That second NIC appears to be my only option.  A colleague down the hall 
does exactly that.  If I did attempt NAT, as was suggested, unless the 
device actually attached to the RJ-45 802.3 LAN port in the wall has the 
exact same MAC address, etc., as the NIC on my workstation, the local IT 
gestapo will disconnect my wall port and block all traffic -- until such 
time as the IT gestapo is instructed to detect the "replacement" NIC.  
This presents problems whenever there is a NIC failure or a replacement 
workstation.  Instead, our illustrious gestapo requires us to use 
Eduroam over 802.11 -- but refuses to allow any standard server daemons 
on a workstation for file transfer.  I can upload and download to a 
remote server as required -- is there a secure remote server that will 
allow mutli-Gbyte transfers and will allow https initiated download 
access via a web browser?  I do NOT want to put files on a site that may 
corrupt, infect, or redistribute these.

I was hoping to use USB 3 rather than 802.3 as the transfer.  A USB 
stick does work, but then one is back to sneaker-net.

Thanks for the suggestions.

Yasha Karant

On 03/27/2015 07:18 AM, Ken Teh wrote:
> I was about to suggest Mark's point about the second nic in the 
> desktop.  It seems to me the easiest and most versatile.  And a small 
> switch to connect the laptop and the desktop (on the second nic).  No 
> cross-over cable.  A small disjoint lan with hard-wired addresses in 
> /etc/hosts. You can add as many machines as you have ports on the 
> switch.  You could even turn your desktop into a NAT gateway if you wish.
>
>
> On 03/27/2015 08:38 AM, Mark Stodola wrote:
>> On 03/26/2015 06:51 PM, Kevin K wrote:
>>>> On Mar 26, 2015, at 6:37 PM, Yasha Karant <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> My desktop workstation (currently X86-64 SL 7) has only one 802.3 
>>>> physical port.  At my university, the IT gestapo will not allow the 
>>>> use of a local 802.3 repeater (switch or hub) but requires a valid 
>>>> NIC MAC address and will disconnect any changes.  I have no 802.11 
>>>> WNIC on my desktop workstation. I just have obtained a new HP Zbook 
>>>> to run X86-64 Linux to replace my old mobile workstation (laptop) 
>>>> that was underprovisioned for 64 bit operation, had a worn out 
>>>> keyboard and pointing device, etc. (I regret to state that I am 
>>>> experimenting with OpenSUSE 13.2 on that machine for reasons beyond 
>>>> the subject matter of this post.)  The IT gestapo will not allow my 
>>>> workstation to serve as a HTTP server, etc. -- one cannot use scp, 
>>>> sftp, etc., for file transfer over the IT network from a desktop 
>>>> workstation (not a designated server).  I could attempt to transfer 
>>>> all of the files to the research network that has much less IT 
>>>> gestapo control -- but this is as tedious as what I am no
> w
>>>> doing. H
>> ence, a question:
>>>>
>>>> Is there a software application utility that will convert a USB 
>>>> network between two machines running standard open systems 
>>>> protocols to allow file transfer between the two machines?  I am 
>>>> not referring to the methods used with an Android device, but with 
>>>> a regular Linux workstation.  A cursory search of such things on 
>>>> the web did not provide any insight.  At one time, UUCP would do 
>>>> this over a RS232 point-to-point link (cable) -- will this approach 
>>>> still work over a USB (not RS232) link?  Is there something better 
>>>> than UUCP?
>>>
>>> Are you wanting to do a one time transfer between the two 
>>> computers?  Or be able to get both on the net at the same time?
>>>
>>> For 1 time use, I would suggest a crossover cable.  Configure one to 
>>> allow the SSH daemon to run, and copy files using scp or sftp.
>>>
>>> If you want both to connect to the net at the same time, and be able 
>>> to talk to each other, then an inexpensive NAT router should do the 
>>> trick.  Unless they are running special software that can detect 
>>> that you have multiple computers attached to it, there should be no 
>>> issue.  You still wouldn’t be able to connect BACK to your computer 
>>> from outside if servers aren’t allowed.
>>>
>>> Behind NAT, your workstation should be able to be a server to the 
>>> zbook.
>>>
>> If all you are looking for is file transfer, is there a any reason 
>> why a USB drive is not a viable option?  With USB length limits, it 
>> sounds like the 2 machines will be in the same room with physical 
>> access.
>>
>> Have you considered just adding a second NIC to the desktop for use 
>> with the laptop?
>>
>> I recall seeing USB link devices for migrating Windows systems 
>> between computers several years ago, but do not have any experience 
>> with them.