Hack 81 Use USB for Peer-to-Peer Networking 
USB's versatility comes in
handy for PC-to-PC data transfer as well as file and Internet
sharing.
If
you'd like to move
data between systems more quickly than the parallel port allows, you
can always step up to interconnecting PCs by USB. Belkin, Traveling
Software, and other vendors sell USB transfer cables and accompanying
software—effectively a crossover or null modem cable between
two USB ports. In some cases, the cable becomes a private TCP/IP
network connection and can be used for Internet connection sharing.
Using a USB-to-USB bridging cable is especially handy for systems
without network adapters that need to communicate with each other in
a peer-to-peer network.
A USB PC-PC interconnection cable costs about $30-40 and comes with
appropriate drivers. (The cables contain USB devices that crossover
the send and receive lines between PCs.) It is often packaged with
software or wizards that help you establish connectivity between PCs.
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Keep your cables and software together as much as possible. USB
"networking" cables and the
software that comes with them are usually very specific to each
other—that is, a cable from Company A will usually not work
with the driver and software from Company B.
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