[ale] USB A -> USB A Cable

[synco gibraldter]

On 21 Sep 2003 at 15:37, Mike Panetta wrote:

> A hub won't do what he wants.  Assuming what he really wants is a USB
> A->A cable (which does not or may, but should not exist). The USB A
> port is the host port.  A female USB A port is on every computer and
> hub.  Hubs also have a USB B port (to go from the computer to the hub
> using a USB A->B cable), as hubs are devices.  USB only supports host
> to device connections (ie its not multi master like firewire) thats
> why there are 2 different types of connectors, its to force you to
> only be able to connect devices to hosts, and not devices to devices
> or hosts to hosts.  Now there are things that will allow you to
> connect USB hosts to other USB hosts, they are a kind of bridge (the
> "networking" thingie I mentioned) that shows up to each computer as a
> USB device with special properties.
> 
> Either way the USB spec does not allow USB host to host connections
> without some imtermediary device (bridge) in between.  That is why
> there are no USB A->A cables (or there should not be because they
> would serve no purpose other then to frustrate the user and possibly
> damage the hardware).
> 

would it be possible to create a makeshift cross-connect cable?  what you said holds 
true for ethernet as well but switching the position of two wires results in hub <--> 
hub or client <--> client connections.  i've never seen the specs for usb cabling... i 
don't even know how many wires there are, but with proper software, it seems like 
you could do that.

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