Mini Panel Direct Ethernet Connection

We are prepping for a Mini Panel purchase. I have searched this forum (plus goggling) and not found an answer to this. We have a cable length, 16+ feet, that should be dodgy for USB connection and I'd like to use the computer's LAN2 port for direct connection to the Mini Panel without going through a router or switch.
A) Is this possible?
B) Is so, is a crossover cable required?
(https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etherne ... over_cable)

For those wondering, we are out of network drops in this part of the workspace, so we'd need to run a new drop from the switch to get the Mini Panel on the regular office network.
-Thanks in advance for help!

An active USB extension would get you working.

Otherwise, if it is like the Avid/Euphonix panels, then yes a crossover cable would be used. That said, I don't own a mini panel, so they may have built in a better ethernet interface and it doesn't require the crossover cable, but not sure. Crossover would be safe and easy to buy or make.

Alternate would be to buy a cheap little multiport switch and connect the panel through the new switch.

Second alternate would be to buy a good mulitport switch, at least as fast as the regular network, connect network line from main network, connect computer, connect panel. Not ideal, but it would probably work unless the panel needs to be on its own VLAN, this would require a little more costly switch.

An active USB extension would get you working.

Good to know! I had seen some posts (my first reply attempt let me know that I can't post URLs, so no link to post: "Mini Panel connection/performance problems") that made me worry about long USB runs and hubs.
I guess we can try either an USB extension or the ethernet and see what works...

Ethernet would be a cheap thing if you have the tools to make it. Good USB extensions will run more than $15usd, and some can be better than others. If the panel has problems with hubs, ten an extension may not be a good first choice because the extensions are effectively just a small hub on the end of a long cable.