When I add a host to this list, it appears for a split second then disappears.

I know that the other host is available, in fact they are on the same network, they are both running the same versions of limewire, 2.8.

As a result I am unable to see or download any files from this host from the computer I am trying to connect from.

The host you're connecting to cannot be a leaf, that is only connected to other ultrapeers. If it is then the remote host will return other IPs to connect to and then drop the connection.

So does that mean this tool cannot allow a person to share files at will? I just have to hope that the host I am trying to connect to finds its way back via gnutella? How would I force it to respond to the search I am doing on a different machine?

You're only sharing and searching files within a set of hosts. This horizon is a portion of the entire Gnutella network. As your connections change to different hosts your horizon also varies.

Searching again over time helps you reach the host you're looking for if you didn't find it at first.

About forcing a search to particular hots, this thread about Gnutella on a LAN may help:
<http://www.gnutellaforums.com/showth...threadid=17628>