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If you just don't tconfigure the TCP/IP settings correctly for your internet connection, the computer will not get an IP address, therefore saving the other three for your other computers.

If you have a standard reuter that assigns IP adresses with DHCP, then you could connect up to 252 computers, but I'm asuming that your setup is slightly different.

I thought about that at first, but I think if screw up the TCP/IP you won't be able to network with it.

Did your ISP provide IP addresses?  If so, enter a fourth address (change the last digit).  that should keep it off-line, and on your local network.  Or, if your ISP provided a client ID number, just don't enter it on the G3.

so would something like 12.12.12.0 work or should I use 255.255.255.0?
For some reason I could only get 3 connections and I haven't looked into it because I only need 3.

You need to check the other macines on the network to see what IP's they are using/being assigned.

That is a potential problem. What is assigning the ip addresses? Is it an Airport or DSL router/switch? With DHCP it should check to see if the ip is used before assigning a new one. Again, I'm not sure what's assigning your IP's but you may be able to limit the range it can draw from or map the static in it for the one you assign. My home network switch router always seems to assign number fairly close so when I need to work on someones computer I know I can give it an ip that ends with .253 and not have an issue. At work we use staic IP's predominantly with blocks of IP's reserved for VPN connections and such.

Hope its really help. It looks like you don't have a switch/router set up on the network and that your DSL/modem is doing some of the routing work? Additionally with the ip's you listed I'm guessing the subnet mask isn't 255.255.255.0 but rather something like 255.255.128.0. The subnet identify's the network and defines the range of IP's available. If the mask is 255.255.255.0 then there is only 253 available ip's on the network. If the mask is 255.255.128.0 then the available number of ip's just went into the thousands(to tired to remember or figure out the actaul number). With a DSL router your ISP gives an IP to it and then it assigns numbers to the attached devices and routes(NAT network address translation) everything in/out through the ip assigned by the ISP. Then as far as the ISP is aware there is only one device on the network.

I tried to set up NAT and I couldn't get that to work either. I have a Lynksys router but I don't believe that it's controling my IP's. My SM is 255.255.230.0 (good/bad?). Is there anyway I can link my 2 machines without going through the router used for our net connection without buying another ethernet card?

The SM is neither good nor bad, it just say's that there are a lot more assignable ip's for that network. What is the model number of your Lynksys? Perhaps I can look it up and see what its capable of. My home router is an el cheapo made by Trendnet, but it required no setup. By default it was set up to act as a DHCP server and all that was required on the client side was for them to use DHCP.Are any of the computers attached acting as a server(OS-X.2 server) to the outside world? That would be the only reason for mapping static addresses.

I've heard/seen that you can link computers via the USB ports, but I'm unfamiliar with the practice. If your router has enough ports, there is no reason it shouldn't work.

Just so I'm thinking clearly your network is:

DSL modem---->Linksys router(4 port?)====>G3(desktop?)/G4(OS-X server)=====>iBook/another mystery computer?

Does that look right?

From the ip's that are being provided and assigned to the machines that router has to be a hub or it has not got the rogers connections going to the wan side but rather to the lan side.

The fellow has been right in all his suggestions but if you have a router not a hub the ips on your local network have to be either manually set or by some device on your lan. The machines on your lan will not care that you Rogers has changed the ips if you have router.

If you do have a router in there, there is a serious disconnect in the discusion because the network would not work that way and Rogers would have no idea of how many machines are there. Even mac addressing is hidden by the routers.