Mesa 7i92 Ethernet Connection

I'm looking for some advice on how to hook up the 7i92 to my computer through the ethernet connection.

As I see it, here are the options.
A - I run a RJ-45 cable directly from the computer to the 7i92.
B - I connect the computer and 7i92 to a router. No other devices are connected to the router.
C - As above, but there are other devices using the switch. The switch is connected to a router that assigns addresses.

I'm still configuring/building the system. I do have it working with essentially option C and a router performing DHCP. However, I have not actually cut anything yet!

If possible, I'd like to have the computer sitting on my network, so that I can easily send it G-code files from other computers.

So, here are the questions:
1) Will option A, even work without a router somewhere? I assume both the computer and 7i92 have to have static addresses.
2) For option C, can the 7i92 be mixed in with other devices in a similar address range (192.168.1.xxx)?
3) For option C, can the 7i92 be mixed in with other devices if it uses a different address range (10.10.1.xxx)?

Thanks!

Option A is the correct one for the best real time performance

Option B will at the minimum add the routers switches store&forward delays and has no advantages over "A" *
(assuming you disable all router features so it doesn't blather any unsolicited packets)

Option C can work if you use IP aliasing on the host (but not for real time)

* A switch can be used to run multiple hm2_eth cards (currently up to 4) from one port
this works fairly well if the switch has at least one GigE port connected to the host
as the short 1GigeE host packet time allows for considerable overlap of the 100BaseT traffic

USB --> Ethernet dongles for the non-real time network connection also work well

Thanks for answering the question I as going to ask!

I have one of those tiny computers, so there's no room or slots for any boards. I do have a USB to ethernet dongle. If I understand correctly, I can configure two ethernet plugs in the machine (one internal, and one a USB dongle). I would use one (the dongle) to connect to my home network, and the other (the built-in) would be for the dedicated line to the 7i92. The dedicated line would have a separate address scheme, like the 10,10,1,x.

So I'll be able to move files to and from the computer on my regular network, and will have the dedicated network for the 7i92.

PS, the computer does have built-in wi-fi, but there's not a driver for it yet in linux.