Mac: use the ethernet port as a "hotspot"

Question

I've got a bit of a weird setup going on right now, and my main desktop computer is without internet.

I've got a macbook (10.7) that can hook up to the desktop via ethernet. What I'm wanting to do is get the desktops internet to go through the mac.

So the request would go:

request for google->goes through local ethernet to mac->mac goes through wifi to the internet.

Answer 1

The word you are looking for is called bridging, which connects two network interfaces and allows them to share a connection.

Try following these steps from this site to bridge your connections:

1. Choose Apple menu > System Preferences and click Sharing.
2. Select Internet Sharing and click the checkbox if it isn’t checked.
3. Choose the Internet connection you want to share from the “Share your connection from” pop-up menu. For example, if you’re connected to the Internet over Ethernet, choose Ethernet.
4. Select how you want to share your Internet connection in the “To computers using” list. For example, if you want to share your Internet connection over AirPort, select AirPort.
5. If you share your Internet connection using AirPort, click AirPort Options and give your network a name and password.