Connect Internet in ubuntu Laptop to linux mint Desktop - Has Crossover Cable

Question

I need to share the wifi internet of my ubuntu laptop to my linux mint desktop , I have a cross over cable. ( Connecting desktop to router is not an option)

I am able to ping my laptop from my desktop but unable to connect to internet.

I have first used network network manager settings in laptop to and change your IPv4 settings to shared to other computers

ifconfig in laptop says

wlan0

IP address          192.168.1.4
Broadcast           192.168.1.255
Mask                255.255.255.0

eth0

IP address          10.42.0.1
Broadcast           10.42.0.255
Mask                255.255.255.0

NOW to the desktop where i need the internet, we tried both Automatic (DHCP) and manual settings under Wired Connection. Though able to ping the laptop not able to get the internet, ping google.com says unknown host. ping 64.233.160.1 (IP address of goolge) says 100% packet loss destination unreachable

In manual I gave IP 10.42.0.16 , tried gateways 10.42.0.1 once, tried gateway 192.168.1.1 ( which was shown in netstat -nr) tried gateway 192.168.1.4 and still able to ping 10.42.0.1 but no Internet connection

How can i remedy this. DNS entries are in router so shouldn't be a problem.

[Comments got hard to read, edited to add route's]

route on Desktop:

Destination     Gateway         Genmask         Flags Metric Ref  Use Iface
default         192.168.1.1     0.0.0.0             UG - 0 - 0   - 0 - eth0
1.42.0.0        *               255.255.255.0 -     U -  1 - 0   - 0 - eth0
192.168.1.1     *               255.255.255.255 -   UH - 0 - 0   - 0 - eth

and route on Laptop:

Destination     Gateway         Genmask         Flags Metric Ref Use Iface
default         192.168.1.1     0.0.0.0 -           UG - 0 - 0  - 0 - wlan0
10.42.0.0       *               255.255.255.0 -     U -  1 - 0  - 0 - eth0
192.168.1.0     *               255.255.255.0 -     U -  9 - 0  - 0 - wlan0

Answer 1

I did a little searching and found some answers, not quite identical but should work, it's supposed to be "easy" using the Ubuntu GUI tools. It'll set up some IP tables / NAT magic (somehow), so we were close with using "route - show / manipulate the IP routing table" but just didn't know the "secret words"

On the internet connected computer (server), go to the Network Manager (right-click on the network icon(s) in the toolbar and edit the wired connection (eth0), go to the IPv4 tab and in "Method", choose "Shared to other computers". Apply everything and close the network manager windows.

Answers are a little different for the non-internet (client) computer.

• Some say to just plug it in & it'll work. Or set it to "Automatic" (and maybe set the dns server to the "server" computer if required) [Share wireless with wired, share Ubuntu to WinXP]
• Another says to manually set it's IP to one in the same LAN network, as in if the "server" is 192.168.1.4, then set the "client" to 192.168.1.5 with the same Netmask (255.255.255.0).
  Then use the "server" ip as the gateway and dns.

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There's also a manual, terminal way to do it too using iptables, but the fellow's instructions are very sparse and don't explain what it does at all, except "this will configure the nat" (probably copypasta'd from somewhere else). I don't think it'd be useful to paste it here without an explanation so I won't, but here's the link if you're interested (or a masochist ;-)