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White & Black MacBook Q&A - Revised June 1, 2007
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How do I network the MacBook to another Mac?
There are several ways to network the MacBook to another Mac.
Wirelessly (AirPort/AirPort Extreme)
As all MacBook models are equipped with AirPort Extreme (802.11g or 802.11g/n), two MacBook models, or one MacBook and another AirPort or AirPort Extreme-equipped Mac, can be networked together without the AirPort hardware access point by using "direct computer-to-computer communications" within a range of approximately 50 meters.
For Macs that have 10Base-T or 10/100Base-T or faster Ethernet installed and are capable of running MacOS 8.6 or higher, the first Mac can be added to an AirPort network via a crossover Ethernet cable between the computer and the hardware access point and the MacBook can be added to the same network by the wireless AirPort Extreme connection.
Wired (Ethernet)
If you're not interested in using wireless networking, a MacBook also can be connected with a standard Ethernet cable to many other recent models. For older systems, assuming that Ethernet is installed, you can just use a simple crossover cable, or Ethernet cables and a hub, to connect another Mac to the MacBook. Although it has not been updated in quite some time, Three Macs & A Printer covers basic types of wired networking in-depth.
Firewire
The "White and Black" MacBook models also can be connected to another FireWire-equipped Mac, by using "FireWire Target Disk Mode". In this mode, the other computer simply will appear as a second hard drive on the desktop of the MacBook. According to Apple "to use Target Disk Mode, simply connect the computers using a FireWire cable, then start the second computer while holding down the 'T' key on its keyboard."
For additional information, please refer to "How to Use Firewire Target Disk Mode" from the Apple Support Site.
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