After your network hardware has been installed, whether it's wired or wireless, the next step in setting up a workgroup network is to run the Network Setup Wizard. This isn't optional. For security reasons, Windows won't enable file and printer sharing until this wizard has been run at least once. Beyond the settings made by the Network Setup Wizard, there are several features that you should consider and adjust manually. After discussing the wizard, this chapter covers the following topics:
You may want to review these topics before starting to set up your network. Using the Network Setup WizardWindows XP comes with a Networking Setup Wizard program that can automatically configure file sharing and Internet access for each of the computers on your network. The wizard lets you make a few basic choices, but otherwise takes care of all of the technical details for you. As I mentioned earlier, you have to run the Network Setup Wizard at least once in order to enable File and Printer sharing. Note If you're going to use Microsoft's Internet Connection Sharing to share an Internet connection over your LAN, configure the computer that will be sharing its Internet connection first. Establish and test its Internet connection, and then configure the other computers. Internet Connection Sharing is discussed later in this chapter. To start the wizard, click Start, Control Panel, Network and Internet Connections, and Set Up or Change Your Home or Small Office Network. Read the "Checklist for Creating a Network" if you want, and then click Next. Follow the wizard through the following steps. Select a Connection MethodThe wizard asks you to select a statement that best describes your computer. The choices can be confusing, so consider them each carefully . They are
To get to the next three options, click Other. These alternatives are as follows :
Make the appropriate selection and click Next. Select Your Internet ConnectionIf you chose one of the "This computer is directly connected to the Internet" choices, Windows presents a list of options for making that connection, listing your network adapters and your configured dial-up connections. Choose the connection that is used to reach the Internet and click Next. If you use a dial-up or PPPoE connection (frequently used with DSL service), choose the appropriate dial-up connection. Otherwise choose the network adapter that connects to your broadband modem. Give This Computer a Description and NameEnter a brief description of the computer (such as its location or primary user ) and a name for the computer. Choose a name using just letters and/or numbers with no spaces or punctuation. Each computer on your LAN must have a different name. If you're hard pressed to come up with names, try the names of gemstones, composers, Impressionist painters , or even Star Wars characters , as long as Mr. Lucas' lawyers don't hear about it. I use the names of islands in the Indonesian archipelagowith more than 25,000 to choose from there's little chance of running out of unique names! Some Internet service providers, especially cable providers, require you use a name that they provide. (If you have a hardware connection sharing device hooked up to your cable modem, enter that name into the hardware device and use any names you want on your LAN.) Name Your NetworkChoose a name for your network workgroup. This name is used to identify which computers should appear in your list of network choices later on. All computers on your LAN should have the same workgroup name. If you have an existing network, enter the same workgroup name that the other computers use. Otherwise, you could pick a creative name like "WORKGROUP," or accept the Wizard's default "MSHOME." Caution Beware! If you run the wizard a second time, it will try to change your workgroup name to MSHOME. Re-enter the name you used the first time. Also: The workgroup name must be different than all of the computer names. File and Printer SharingThe Wizard will ask whether you want turn on file and printer sharing, or turn it off. Select Turn On File and Printer Sharing unless your network will contain computers that you don't trust; that is, computers in a public area, or computers whose users you don't know, and so on. (If you later change your mind, or move your computer from one network to another, you can turn file sharing on or off using the Exceptions tab on the Windows Firewall control panel.) Ready To Apply Network SettingsThe wizard will let you review your selections. Click Next to proceed. You're Almost Done...You'll need to run the wizard on all of the computers on your LAN at least once. If all the computers use Windows XP, select Just Finish the Wizard, and then run the wizard each of your other computers. If you have computers running versions of Windows 95, 98, Me, NT, or 2000, you can create a disk that will let you run the wizard on these older machines, or you can use your Windows XP CD-ROM in these computers. To use a disk, choose Create a Network Setup Disk, and insert a blank, formatted floppy disk. If you ran the wizard earlier and just changed some of the settings, choose Use the Network Setup Disk I Already Have, and re-insert the setup disk you created earlier. Otherwise, choose Just Finish the Wizard; I Don't Need to Run the Wizard on Other Computers." Note If you need to adjust the computer or workgroup name later, log on as a Computer Administrator, right-click My Computer, select Properties, and view the Computer Name tab. You can use a name-assignment wizard by clicking Network ID, or you can enter the information manually by clicking Change. Note If your network includes computers running Windows 95, 98 or Me, and you are using a shared Internet connection, I recommend that you install only the TCP/IP protocol on all computers, and configure them for Automatic TCP/IP configuration. If your network includes computers running Windows 95, 98, or Me, and you are not using a shared Internet connection, I recommend that you install the NetBIOS protocol on Windows XP, as discussed later in this chapter under "Networking with Windows 9x and Me." Now, continue with the next section to review the IP addressing choices made on your network. IP Addressing OptionsWindows uses TCP/IP as its primary network protocol. Each computer on the network needs to have a unique IP address assigned to it. There are three ways that IP addresses can be assigned:
By default, a newly installed network adapter will be set up for dynamic addressing. I recommend that you do not rely on APIPA to configure your network. In my experience, it can cause horrendous slowdowns on your computers. If you don't have a device or computer to provide DHCP service, configure static TCP/IP addresses. Configuring Dynamic (DHCP) IP Address AssignmentBy default, Windows sets up new network adapters to use dynamic IP address assignment, so for new adapters, you don't need to take any additional configuration steps. Note If you used static addressing in the past, just view the properties page for your network adapter, select Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), click Properties, and set both the IP Address and DNS settings to Obtain an Address Automatically. You will need a computer or hardware device to provide DHCP service to provide configuration information to the other computers. This is provided automatically by any Windows computer that runs Windows Internet Connection Sharing (there can be at most one such computer on a network), or by a connecting sharing router device. And, you can run the DHCP service on Windows NT or 200x Server; these operating systems can be used on Workgroup networks as well as domain networks. If you are using Windows Internet Connection Sharing, it will assign IP address 192.168.0.1 with a network mask of 255.255.255.0 to the network adapter in the sharing computer. Other computers should be configured for dynamic addressing and will receive addresses from 192.168.0.2 on up. If you are configuring a hardware Internet Connection Sharing router, you will need to enable and configure its DHCP server. Usually, the DHCP feature is enabled by default, so you will not need to configure it. If you do, you can use the following settings:
Some routers prefer to use a different subnet (range of network addresses), for instance 192.168.1. x . Whichever range you use, be sure to use the same subnet range for any static IP addresses you assign. There is more information on setting up IP address ranges later in this chapter in the discussion of enabling Remote Desktop. Configuring Static IP AddressesThere are three situations where you'll want to set up static (fixed) IP addresses for some or all of your computers:
The goal in assigning static IP addresses is to ensure that each computer on your network has a unique IP address, shared by no other, and that the other TCP/IP setup information for each computer is the same. I suggest you make a worksheet that lists the setup information for your network. Determining what settings to use depends on the type of network you have, which will be one of the following three choices:
I suggest that you then list on your worksheet all of your computers and any printer devices. Next to each, write down "automatic" if you are letting the computer get its address automatically, or write down the IP address that you will be setting manually. This way you can keep track of which numbers have been used already. The finished worksheet might look something like this: My Network: Information from command prompt window: IP Address: 192.168.0.2 (so: all IP addresses will start with 192.168.0) Network Mask: 255.255.255.0 Gateway Address: 192.168.0.1 DNS Servers: 10.11.12.13 10.21.22.23 My IP Address assignments: java 192.168.0.200 (want to access from Internet with Remote Desktop) sumatra automatic bali automatic HPJetDirect 192.168.0.201 (print server) With this worksheet in hand, configure each computer or device that requires a static IP address. To assign an IP address to a computer running Windows XP, use the following steps:
Configuring Additional Useful Network ServicesBesides the TCP/IP protocol and network services that are installed by default with Windows XP, there are some additional services that you may want to install manually as part of your network setup. Internet Gateway Device Discovery and Control ClientIf you are using a hardware Internet sharing router or Windows Internet Connection Sharing, you should install the Internet Gateway Device Discovery and Control Client on all of your Windows XP computers. This service places an icon in each computer's Network Connections folder that lets users monitor and manage the Internet connection that is hosted on the sharing computer or the router. To install the Discovery and Control Service, follow these steps on each computer:
A comparable service is available on Windows 98 and Me computers as well. When this service has been installed, an icon will appear in your Network Connections window for your router or other network devices. You can double-click this icon to open the device's setup and control page. What appears will vary from device to device, but it's usually the device's built-in setup web page. Universal Plug and PlayIf you use a hardware connection sharing router or Internet Connection Sharing, you may also want to consider enabling a feature called Universal Plug and Play (UPnP). UPnP provides a way for software running on your computer to communicate with the router. Here's what UPnP can do:
UPnP has a downside, howeverit has no built-in security mechanism, so any program on any computer on your network could potentially take control of the router and open "holes" for incoming connections. (I am confident that we will soon see computer viruses and Trojan Horses that take advantage of this.) However, Windows Firewall or your third-party firewall package will still provide some protection. Windows Firewall will warn you if an undesired program prepares to receive incoming network connections, and this cannot be disabled as long as you are not using a Computer Administrator user account. In addition, most third-party firewalls inform you if an unrecognized program requests either incoming or outgoing network connections. UPnP abuse is not yet a serious problem. If you use Remote Assistance or Windows Messenger, the benefits that UPnP provides outweigh the risks. To use UPnP, you must enable the feature in your router. It's usually disabled by default. If your router doesn't currently support UPnP, you may have to download and install a firmware upgrade from the manufacturer. Most routers now do support UPnP. By default, Windows XP provides support for detecting UPnP enabled routers. If you have a UPnP router or Windows Internet Connection Sharing running on your network, the Network Connections screen should display an icon for the router as shown in Figure 7.9. Figure 7.9. If your router supports UPnP, an Internet Gateway icon should appear in Network Connections.Note If the icon doesn't appear, click Advanced, Optional Networking Components, select Networking Services, and click Details. Be sure that Internet Gateway Device Discovery and Control Client is checked. While you're here, check UPnP User Interface as wellthis enables support for future UPnP devices. Then, on the task list, click Change Windows Firewall Settings. View the Exceptions tab and be sure that UPnP Framework is checked. If you right-click the Internet Connection icon and select Status, you'll see a dialog similar to the one shown in Figure 7.10, displaying the status of the router's connection. If your Internet service uses a connection-based system like PPPoE or standard dial-up service via a modem, this dialog may display a button that lets you connect to and disconnect from your ISP. Figure 7.10. Router Status displayed via UPnP.
Click Properties and then Settings to display a list of network services for which the router is forwarding incoming connections to computers on your network. This list shows only forwarding settings made via UPnP. Services you've forwarded using the setup screens on your router, for example, Remote Desktop, as discussed later in this chapter, do not appear here and new settings should not be made herethey usually disappear when the router is reset. Networking with Windows 9x and MeIf you have computers running older versions of Windows as well as XP, you'll very likely want to network themif not permanently, at least long enough to transfer files from an old computer to a newer one. What most people quickly find out is that it's not as simple as they would hope. Although all versions of Windows use the same basic networking protocols to share files and printers, compatibility problems crop up more often than not. And although some of the problems are easily explained and fixed, others remain mysterious and intermittent. (We Windows users are used to that, aren't we?) The most significant issue is that Microsoft has changed the default networking protocol from NetBEUI to TCP/IP. Windows XP doesn't even overtly offer NetBEUI as an option, while older versions of Windows installed NetBEUI by default, and often didn't install TCP/IP at all. Unless you take steps to give all of your computers one common protocol, they won't be able to talk to one another. There are three ways to get around this problem:
The best route to follow won't be clear until you consider these other points:
With this in mind, I recommend that you follow one of these three plans:
Installing NetBEUI on Windows XPIf you want to install the NetBEUI protocol on Windows XP in order to network with older version of Windows, follow these steps. You'll need your Windows XP Installation CD:
You won't need to restart Windows XP, but it may take a few minutes for your Windows XP computer to appear in the Network Neighborhood lists of other computers on your network. If it doesn't appear within 20 minutes, restart all of your computers, starting with the XP machine. Installing SPX/IPXIf you want to install SPX/IPX as a network protocol, follow these steps:
Designating a Master BrowserWindows uses a database of known online computers to build the display known variously as "Network Neighborhood, "Computers Near Me," or "View Workgroup Computers." The service runs on one primary computer called the "master browser," which is determined by an automatic "election" held by the computers on the network. In addition, on a larger network some computers may be elected as backup browser servers. When you are running a network with different versions of Windows, this service will not function correctly; the election goes haywire or the database is filled incorrectly or other problems occur, and the Network Neighborhood display won't function correctly even though the computers clearly can communicate with each other (for example, one can map network drives to folders shared by the invisible computers). If you find that this occurs on your network, you may want to force the master browser service to run on a designated Windows XP computer that is always left on. This can help stabilize the list of local computers. To make this work you have to (a) configure one computer to always be the master browser, and (b) configure all of the other computers never to offer to be the master. To force the setting in Windows XP, 2000, and NT computers, you have to edit the Registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Browser\Parameters . There are two values that can be altered (refer to Chapter 6, "Tweaking and Tuning Windows," for more details on editing the Registry):
For Windows 98, the setting is made in the Control Panel. Open the Network applet, select File and Print Sharing for Microsoft Networks, and click Properties. Under Browse Master, change the setting from Default to Disabled. |