|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Networking your Home/Office Computers
Networking your workstation, LAN Node, or client (that’s what the PC folks call a computer on the network), is easier and cheaper now than it has ever been before.
First lets define what a network in a small business or home environment is. a SOHO (Small Office/Home Office), network is simply a way to share components and
information such as printers, data and scanners. Simple logic will show you that this can be a tremendous cost saving factor for your business. There are several different styles of networks called
Network Topology (just a fancy way of saying the type of network best suited for the operation it will perform). Bus, Ring and Star are the most popular types of network topology. As we are dealing in a
Small Business situation we will concentrate on the Star Topology.
The Star Topology simply means each computer and some devices are connected directly to a central HUB (concentrator) via network cabling. Lets look at the components for our network to get a better understanding of what we need to get our network up and running.
You will need:
Each computer on the network will need a 10/100 Ethernet/Network Card -- You will need to check your PC manual and make sure you get the right BUS type, either 16Bit, ISA, PCI or USB.
One 10/100 Switchable HUB that each PC will attach to via a CAT5 RJ45 network cable.
One CAT5 RJ45 cable for each device connected to the HUB.
Oh, and of course an operating system that supports networking such as Microsoft Windows.
Lets see, at the current prices, we should be able to purchase everything we need for less than two-hundred bucks to network an office with three workstations...not bad! But will it pay for itself? You bet, If you have to purchase three printers with supplies and support you have just cut that cost down to one or maybe two printers (one as a backup) and slashed the cost of supplies and maintenance.
Next we need to get the hardware installed. The components you buy will most likely have instructions for the installation. The ethernet cards will be
the most demanding items to install. Please read Removing Components prior to installing the Network/Ethernet Cards. Once you have the cards installed in your PC Windows will load the required network drivers. If you have a problem at this point please read Add/Remove Drivers section. As far as installing hardware is concerned we are done.
Our next step is to find a suitable location for the HUB. A network HUB is simply a device that each cable from each PC is connected to.
There are a number of brands and configurations to choose from. The basic rule about purchasing a HUB is to get twice as many plugs (Known as ports) for the amount of devices that you currently plan to attach. This will allow for expansion in the future. As we have three PC’s and one printer that we want to connect to the network we will purchase an eight port HUB that support our 10/100 CAT5 RJ45 cable and network cards. So we will ask for a 10/100 Eight Port, CAT5 RJ45 HUB. We want it to be out of the way but still have access to it for troubleshooting later. It is also a good idea to use the same manufacturer when you purchase the HUB and the Ethernet Cards, it is not mandatory, but this will cause less headache when they try to find each other on the network.
Next is the cabling, we need a CAT5 RJ45 cable for each device that will be attached to the HUB device. At this point we will need three (whatever length) network cables. Connect
each cable from the PC’s ethernet card connector (port), to a port on the HUB.
|
|
|
|
Setting Up a Printer on the Network on Windows95/98/Me
At this point, its time to set up your printer to work on the network.
Make sure your printer is connected to one computer and is working properly. You must also have the printer drivers available for installing on all the computers that you wish to connect to the printer. If you have installed it correctly, you will see its Icon by double clicking on My Computer and clicking on the PRINTERS folder.
Open the PRINTER folder in My Computer (for WindowsMe go to the printer folder by clicking on START then SETTINGS), Right-Click once on the printer you wish to share and select SHARE AS.
Give the printer a name that you will remember when you share it on the other computers. Click OK to close the screen. Your printer attached to its computer is now on the network and shared.
Now its time to add the printer and drivers to the other computers on the network.
You must complete the following on each individual computer that you wish to print to the network computer from. Double-Click on My Computer, Open the PRINTER folder and Double-Click the ADD PRINTER icon. At the next screen click on NEXT. Choose NETWORK Printer and click NEXT. At this point you need to decide whether you want to print from MS-DOS based programs also. Windows needs this information so that it can install files for printing using the computers LPT ports. Most people choose YES, its one of those better safe than sorry things. Next, you need to tell Windows the path to the network printer. If you know the path you may type it in or:
Select BROWSE.
You should see a list of the computers on the network, Double-Click on the computer that is physically attached to the printer. If you do not see the printer icon below the computer icon try Double-Clicking on ENTIRE NETWORK then WORKGROUP (if that’s what you named your workgroup) and find the computer that the printer is physically attached to. Left-Click once on the printer icon and click OK. The path information should now be shown in the Network Path text box. If the path is not listed, stop now and try the process all over again. If you see the printer path and you have click on the YES radio button, click on NEXT. The next screen will ask you for the printer name. You can name the network printer anything you wish, but, if you have several printers on the network you want to make sure you know which one this is. If you want this to be the DEFAULT printer (and if its the only printer you have, this will be yes), click on the YES radio button, click NEXT. The next screen will ask you if you want to print a test page...couldn’t hurt! Select YES and then click on FINISHED.
As you can see and regardless of what the last screen said, you are not finished. Now you must install the printer drivers. If you do not understand drivers, go to the DRIVER HELP PAGE. At this point you need to tell Windows where the drivers are for your printer. Once you have located them click on OK.
Windows will install the drivers, complete the connection and ask you if the page printed correctly. If the print job was successful, congratulations, you have completed the installation of the network printer. If the printer did not print, then check your printer to make sure its: 1. On and has power, 2. Is connected to the computer its attached to and will print from it. Once you complete the first two steps, delete the network printer icon in the PRINTER folder and start over.
REMEMBER: The computer that is physically attached to the printer and the printer must be on before another network computer can print to it. Normally the computer that is
physically attached to the printer will be your nondedicated server and should always be the first computer turned on.
|
|
|
|
Naming your Network
Network and Computer Identification: Once you have completed the hardware install and have installed the Client and Protocol software you are ready to use the network. First you need to make sure that the IDENTIFICATION for each networked PC is correct. Go to START, SETTINGS, CONTROL PANEL, click on NETWORK and then click on the IDENTIFICATION tab. You may name each PC anything you want to but normally they will be given names that identify them. You need to complete the three blocks in the IDENTIFICATION Tab to complete the network setup. The next block is the WORKGROUP block. Although you may setup separate workgroups, in a small office, you should use one workgroup that identifies the whole network. Most people use the word WORKGROUP but you may want to use your company name here. Just remember that in order for the network computers to see each other they must belong to the same workgroup. Finally, input the computer description. I like to but the computer manufacturer name and what the computer does here, i.e.; ACCOUNTING. Once you have completed these steps move on to the File and Printer Sharing feature
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Activate File and Printer Sharing
Make sure you have activated file and printer sharing on the computers that you want to share information with by using the following instructions. Click on START, SETTINGS, CONTROL PANEL. Open the NETWORK icon and place a checkmark in the File and Printer Sharing Box.
|
|
|
(Back to Top of Page)
|
|
|
|
Sharing File Resources
This is the point of the network in the first place! Once you have all the hardware setup, installed all the necessary clients and protocols and activated the File and Printer Sharing function, reboot all the PC’s on the network. You should be able to see all the computers on the network by browsing NETWORK NIEGHBORHOOD. If you cannot see the other PC’s stop hear and re-look your installation. GOTO Network Troubleshooting. Once you see all the PC’s on the network it is time to SHARE the PC’s, Directories and files. The first rule to remember is that a PC cannot share itself, nor can a PC request a share without the sharing PC’s authorization. This will make sense as we move along.
In a small office or home network environment you will normally have one PC that is used most often and will house most of the information that needs to be shared. We will call this PC the SERVER. Remember, we said all the PC’s should have names for ease of use? In reality the SERVER or Main PC is considered a Non-Dedicated Server. It is considered a Non-Dedicated Server because it is used in the day-to-day activities of the office and also serves as a Server by sharing its resources over the network. You may, at this point, start sharing drives, folders and/or files on any of the attached PC’s. Remember, in order to access a shared resource on the network the PC’s must be ON. You can’t see a shared resource on a PC that is turned off. First step is to allow your PC to share its resources. On the computer with the drive, folder or files you want to share go to START, PROGRAMS, and WINDOWS EXPLORER. You may also get there by Right-Clicking on My Computer and select Explorer. As an added bonus, you may simply open My Computer.
Lets say you want to give all the PC’s on the network full access to the C: (C Drive) of your Server. Click on the drive, in this case the Root of C Drive. Go to the FILE Menu and click on PROPERTIES. Click the sharing TAB and then click on SHARED AS. Give the shared resource a name. If you want all the PC’s to be able to share all the files on the Server you should give it a name such as Server_C. Click on OK to share the drive. Open My Computer and depending on your Windows version you should notice that the C drive icon has changed. It may have a small hand under it or a connecting line. This is how the network shows that the drive has been shared. At this point you should restart on the PC’s on the network and check to make sure they can see each other and that the Server’s C: drive is still shared. You do not have to share the complete drive of the computer. You may use the same instructions on any drive, devise, folder or file. This is important if you do not wish to show portions of the drive to others. Our next step is to allow the Server C: drive to be accessible to the other PC’s on the network. Again make sure all the PC’s on the network are on. On the computer that is requesting to share the shared C: drive click on NTEWORK NEIGHBORHOOD, (if the shared Server C: drive is not visible, click on ENTIRE NETWORK, your WORKGROUP and SERVER_C). At this point you should see all the computers on your network. On the TOOL BAR click on MAP DRIVE.
Here is a new term, MAPPING. Any time we attach or share a drive, device, folder or file it is called Mapping. We want to MAP the Servers C: drive to this computer. The next screen is the MAP NETWORK DEVICE screen. We must give the Mapping or shared resource a drive letter. This enables the computer to locate the shared device and give it a road map to follow. Using the Down Arrow on the right side of the Drive Box, select a drive letter for the Servers C: drive. A couple of hints: You should not use any letters before “H”. This will insure that there are no conflicts with existing drives. Also, you should give the same drive letter to all the PC’s on the network for the same shared drive. This will help as you go to each PC or discuss files with others. It’s easier to tell someone to go to drive J then to have to ask which drive letter they used for the C: drive on the Server. Place a checkmark on the box labeled “Reconnect at Logon”; this will make sure that the drive is mapped every time you turn on the computer Click OK. It’s a good idea to turn the server on first in the morning so that the other PC’s will have access to the shared devices. You should be able to see and use the drive you just mapped. You should be able to view all the contents of the Servers C: drive.
There are a number of uses for a shared drive. You can save documents to a shared folder that everyone can access for editing. You can copy, paste, move, cut and any other Windows feature that you use through the computer that has access to the shared Server.
|
|
|
|
(Back to Top of Page)
|
|
|
|
|
Running Applications on a Network
There are a number of applications that run on most networks, the important thing to remember is that you may have to contact the manufacturer of the software to find out if the
application can be networked. Some software companies sell the network version of their software separately, some are network ready and still others are not supported on a network. Bottom line, check
with the software company. As we are using a Non-Dedicated Server, you should not install an application on the Server and attempt to run it from the other PC’s. This will slow down your Server and will
most likely slow down the PC’s also. There is, of course, an exception to this rule. If the software manufacturer informs you that the software must be run from a central Server or Location. It
is always better to run applications from each PC and save the data to a folder on the Server.
|
|
|
|
Installing Windows95/98 Networking Client and Protocol Software
Setting up your computer to connect to a network takes a little time and patience. Once you have installed the hardware you need to let Windows know that you are ready. Once you have
installed the Ethernet card Windows will install the necessary Client and Protocols required to access the network. If Windows did not complete this you can install them yourself by using the following
instructions:
Installing the Client:
Click on START, SETTINGS, CONTROL PANEL, NETWORK.
Click on ADD, then click once on CLIENT, click ADD, click on MICROSOFT, click on CLIENT FOR MICROSOFT NETWORKS, click OK.
Installing the Protocol:
Click on START, SETTINGS, CONTROL PANEL, NETWORK.
Click on ADD, then click once on PROTOCOL, click ADD, click on MICROSOFT (right side labeled Manufacturer). In the Network Protocol Box, click on TCP/IP click OK. Windows may
require the Windows disk or CD at this time and require you to restart the computer. Once restarted follow these steps again to add any additional Protocols including NetBEUI and IPX/SPX Compatible
Protocol. Once your computer restarts and you have completed this task on all your computers you should be able to see them on the network by clicking on NETWORK NEIGHBORHOOD.
|
|
