Possible to use a crossover cable to share internet between Windows 7 and Ubuntu?

Question

I have a machine running Windows 7 that's connecting to the Wi-Fi network at my apartment. Unfortunately, the owners of my building won't give me another access code for the network, and I would like to get my second machine running Ubuntu access to the Internet as well.

I have a crossover cable, and I've been able to setup filesharing between the two without a problem. Setting up ICS has been another issue. I haven't been able to figure it out at all, and I'm wondering if it's even possible to use a crossover cable for such a job?

I'm thinking just setting up a wired router would be simpler. Would that be true? How difficult would it be to setup a wired router to share internet between Windows 7 and Ubuntu, through the wireless connection Windows 7 is getting?

So to recap:

Wi-Fi connection -> Windows 7 -> Wired Router -> Ubuntu

Or

Wi-Fi connection -> Windows 7 -> Crossover Cable -> Ubuntu

Is the second possible or feasible, and if not, how about the first?

Answer 1

Your crossover cable scenario is how ICS should work. You'll just have to make sure you don't manually assign an IP address to the LAN connection on your Windows machine and let ICS do that for you, i.e. you should enable ICS on your Wireless connection and select the Wired/LAN connection as the destination and the latter's IP address should be changed for you automatically.

A wired router will not help you in this case because the routing must happen on the device that is connected to the external network, i.e. the Windows 7 machine.