I know Mac's can do TCP/IP over Firewire, but are there any Firewire/100BaseT converters out there? I.E. I want to be able to plug a firewire plug into a normal ethernet hub.
I haven't been able to find any from googling, but would be prepared to play about and build a converter if its possible... any ideas?
TOM
AFAIK, nobody is making such a device. Therefore, why not turn an old Mac into such a bridge?
On a Mac, the minimum requirement for IP-over-FW is that it can run 10.2.5 or better, and has FW and 100BT ports. That includes any 7500 class (using PCI cards) or better desktop, or a Wallstreet (using PC cards) or better PB.
I reckon a 7500 with a low end G3 processor and PCI cards could be assembled for well under $100, not bad for something otherwise unobtainable. Yeah, it wouldn't be the tiny appliance I 'spect you seek, but it'd do the job.
Headless and with the HD spun down, it wouldn't use much juice. Or the same box could be used as a server or a general router, or . . . ?
dan k
Yeah, I know I can do it with a computer as a router, but I was just wondering if there was a tidier way to do it, preferably without a computer in the way
TOM
If you want to do a hack such as this, just configure a Linux box (you can install Linux on Macs too). I have a Gentoo HTTP/SSH/FTP server set up like this and it runs great. If you are interested in more details you can PM me and I will point you in the right direction.