internet connection sent via Ethernet from a Wi-Fi enabled Bodhi laptop to a desktop computer lacking a Wi-Fi card has been successful in a non-Bodhi environment, and recognizing the Internet sharing feature itself has been created within Bodhi, I assume that once Bodhi is installed on the desktop computer, it too will detect the Internet connection via the Ethernet network similar to how the live operating system from the "Hiren's Boot CD" almost immediately detected the Internet connection transmitted from the W-Fi Bodi via the Ethernet connection.
While my work is still ongoing, at this time I thought it worthwhile to share this "Internet Sharing" feature which users of Bodhi 32bit Legacy may find valuable, especially considering many older computers lacked Wi-Fi cards. I will update this thread once I have established the Internet connection sent from the Wi-Fi enabled Bodhi laptop, to a Bodhi desktop via an Ethernet cable, since at this moment the Internet connection is from Bodhi to non-Bodhi.
I've noticed that there is no dedicated Bodhi 32bit Legacy forum, so I've shared this message in the general "new user" forum thinking that new users may find this thread beneficial. If there is a more appropriate forum for this thread, then I will understand if the thread is relocated as determined to be appropriate.
In this thread I am going to discuss using an Ethernet cable as a means to share the Internet connection from one computer to another using Bodhi 32bit Legacy. One may think of this process as "Internet tethering" which is available on many mobile devices. The reason why this "Internet sharing" procedure might be necessary, can be demonstrated from the case below:
Suppose you have two old computers, or just one old computer and another more newer computer, and one of those computers has a W-Fi card while the other computer does not have a Wi-Fi card. Since one computer has a Wi-Fi card, it can connect to the Internet arguably more "easily" than the other computer that lacks a Wi-Fi card. In this case, the computer that lacks a Wi-Fi card might be sitting in a corner collecting dust because Linux (and in the case here, Bodhi) is arguably a restricted operating system without an Internet connection. Fortunately, Ubuntu has a built-in feature available within the "network manager" application that permits a computer to share its Internet connection with another computer. While this tool can be used to create a Wi-Fi "hotspot", it can also be used to share a Wi-Fi connection via an Ethernet cable from the Wi-Fi computer to the non-Wi-Fi computer.
Since Bodhi is built off of Ubuntu, the "network manager" (mentioned within the Ubuntu reference page linked below) seems to be standard within Bodhi, including Bodhi 32bit Legacy. In fact, I am writing this message now from a +10 year desktop computer that does not have a Wi-Fi card. It is worth keeping in mind that the desktop computer is over 10 years old, and the laptop that is sharing the Internet connection to the desktop has a built-in Wi-Fi card which is also +10 years old and operated by Bodhi 32bit Legacy.
Here are the steps required to setup a Wi-Fi enabled Bodhi computer so that it can share its Internet connection with another computer that lacks a Wi-Fi card:
1. From the Wi-Fi enabled Bodhi computer, connect to a wireless Internet network via the network manager.
1.1 The "network manager" application referred to here, is located within the default "shelf" of the Bodhi desktop display.
1.2 Ensure both computers are connected via an Ethernet cable.
2. Once an Internet connection has been established via Wi-Fi, open the network connection panel again and click on the "Edit Connections" link which is located near the bottom of the menu options.
3. A window will open that will display the Wi-Fi connection with some icons located in the bottom left corner.
3.1 Click the + icon that reads "Add a new connection" when the pointer hovers over the icon.
4. A window will open with the title, "Choose a Connection Type"
4.1 Choose "Ethernet" and click the "create" button
5. Another window will open displaying numerous panels.
5.1 Click the panel "IPv4 Settings"
6. A top-down menu will appear with the title "Method".
6.1 Select the "Method" drop-down menu and choose the item, "Shared to other computers"
7. Click the "Save" button located in the bottom right corner.
8. Once the above steps have been completed, open the network manager again and ensure that the two checkboxes: "Enable Networking" and "Enable Wi-Fi" are selected.
8.1 The two checkboxes are located near the bottom of the network manager menu.
9. Ensure that the networking manager displays that the computer with the Wi-Fi connection is *both* connected to a Wi-Fi network *and* connected to the Ethernet connection you just created.
10. Select the second computer (the one without the Wi-Fi card)
10.1 Again, ensure both computers are connected via the Ethernet cable (which is a vital initial step).
10.2 Open a browser on the second computer and test the Internet connection.
To demonstrate the validity of the above procedure, you can view the instructions from the following Ubuntu Help page titled, "Internet/Connection Sharing":
help.ubuntu.com/community/Internet/ConnectionSharing
Specifically, the guide I've shared is in accordance with the instructions from the following section from the Ubuntu Help page referenced above: "GUI Method via Network Manager (Ubuntu 14.04, 16.04)."
IMPORTANT QUALIFICATION:
I am *not* writing this message from a computer that is using Bodhi as its operating system; although *I am* writing this message from a computer not running Bodhi as the operating system that has an Internet connection via an Ethernet connection to a Wi-Fi enabled Bodhi computer. In others, the Wi-Fi enabled Bodhi computer is transmitting the Internet connection to a non Bodhi desktop computer via an Ethernet cable, and I can successfully access this forum from the non Wi-Fi computer.
The important points to takeaway here are the following:
- A Bodhi computer with a Wi-Fi card can share its Internet connection via an Ethernet cable with a computer that lacks a Wi-Fi card.
- Since many older computers -- especially desktop computers -- lacked Wi-Fi cards, this "Internet Sharing" feature is a valuable asset that is available within the Standard Bodhi 32bit Legacy.
- The shared Internet connection *is not* restricted to Ubuntu/Bodhi/Linux.
- In other words, a Wi-Fi enabled Bodhi computer can share its Internet connection to a non Wi-Fi computer that is not operated by Bodhi.
- As I will discuss below, this message has been typed from a computer running a live rescue/utility CD that includes an Internet browser.
CONCLUSION:
Since I am in the process of attempting to "rescue" an old desktop computer, I am currently using a version of "Hiren's BootCD" as a means to access and clean files, partition drives, and so on. What's notable here, is that the version of "Hiren's Boot CD" that I am currently using, has a "Mini Windows XP Live" operating system environment that includes an Internet browser. Remarkably, the "Mini Window XP Live" operating system has an old version of the Opera browser that detected the Internet connection almost immediately after establishing the "Internet Sharing" feature within the Bodhi network manager.
Acknowledging that the Internet connection sent via Ethernet from a Wi-Fi enabled Bodhi laptop to a desktop computer lacking a Wi-Fi card has been successful in a non-Bodhi environment, and recognizing the Internet sharing feature itself has been created within Bodhi, I assume that once Bodhi is installed on the desktop computer, it too will detect the Internet connection via the Ethernet network similar to how the live operating system from the "Hiren's Boot CD" almost immediately detected the Internet connection transmitted from the W-Fi Bodi via the Ethernet connection.
While my work is still ongoing, at this time I thought it worthwhile to share this "Internet Sharing" feature which users of Bodhi 32bit Legacy may find valuable, especially considering many older computers lacked Wi-Fi cards. I will update this thread once I have established the Internet connection sent from the Wi-Fi enabled Bodhi laptop, to a Bodhi desktop via an Ethernet cable, since at this moment the Internet connection is from Bodhi to non-Bodhi.
I've noticed that there is no dedicated Bodhi 32bit Legacy forum, so I've shared this message in the general "new user" forum thinking that new users may find this thread beneficial. If there is a more appropriate forum for this thread, then I will understand if the thread is relocated as determined to be appropriate.