USB to Ethernet adapter

[Steve]

I have a notebook computer with 2 USB 1.1 ports. I also have a self-powered
USB portable hard drive with USB 2.0.
I was wondering if it is possible to transfer data back and forth from the
laptop to the portable hard drive via an unused ethernet port (3Com 3C920
Integrated Fast Ethernet Controller - 10mbit / 100 mbit ), and if it can be
done, is there any speed advantage. I had tried an adapter which gives you 2
USB 2.0 ports via the notebooks PCMCIA slot, but the adapter kept freezing
up my notebook.

Thanks...

 

[Steve]

Sorry about the multiple posts (connection problems...)

 

[kony]

I have a notebook computer with 2 USB 1.1 ports. I also have a self-powered
USB portable hard drive with USB 2.0.
I was wondering if it is possible to transfer data back and forth from the
laptop to the portable hard drive via an unused ethernet port (3Com 3C920
Integrated Fast Ethernet Controller - 10mbit / 100 mbit ), and if it can be
done, is there any speed advantage. I had tried an adapter which gives you 2
USB 2.0 ports via the notebooks PCMCIA slot, but the adapter kept freezing
up my notebook.

You might try another adapter, cardbus instead of PCMCIA if
your notebook supports it.

To use your external USB drive with 100MBit ethernet (there
is little to no speed advantage to 10Mbit), you will have to
have another host device (computer or similar specialized
device) for the external drive, that other device also
having 100Mbit ethernet.

There are USB-to-ethernet adapters, but not the other way
around. The "similar specialized device" mentioned above
would be a diskless NAS that accepts USB drives, and it
would be slower throughput than a disked NAS that you
install the drive into instead of going over USB2, also.

Either way, the access will be slower than a properly
working USB2 card for the laptop.