Testing Ethernet transceiver

As some of you might already know, i'm building a power line modem that connects 2 PC through an Ethernet interface.

I'm using either a National DP83847/Kendin KS8721B (i haven't ordered either one coz Farnell's currently out of stock) to interface with the PC the using the powerline as the communication medium and link with another PC through the same Ethernet interface.

PC1 Network card => DP83847/KS8721B => PL module => Power line => PL module =>

DP83847/KS8721B =>Network card PC2

My question is, how do i first test whether or not my Ethernet design is working properly before i connect it to the powerline communication modules? Like this:

PC1 => DP83847/KS8721B => ?? => DP83847/KS8721B => PC2

Connect them with some wires?

--DF

Google on "reversing cable".

Good Luck! Rich

The DP83847/KS8721Bs will be of course connected to the PCs with LAN cables. My question is how do i connect btwn the 2 DP83847/KS8721Bs?

As usual, Rich is full of it. Its called a "Crossover cable".

As I suggested before, what's wrong with a couple of wires? I took a quick look at the datasheets and it looks like it is possible to connect two of them transceivers back to back crossover-style: RX_DV to TX_EN, etc. Add some magnetics and connect the PCs (or one PC with two network cards) to the magnetics and away you go. It should be transparant to the PCs.

If any device configuration has to be done in software (I may be wrong but it doesn't look like it) you will have to add a microcontroller or something.

--DF