DHCP Server Question

[Blue Racer]

Just starting out with GBPVR. I've got the software running on a Dell Inspirion 5100 laptop. The laptop is in my basement and has a wireless connection(Net Gear Wireless Card) to my upstairs computer which has a Netgear router. I will receiving and installing a MediaMVP later this week and just want to be aware if there will be any problems. I plan on using the built in network jack on the laptop too have a wired connection to the MediaMVP using a crossover cable, which will be upstairs in my living room. I guess I have two questions.
1. Will the laptop have any problems with two network connections?
2. Will I have to install tftpd32 to get a DHCP?
Thanks for any advice.

[rosensta]

Your laptop shoudn't have any problems in handling 2 network connections, as long as you are configuring different IP subnets on them.

You will need some kind of DHCP server on your laptop. So yes you can use TFTPD32 as your DHCP server.

The rest is pretty straigh forward - and a lot of fun.

Br and, happy new year.

[Blue Racer]

Tipster,
I guess then it would be better for me to run the network cable to my router on my upstairs computer. But then it would probably run better if I installed the GBPVR software on the upstairs computer instead of the laptop in the basement with the wireless connection. Right? My router is a Net Gear 54 mbps WGR614 and my laptop has the Net Gear WG511 54mbps card in it. I was hoping to run the software on the laptop as I use my main computer for my work. But if GBPVR software doesn't take up much memory maybe I could do both?
Thanks for your help!!!

[bgowland]

Don't bank on the DELL to handle the DHCP Server software for the heavy demand of packets that video and audio streaming handles, even a DELL D600 Latitude can't stand the heat.

Urrm, DHCP has got to be one of the most lightweight of mechanisms there is. You could probably run a s/w DHCP server on a Sinclair ZX80 (assuming it had a NIC of course ).

Cheers,
Brian

[erik]

Blue Racer,
If you run XP on the laptop you can also bridge the two network ports on the laptop. By doing so the two port act as if your computer is a two port network switch. By doing so you won't need DHCP on your laptop. This will also save you from a lot of other networking problems if you ever need to have traffic between the two segments.

Any computer above 1Ghz will be able to run GBPVR and serve a MPV (my Dell D400 laptop is much faster then needed)
If you don't mind the menu's to be not very fast you can run it on an even slower computer.
I use a 400MHz pentium with 256mbyte memory to run GBPVR as a recorder/mail/web/UPnP server (including comskip during the low load hours), playback is on a UPnP renderer.
I have found the network (hardwired 100mbit) to be the most critical.
Don't rely on a wireless network for streaming the mpeg unless you can control the network of your neighbours.
So, have a wired connection between GBPVR and the MPV, the rest is less critical.