Re: OT. How to set up a home computer network?

On 30/05/10 10:33, Donwill wrote:
> I have a laptop which is full or so the message it displays tells me.
> I could buy an external disc I suppose, but I got to thinking that it
> would be useful to archive old data which I want to keep and refer to it
> if necessary and also make it available to all computers (3) in our home
> inc Printer and Wlan. I would guess that it's perfectly possible these
> days but how do I go about it.?

I'm replying to your initial post in uk.d-i-y and crossposting to
uk.comp.home-networking to bring them into the conversation.

We have already discussed some of the obvious alternatives, using
wireless and mains networking. We have established that cat 5e or cat 6
are the options for cabled Ethernet.

There have been suggestions about building a file-storage system (NAS)
using a spare PC but as I understand it you don't think this is a viable
option for you. That leaves the option of buying a NAS device or
something similar.


--
Bernard Peek
(E-Mail Removed)

On 30/05/2010 15:51, Bernard Peek wrote:
> On 30/05/10 10:33, Donwill wrote:
>> I have a laptop which is full or so the message it displays tells me.
>> I could buy an external disc I suppose, but I got to thinking that it
>> would be useful to archive old data which I want to keep and refer to it
>> if necessary and also make it available to all computers (3) in our home
>> inc Printer and Wlan. I would guess that it's perfectly possible these
>> days but how do I go about it.?
>
> I'm replying to your initial post in uk.d-i-y and crossposting to
> uk.comp.home-networking to bring them into the conversation.
Yes, good idea, Thanks.
>
> We have already discussed some of the obvious alternatives, using
> wireless and mains networking. We have established that cat 5e or cat
> 6 are the options for cabled Ethernet.
On looking at the price of 30Meters of Cat5e and Cat6 there was only
approx £3 or £4 difference, on that basis and for future proofing it
seems wise to go for
Cat6 .
>
> There have been suggestions about building a file-storage system (NAS)
> using a spare PC but as I understand it you don't think this is a
> viable option for you. That leaves the option of buying a NAS device
> or something similar.
Yes maybe someone can discuss/advise?

>
>
In the back of my router (Siemens SE587) there are four LAN sockets
(would they be called RJ45?) only one is used and is connected to my lap
top. What purpose could the the other three sockets be put to.?

Cheers
Don

On 2010-05-30, Donwill <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> In the back of my router (Siemens SE587) there are four LAN sockets
> (would they be called RJ45?) only one is used and is connected to my lap
> top. What purpose could the the other three sockets be put to.?

The router has a built-in hub. You can plug any other devices you like in
there and they will all be on the same network.


--
Today is Setting Orange, the 4th day of Confusion in the YOLD 3176
Teardrop on the fire, Fearless on my breath

On 30/05/10 16:09, Donwill wrote:


>> I'm replying to your initial post in uk.d-i-y and crossposting to
>> uk.comp.home-networking to bring them into the conversation.
> Yes, good idea, Thanks.
>>
>> We have already discussed some of the obvious alternatives, using
>> wireless and mains networking. We have established that cat 5e or cat
>> 6 are the options for cabled Ethernet.
> On looking at the price of 30Meters of Cat5e and Cat6 there was only
> approx £3 or £4 difference, on that basis and for future proofing it
> seems wise to go for
> Cat6 .

It's not just a question of the type of cable you use, the standards
also specify things like the maximum length of conductor that is allowed
to be untwisted at the ends. For Cat 6 I believe that it's 5mm. This is
unlikely to be an issue for a home network.

>>
>> There have been suggestions about building a file-storage system (NAS)
>> using a spare PC but as I understand it you don't think this is a
>> viable option for you. That leaves the option of buying a NAS device
>> or something similar.
> Yes maybe someone can discuss/advise?

There are a lot of options available. There are dozens of manufacturers
making NAS devices. A lot of them offer additional services such as
media streaming.

>
>>
>>
> In the back of my router (Siemens SE587) there are four LAN sockets
> (would they be called RJ45?) only one is used and is connected to my lap
> top. What purpose could the the other three sockets be put to.?

The usual arrangement is that the router incorporates a 100Mb switching
hub that allows up to four RJ45 cables to be connected. These could be
to computers, NAS devices, networked printers, VoIP phones or even games
consoles. If there's a need for more than four devices you can plug in a
switch that can connect more devices. Four and eight port 100Mb switches
are quite reasonably priced. Note that at the moment a 100Mb network
should be fine and using cabling rated for Gigabit services is only a
future-proofing precaution.

It's even possible that a Wifi or mains networking connection will do
everything you need, in which case you won't need to lay cables at all.
It all depends on how much bandwidth you need. If all you need to do is
to copy a few small files across the network overnight at the end of the
day then you won't need much bandwidth. If you want to copy the entire
contents of a terabyte disk every hour then you will need something
beyond the usual home network. Only you can tell us what you want to do
and how fast you need to do it. Without that information people can only
offer suggestions based on their own requirements and not on yours.

After bandwidth considerations you need to think about network topology.
Whereabouts will you be using your computers. The router needs to stay
somewhere close to the phone socket, where else do you need network
connections? Does the construction of the house allow access everywhere
using a single Wifi base unit in the router? Do you need access in a
shed or loft?

Lastly you need to consider what data you want to store and whether
there are any special considerations. How much value do you place on
your data, and how much effort is reasonable to protect it against loss
or corruption. Is it "sensitive personal data" as dealt with by the Data
Protection Act? Is it commercially sensitive? Does it have great
sentimental value? Any of these might mean that you may need to consider
information security, and this can affect your choices about hardware.


--
Bernard Peek
(E-Mail Removed)

On 30 May 2010 15:31:34 GMT, Huge wrote:

>> In the back of my router (Siemens SE587) there are four LAN
sockets
>
> The router has a built-in hub.

I'd be very surprised if it was a hub rather than a switch. Digging
about it is described as a switch. A hub sends anything on any input
to all the other outputs, a switch only sends to the relevant ouput.

> You can plug any other devices you like in there and they will all be on
> the same network.

Might be on the same network...

--
Cheers
Dave.

On 2010-05-30, Dave Liquorice <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> On 30 May 2010 15:31:34 GMT, Huge wrote:
>
>>> In the back of my router (Siemens SE587) there are four LAN
> sockets
>>
>> The router has a built-in hub.
>
> I'd be very surprised if it was a hub rather than a switch. Digging
> about it is described as a switch. A hub sends anything on any input
> to all the other outputs, a switch only sends to the relevant ouput.

Yes, I know. The difference is irrelevant to the original poster. He
wants help, not pedantry.

--
Today is Setting Orange, the 4th day of Confusion in the YOLD 3176
Teardrop on the fire, Fearless on my breath

On 30 May 2010 21:09:09 GMT, Huge wrote:

>>> The router has a built-in hub.
>>
>> I'd be very surprised if it was a hub rather than a switch.
Digging
>> about it is described as a switch. A hub sends anything on any
input
>> to all the other outputs, a switch only sends to the relevant
ouput.
>
> Yes, I know. The difference is irrelevant to the original poster. He
> wants help, not pedantry.

So feeding the OP incorrect information is helpful? There is a
significant difference between a hub and switch that, hopefully, the
OP is now aware of.

--
Cheers
Dave.

On 2010-05-30, Dave Liquorice <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> On 30 May 2010 21:09:09 GMT, Huge wrote:
>
>>>> The router has a built-in hub.
>>>
>>> I'd be very surprised if it was a hub rather than a switch.
> Digging
>>> about it is described as a switch. A hub sends anything on any
> input
>>> to all the other outputs, a switch only sends to the relevant
> ouput.
>>
>> Yes, I know. The difference is irrelevant to the original poster. He
>> wants help, not pedantry.
>
> So feeding the OP incorrect information is helpful?

So pointless pedantry is helpful? Go wave your fucking willy somewghere
else.

> There is a
> significant difference between a hub and switch that, hopefully, the
> OP is now aware of.

So far as the OP is concerned, there is exactly no difference. Hell, he
didn't even know what the other 3 sockets were for.

--
Today is Sweetmorn, the 5th day of Confusion in the YOLD 3176
Celebrate Syaday
Teardrop on the fire, Fearless on my breath

On Sun, 30 May 2010 19:34:01 +0100 (BST)
"Dave Liquorice" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> On 30 May 2010 15:31:34 GMT, Huge wrote:
>
> >> In the back of my router (Siemens SE587) there are four LAN
> sockets
> >
> > The router has a built-in hub.
>
> I'd be very surprised if it was a hub rather than a switch. Digging
> about it is described as a switch. A hub sends anything on any input
> to all the other outputs, a switch only sends to the relevant ouput.

Actually hub describes the network topology and switch describes the
mode of operation - what is usually referred to as a switch is actually
a switching hub, the hub you describe is a repeating hub.

On 31/05/10 00:29, Dave Liquorice wrote:
> On 30 May 2010 21:09:09 GMT, Huge wrote:
>
>>>> The router has a built-in hub.
>>>
>>> I'd be very surprised if it was a hub rather than a switch.
> Digging
>>> about it is described as a switch. A hub sends anything on any
> input
>>> to all the other outputs, a switch only sends to the relevant
> ouput.
>>
>> Yes, I know. The difference is irrelevant to the original poster. He
>> wants help, not pedantry.
>
> So feeding the OP incorrect information is helpful? There is a
> significant difference between a hub and switch that, hopefully, the
> OP is now aware of.

The difference between a hub and a switch is negligible for the small
networks that a home networking group is likely to be considering. If I
wanted to be pedantic I'd point out that your correction is factually
incorrect in that the correct term is a switching hub. However life's
too short.


--
Bernard Peek
(E-Mail Removed)