Thinkpads Forum

I would like to connect 2 ThinkPads to share files and play Age of Empires over a cable and/or WiFi, if possible.
Would someone please point me in the right direction how to accomplish this?

The easiest low-tech way would be to purchase an Ethernet crossover cable. Connect the 2 TPs with the cable and turn them on.
Unless their IP addresses are set manually, they won't lease an IP address from a DHCP server because there isn't one to assign an address
and will then auto assign an address to themselves. These addresses will be in the same subnet so the TPs will be able to communicate with each other
and you can play AoE that way.

You can configure the WiFi on the TP to be ad-hoc and they should see each other. However, since I never set an ad-hoc wireless network on a ThinkPad, someone else
should post here and elaborate on that.

Assuming you have a home network, WiFi will require a a home router that can assign IP addresses to clients through a Wireless Access Point (WAP).
The diagram would look like this:

Internet/DSL/Cable/56kModem(all optional)--> Home Router (assigns IP address)--> Wireless Access Point--> ThinkPads (TP clients lease IP address from router via WAP)

That should do it.
Hope that helps.

If they have gb network connectors, you do not even need a crossover cable - enable ICS on one, connect them, it should work. I have used this formmany things in the past. Or make an ad hoc network - it would be easier to help if we knew what you want to do.

EDIT: realized you put what you wanted to do. Share your Internet connection on one system, connect them, it will work as a dhcp server, and assign a ip adress to the other system.