Newbie help needed on network

Newbie help needed on network



I have three pc's which I want to network, one being a laptop



I have an Ethernet dsl modem, a 4 port router, a wireless access point and
laptop wireless card and nics in the other two desktop pcs.



I assume that I plug the router into pc ones nic, the modem into the router,
the wireless access point into the router and pc 2 into the router



My main questions are how do I setup each pc to use the modem connected to
the router and also the printer connected to pc1 and file sharing across all
pcs.



What protocol do I use and what ip addressing etc do I need to setup on
each pc.



The desktop pc's have win xp professional and the laptop has widows 2000
peofessional installed.



I also have another network connection of the laptop already set up by my it
department so I can plug into there network when I go to head office, I don'
t want to mess any of these settings up




Graham Oldroyd

"Graham Oldroyd" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:bs1qdl$lf5$(E-Mail Removed)...
> Newbie help needed on network

> I assume that I plug the router into pc ones nic, the modem into the
router,
> the wireless access point into the router and pc 2 into the router
That all sounds right.

Windows XP has wizards for all of the networking you want to do and it
really is a doddle.

Your internet connection on each pc will be set to "LAN".
Check 'share this folder' in properties on the folders you want to share.
Set printers to 'share this printer' in their properties under 'printers' on
the machine they're connected to
go to "add printer" on the other machines and let the wizard guide you
through - it seems to grab the drivers it needs from the host machine
accross the network


> I also have another network connection of the laptop already set up by my
it
> department so I can plug into there network when I go to head office, I
don'
> t want to mess any of these settings up

Now i cant help you there - that might be a bit more difficult. Why dont
you ask your IT department - if you introduce a virus to your company though
connecting your laptop to your home network and back to theres they'll be
royall pshed at you.

In article <bs1qdl$lf5$(E-Mail Removed)>, "Graham Oldroyd"
(E-Mail Removed) says...
> Newbie help needed on network
>
>
>
> I have three pc's which I want to network, one being a laptop
>
>
>
> I have an Ethernet dsl modem, a 4 port router, a wireless access point and
> laptop wireless card and nics in the other two desktop pcs.
>
>
>
> I assume that I plug the router into pc ones nic, the modem into the router,
> the wireless access point into the router and pc 2 into the router
>
>
>
> My main questions are how do I setup each pc to use the modem connected to
> the router

Use the DHCP that your router probably provides

> and also the printer connected to pc1 and file sharing across all
> pcs.

Enable File and Printer Sharing, set sharing in the properties of what
you want to share. To enable the printer remotely Add Printer->Network
Printer, to mount remote folders Mount Network Drive.

> What protocol do I use and what ip addressing etc do I need to setup on
> each pc.

TCP/IP - everything should be handled by DHCP on the router

> The desktop pc's have win xp professional and the laptop has widows 2000
> peofessional installed.
>
> I also have another network connection of the laptop already set up by my it
> department so I can plug into there network when I go to head office, I don'
> t want to mess any of these settings up
>
If it's logging you into a Windows domain then it will be tricky,
otherwise you may be able to set your home network to mimic the office
setup so you don't need to change any settings. Alternatively use a
different network device for the laptop and create hardware profiles so
that Windows only uses one or the other.

You have a lot to do here, and a lot to learn. By the time you have this
lot up and running you should know all there is to know about home
networking. You need to tackle this in the right order, break it down into
smaller tasks. I won't answer in detail what has to be done at every
stage, just the order you need to go about this mammoth job. But before I
do that, a quick thought about your equipment. You seem to have everything
you need to build your network, but you need to check one point. Is the
USB port on the router for configuration only using a PC, or is it to plug
your DSL modem into. You need to look at the router's instructions. OK
assuming all is well and the USB port is for the DSL modem, this is the
order you need to tackle the setup.

1. Your router is the main component of your network. It can automatically
configure the PC's as they connect. But first it must be configured. You
do this with a web browser on one of the PC's. The router will have a
factory set IP address. You need to manually set a PC to match this
address. Once this is done plug the PC into the router, call up your
browser on the PC and type the router's IP address into the browser. You
should now be able to configure the router. Follow the router's
instructions.

2. On the router configure your internet connection. Account name,
password etc. The router manages the internet connection without any help
from the PC's. You should now be able to access the internet from your PC.

3. On the router enable DHCP (Dynamic Host Control Protocol) Follow the
instructions and input all the info needed to make it work. Set all your
PC's to get IP address automatically (usually do this by default). All
wired PC's should now be able to access the internet.

4. Plug in the wireless access point. Again this will have a default IP
address. It may need to be changed to suit your setup. So you may have to
manually change the PC's IP address to match it, just like you did with
the router. Once you have a compatable address on the PC, access the
access point with your web browser and set it up as per instructions. Make
sure you enable WEP security and MAC address filtering for maximum
security. Reset your PC to automatic (DHCP) and reboot.

5. Configure the laptop's wireless card, WEP etc. You should now be able
to access the internet on it.

6. Local network. Set the workgroup name on all the PC's the same. Give
all the computers a different netbios name. Enable printer sharing on the
PC that has the printer. Enable file sharing on PC's that you wish to
access files on. Browse your network to configure shares and printers as
required.

There is a lot to do. Each stage has it's pitfalls, but it's worth the
effort.

If you are completely lost about IP addresses here's a suggested IP range
for a small home network.

Router: IP 192.168.0.254, netmask 255.255.255.0

Wireless AP: IP 192.168.0.253, netmask 255.255.255.0

Your DHCP range could be: 192.168.0.101 to 192.168.0.200

That will leave you with 192.168.0.1 to 192.168.0.100 for static devices
like servers.

The Default gateway is the router's IP address 192.168.0.254.

Your DNS server is whatever your ISP says it is.



Hope this helps (a bit) Graham.

Hi Graham (sorry to butt in to this thread), Remember me I asked you about
getting a FTP server to work on my router?? I have posted another msg under
this account that explains the probs i am still having.

Cheers

Derek