Delta
Sun Jun 29 10:19:56 PDT 2008
On Jun 25, 3:10 am, Delta <ad1...@telenet.be> wrote:
> On Jun 21, 10:01 pm, Lem <lem...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>
> > Delta wrote:
> > > Hello all,
>
> > > People probably asked you a thousand times but I can't manage to
> > > gather the information I need by searching the web so here is my
> > > situation:
>
> > > I have a pc with windows XP home SP3 upstairs and a HP Deskjet 916c
> > > printer which is upstairs too. Downstairs I have a notebook with
> > > windows xp professional and also a motorola sb5100E modem.
>
> > > What I do now to surf the web with my notebook is pull the cable (UTP
> > > with RJ45 connector) that comes from my pc upstairs out of my modem
> > > (which is downstairs) and then connect my notebook with another
> > > shorter UTP cable to the modem. For printing I go upstairs with my
> > > notebook and take the usb cable out of my pc to plug it into my
> > > notebook. I know there's a much easier way without having to plug out
> > > cables all the time but I'm a total noob when it comes to networking
> > > issues.
>
> > > To summarise, I would like to:
> > > 1a. avoid swapping cables all the time
> > > 1. share one printer between 2 computers without having both computers
> > > turned on all the time (one computer may be off while printing from
> > > the other).
> > > 2. be able to surf the net with both computers simultaneously is not a
> > > must but if it's easy to setup it's always welcome.
>
> > > What kind of hardware would I have to buy for this? I read about
> > > switches, hubs, routers, print servers and I don't have a clue what
> > > the difference is, let go how to set it up. Important thing to add: I
> > > like to play online games from time to time and I read that routers
> > > can be quite tricky when you want to forward ports so I'm a bit
> > > reluctant about routers unless you can convince me otherwise (I find
> > > it already hard enough trying to figure out how to program my
> > > firewall).
>
> > > Thanks a lot in advance for your help.
>
> > The main piece of hardware you need to buy is a router. Do not be
> > apprehensive about port forwarding (should you need to do that for
> > gaming or otherwise, it is actually quite easy to set up).
>
> > The main choice you have to make is whether to have the router include
> > wireless capability or not. Because wireless routers for home use are
> > relatively inexpensive these days, I'd suggest buying a wireless router
> > even if you don't initially intend to use that capability.
>
> > If you already have a UTP cable going between upstairs and downstairs,
> > you can use that to have a wired network. A wired network will be
> > faster and more secure than a wireless network, but will require pulling
> > cables. Almost all home routers, wired and wireless, come with 4 LAN
> > ports. A wired configuration would be as follows:
>
> > modem --> short UTP cable --> router's WAN port
>
> > router LAN port 1 --> UTP cable to upstairs --> desktop
> > router LAN port 2 --> UTP cable to laptop
> > router LAN port 3 --> available
> > router LAN port 4 --> available
>
> > If you get a wireless router, you could substitute a wireless link for
> > either or both of the UTP cable connections, assuming of course that
> > there is a wireless adapter in the computer. The laptop may have one
> > built in; otherwise, you can buy either external wireless adapters or
> > (for the desktop) a PCI wireless adapter. If you go wireless, check to
> > ensure that all existing hardware is capable of WPA2 (or at least WPA)
> > encryption. If it isn't, consider buying new hardware that is.
>
> > The above configuration permits Internet sharing. In order to share
> > resources (e.g., files and printers), a little software setup is
> > required. If you leave the printer connected via USB to the upstairs
> > PC, you will be able to print from the laptop -- but only if the
> > upstairs PC is turned on and active. If you want to be able to print
> > regardless of whether the PC is on, the printer will have to be
> > connected directly to the network. This requires either (a) a
> > network-ready printer or (b) a print server.
>
> > In either case, the printer will need to be connected to the router.
> > This connection may be wireless or wired. If wired, you will either
> > need a second UTP cable from the router to the printer or you will need
> > a switch that will be connected on one side to the router and on the
> > other side to the upstairs PC and the printer.
>
> > Software setup of the network is straightforward. There are many
> > websites. Here are a few (I haven't checked all of these recently, but
> > I believe all of the links should still be good):
>
> >
http://www.practicallynetworked.com/http://www.practicallynetworked.c...Jack, MVP
http://www.howtonetworking.com/default.htm-Bob Lin, MVP
http://www.howtonetworking.com/Troubleshooting/notaccessibale0.htmhtt......
>
> > And last but not least, MVP Malke's network troubleshooting advice:
>
> > Here are general network troubleshooting steps. Not everything may be
> > applicable to your situation, so just take the bits that are. It may
> > look daunting, but if you follow the steps at the links and suggestions
> > below systematically and calmly, you will have no difficulty in setting
> > up your sharing.
>
> > For XP, start by running the Network Setup Wizard on all machines (see
> > caveat in Item A below).
>
> > Problems sharing files between computers on a network are generally
> > caused by 1) a misconfigured firewall; or 2) inadvertently running two
> > firewalls such as the built-in Windows Firewall and a third-party
> > firewall; and/or 3) not having identical user accounts and passwords on
> > all Workgroup machines; 4) trying to create shares where the operating
> > system does not permit it.
>
> > For XP and Windows 2003 Server, MVP Hans-Georg Michna has an excellent
> > small network troubleshooter. It may also be useful with Vista.
>
> >
http://winhlp.com/wxnet.htm
>
> > Here are some general networking tips for home/small networks:
>
> > A. Configure firewalls on all machines to allow the Local Area Network
> > (LAN) traffic as trusted. With Windows Firewall, this means allowing
> > File/Printer Sharing on the Exceptions tab. Normally running the Network
> > Setup Wizard on XP will take care of this for those machines.The only
> > "gotcha" is that this will turn on the XPSP2 Windows Firewall. If you
> > aren't running a third-party firewall or have an antivirus with
> > "Internet Worm Protection" (like Norton 2006/07) which acts as a
> > firewall, then you're fine. With third-party firewalls, I usually
> > configure the LAN allowance with an IP range. Ex. would be
> > 192.168.1.0-192.168.1.254. Obviously you would substitute your correct
> > subnet. Do not run more than one firewall.
>
> > B. For ease of organization, put all computers in the same Workgroup.
> > This is done from the System applet in Control Panel, Computer Name tab.
>
> > C. Create matching user accounts and passwords on all machines. You do
> > not need to be logged into the same account on all machines and the
> > passwords assigned to each user account can be different; the
> > accounts/passwords just need to exist and match on all machines. If you
> > wish a machine to boot directly to the Desktop (into one particular
> > user's account) for convenience, you can do this. The instructions at
> > this link work for both XP and Vista:
>
> > Configure Windows to Automatically Login (MVP Ramesh) -
http://windowsxp.mvps.org/Autologon.htm
>
> > D. If one or more of the computers is XP Pro or Media Center:
>
> > 1. If you need Pro's ability to set fine-grained permissions, turn off
> > Simple File Sharing (Folder Options>View tab) and create identical user
> > accounts/passwords on all computers.
>
> > 2. If you don't care about using Pro's advanced features, leave the
> > Simple File Sharing enabled. Simple File Sharing means that Guest
> > (network) is enabled. This means that anyone without a user account on
> > the target system can use its resources. This is a security hole but
> > only you can decide if it matters in your situation.
>
> > E. Create shares as desired. XP Home does not permit sharing of users'
> > home directories (My Documents) or Program Files, but you can share
> > folders inside those directories. A better choice is to simply use the
> > Shared Documents folder.
>
> > --
> > Lem -- MS-MVP
>
> > To the moon and back with 2K words of RAM and 36K words of ROM.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_Guidance_Computerhttp://history.n...
>
> I've read your post over and over again, including websites and
> youtube videos and I think I'm starting to get the basics. So from
> what I understand (and correct me if I'm wrong), let's assume
> following setup:
> Downstairs, from my modem with a short UTP cable to the wireless
> router and then connect the already installed UTP cable that links
> upstairs with downstairs on one end to the router and the other end to
> a switch. From the switch upstairs I then go with a short UTP cable to
> the pc and another short UTP cable to a usb print server. I connect
> my printer's usb cable to the other end of the print server.
> Downstairs, since my laptop has wireless, I could connect to the
> router wirelessly. So wireless with my laptop for surfing and hard
> cable for my gaming pc for best quality and speed.
>
> In summary, the components that I need:
> -wireless router
> -switch
> -2 short UTP cables
> -print server
>
> Questions:
> - Does a switch need a power cable for AC?
> - Anything to watch out for when buying a usb print server?
> - How can I check my laptop for WPA2 encryption?
> - I understand linksys N-series is a popular router. Which one would
> you recommend in terms of price/quality and user friendliness?
>
> Thanks,
> Alex
Anyone?
Thanks