Windows 98 Second Edition and up also do a simple form of #3, aka NAT 
(Network Address Translation, where one IP address is shared by all of the 
computers on your network) & DHCP (which handles the provision & 
distribution of the local IP addresses for your local network computers, so 
that you don't have to configure the IP address, gateway, etc, yourself), 
when "Internet Connection Sharing" is enabled.  The standard configuration 
with it is fairly easy to set up and use, but making changes to the typical 
configuration (which is rarely required in the average home environment) 
requires changes to your registry.  You could alternately have a UNIX box 
as your firewall, running natd.  It all depends on your level of technical 
expertise.  I would imagine that there are some good tutorials out there 
for "Internet Connection Sharing" with Windows, a quick consultation with 
your favorite search engine should help guide the way.

As mentioned, there are some good products out there that will act as both 
a network hub and router, and the price on these is falling all the 
time.  Last I saw was a 10Mbps hub with built in router, DHCP server, & 
firewall, from Linksys, for about the same price as their 100Mbps 
switch.  I believe it was sub-$200 Canadian, which would be in the $100-150 
range US.

Eric

At 07:21 PM 5/24/00 -0700, you wrote:
>Hi Barry,
>
>There are several ways to network other systems to your DSL line. The
>simplest way is to get multiple static IP address from your ISP. This costs
>more but setup is the easiest. I have PacBell enhanced service that gives
>you 5 static IP address. The cost is $80.00 per month. In this
>configuration all you need is a ethernet hub. The DSL modem connects to the
>hub as well as your computer systems. Each system is then giver their own
>IP address. You do need to worry about security since all of the systems
>are connected to the Internet whenever the system is on.
>
>You can also buy a router / gateway / firewall / hub box that can use one
>IP address and allow other systems on your private network to access the
>Internet. As with the configuration above, the DSL modem connects to the
>router as well as all of your systems. One advantage with this option is
>better security since the router box acts as a firewall.
>
>And one other way of doing it is to use one of your computer systems to act
>as a router / gateway. In this configuration one computer acts as the
>router. There are several programs that you can buy that will do the IP
>routing, one is called WinGate.
>
>The problem with #2 and #3 is setup. Configuring everything so that it
>works properly is very difficult if you haven't done it before.
>
>I'm CC'ing the PSN, maybe others can use this info or offer other suggestions.
>
>-Larry
>
>At 07:51 PM 5/23/00 -0700, Barry wrote:
> >Hi Larry
> >   I have a (mostly) non seismic question. I was considering getting a
> >DSL service but the phone company says it's designed for a single line
> >to one computer. They were not helpful wrt networking. I know a
> >reasonable amount about electronics and computer languages and older
> >hardware, but what I know about connecting computers together you can
> >fit on a pin head. Any help with literature references I can read would
> >be appreciated. Also do you think or know if I could hook my and my
> >son's computer to the same DSL line?
> >Regards
> >Barry
> >
> >
> >
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