Thank you for that suggestion. Assuming I do want to use a RJ-45 crossover cable, the simplest solution is two of these devices plus a small 802.3 repeater. This private LAN will be invisible to any external surveillance. Does SL 7 have the necessary drivers?Price:$18.99
I have found:
Cable Matters SuperSpeed USB 3.0 to RJ45 Gigabit Ethernet Network Adapter in Black
Although I am not requesting any specific brand endorsement, it would be useful to know of hardware that does work and is supported by SL 7 with maximum transparency for setting up a Internet protocol suite LAN over a USB to 802.3 LAN; I would probably use ssh and scp between the two machines. Both machines have working USB 3 ports under Linux (SL 7 in one case, OpenSUSE 13.2 on the other).
Yasha Karant