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are a couple of different ways that you can setup a single-room
home network.
If you have only two PCs that you want to network, you can
connect the PCs externally with a single cable, through any
of the following ports that should be available on your PC
or workstation.
- USB - not very fast but better than Parallel
- Parallel - IEE-488 standard allows for bi-directional
speeds, but nothing as fast as Ethernet
- Ethernet - 10base/100base using twisted pair cabling
on inexpensive hubs.
You will need to
either (1) buy an inexpensive hub or even a low-cost switch
for use in this solution, or you could buy a home networking
kit that includes the cards, cable and hub that you will need
to create the single room. The parts list is:
- Interface card for each PC or workstation
- Straight through cable when used with hub,
or Crossover cable when used without hub.
- An inexpensive switch or hub
Installation of Ethernet cards or other
devices
The installation of the card varies by manufacturer.
In most cases the card is simply inserted into an available
empty slot and the Windows software will install the card,
or you use the disk provided by the manufacturer. If you are
using a USB or parallel method to connect these cards, then
you will need to consult the manufacturer for proper installation
instructions.
Connecting the cables to the hub, or to
each PC or workstation with a crossover cable.
Once you have installed the cards in each
of the systems you need to connect them to each other using
the hub or inexpensive switch. Plug the cables into the hub
and then into each interface card. If you are using a crossover
cable, then connect this cable between two (and only two)
PCs or workstations (any more than 2 requires a hub).
Time to boot the workstations and configure
them
The most simple method of creating a network
of devices involves the use of the NetBEUI protocol. The NetBEUI
protocol is installed by default on the Windows 9x and Windows
NT platforms. For Windows 2000 you will need to add the protocol.
After the workstations have booted and you have verified that
the NetBEUI protocol is loaded, you can start sharing workstations
and printers.
Using TCP/IP Networking
To use the TCP/IP protocol, you will need
to understand some things about TCP/IP addresses and settings
that affect the operation of Windows workstations using the
TCP/IP protocol. We will include this discussion at a later
time, for now use these settings:
IP Address Station 1 --> 192.168.1.100
Network Mask -->
255.255.255.0
IP Address Station 2--> 192.168.1.101
Network Mask -->
255.255.255.0
IP Address Station 3--> 192.168.1.102
Network Mask -->
255.255.255.0
Keep repeating this until all workstations
have been assigned. For most of you this will be two or three
workstations at the most.
Share Devices
Using the Windows file and print sharing services
is covered under different areas of this website and is also
available at many other websites as well. You now the capability
to use these services to share information and files and devices
between your PCs and workstations on your home network.
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