3 computers upstairs off 1 network cable?

Hi guys and girls
Right, I have a Linksys WAG354G router plugged straight into the master socket thingy downstairs, and then a network cable runs upstairs into my laptop. I have just bought a cheap pc off ebay for playing with linux, and my mum has just bought one for her work. We would like all 3 pc's upstairs, and installing 2 more network cables isnt an option! (They have to go through so many walls etc!) So will this: http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=37499
plug into the cable upstairs, and we all get shorter network cables and plug into this?
Would we need crossover or standard network cables for this?

A slightly more tech question now, I plan on setting up the linux box as a home webserver/ftp for some files (just for kicks and experience), will this be alright (visible to the outside world?) if I forward the correct ports etc on the router?

Thanks tremendously!

Gareth

A switching hub like you point to will do the job, that one has autosensing so any cables would work but best to get normal patch cables rather than crossover.

That looks like it'll do the job. A switch as opposed to a hub might be a tad faster but I doubt you'd notice the difference. The blurb indicates that it's auto sensing. which often means it can work with both crossed and uncrossed cables, but in this case I suspect it means the ability to automatically detect the appropriate speed. It does say "uplink" which generally means that it has one port wired the "other" way round, removing the need for a crossover cable. In any case, your router almost certainly has auto-sensing and won't care about the cable type. You'll need straight (uncrossed) "patch" cables between hub and PCs.

Yes, to run any servers, you'll need to forward the appropriate ports in your router, and probably lock down the LAN IP address of your server. I do that here with a windows box behind a D-Link router.

Cheers thanks for your replies
I read up a little further on the switch vs hub issue, quite interesting! I went for a hub anyway as for my intended use I really dont think it will be an issue.

Thanks again,
Gareth