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Well, I didn't have to go into the office yet today because of the snow, so I figured I'd play around with Microsoft's Visio 2000 a bit.

Figure 1 shows a basic 2 machine network with the Ethernet Controllers (or Network Interface Cards...NICs) connected via a crossover cable. This is the most basic of Ethernet networks. It's simple to do, but slow. (10Mbps/Half Duplex.)

Figure 2 shows a network that connects the NICs via a Hub or Switch, using Category 5 UTP (Unshielded Twisted Pair) cable. The use of a hub means that you can add other computers to the network. You also have the capability to run at 100Mbps. Using a switch instead of the hub adds the capability of running at 100Mbps/Full Duplex.

Figure 3 shows the addition of a cable modem (a DSL router, T-1 router, etc. would look similar). Networks using a hub or switch would need an IP address assigned by your provider for each computer. You could replace the hub/switch with a cable router and use NAT (Network Address Translation) instead of multiple IP addresses.

A couple of quick definitions:

Mbps-Megabits per second.

Half/Full Duplex-the ability for the computers on a network to send and recieve data at the same time.

I like to think of it this way:

Half-Duplex is like a walkie-talkie...one person speaks while the other listens. When one is finished, the roles are reversed.

Full-Duplex is like a telephone...both parties can talk at the same time.

Next, you may want to share files and printers over the LAN (Local Area Network).   I don't have any pretty pictures for this yet, I may add some screenshots or something later.

I will use Win98 for this example because; it seems like most people are using it, and the other versions of Windows are similar.

You should become familiar with the Network Properties dialog box, that is where you will configure your network settings.

If you open Network Properties, (right-click on Network Neighborhood and choose Properties from the context menu) you'll notice that there are 4 types of listings on the General tab:

Clients - have an icon that looks like a PC. Clients provide things like logon boxes, so you can logon to a server-based network.

Adapters - have an icon that looks like a circuit board. Adapters are what physically make the connection between the machines. NICs (Network Interface Cards or Ethernet Controllers) and Dialup adapters are the most common types.

Protocols - have an icon that looks like a cable with a plug on it. Protocols are the 'languages' that computers use to 'speak' to one another. TCP/IP, NetBEUI, and IPX are the most common protocols.

Services - have an icon that looks like a PC with a hand underneath. File and Printer Sharing is the service that we will be dealing with here.

Windows Networking Icons

TCP/IP (Transport Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) is the method that computers use to communicate over the internet. You can also use it to communicate over your LAN, but it does have some drawbacks. TCP/IP requires some method of resolving names to IP addresses. On the internet, (and in a Win2000 domain) this is handled by DNS (Domain Name System) Servers. On the LAN, it could be handled by a WINS (Windows Internet Naming Service) server on a WinNT/2000 server, or by editing the LMHOSTS file on each computer. Information on using these methods is available in the Windows help file and are beyond the scope of this post.

A much simpler method is to use the NetBEUI (NetBIOS Enhanced User Interface) protocol for communication over the LAN. NetBEUI uses the NetBIOS name (the name you assign under the Identification tab in Network Properties) to communicate between the machines. NetBEUI is not routable so it cannot communicate with computers that are outside the LAN. It also cannot be used by someone outside the LAN (on the internet, for example) to get at your data. NetBEUI has less 'overhead' than either TCP/IP or IPX, so it runs much faster.

But what if you need TCP/IP to connect to the internet and want to use NetBEUI over the LAN?

In Windows networking, protocols, adapters, clients and services are bound to one another. It's a simple matter, as you'll see, to bind and unbind these items.

(BTW...on last night's show I mentioned that one reason I might want to bind TCP/IP (or IPX) to File and Printer Sharing was for multiplayer gaming over the LAN. Now that I think about it, most games handle their own networking independently, they don't require File and Printer Sharing. Silly me. It's still cool that you can bind/unbind on the fly in Win2000 though. )

How do you set all of this up? I'm glad you asked.

I will assume that you have connected your machines as shown in the post above (it doesn't matter if you've used a crossover cable, a hub, a switch, or a router). Have your Windows CD handy.

You will also need to give your machine a NetBIOS name. Your ISP may require that you use a name they supply. If not, you can use any name you like. In the 'Identification' tab of the Network Properties box, type in the name you will be using.

First add the NetBEUI protocol, if it's not already there, to each machine. In Network Properties, click on the 'Add' button. Choose 'Protocol', then click 'Add'. Choose 'Microsoft' from the list on the left and NetBEUI from the list that appears on the right. Click 'Ok' until you have returned to the Network Properties box.

Next, add the 'File and Printer Sharing service on each machine. From Network Properties, click on the 'File and Printer Sharing' button, check off the boxes and click 'Ok'. At this point, 'Apply' and 'Ok' your way out of Network Properties, give it the CD if it asks for it and reboot if necessary. You may get a 'secure32.dll file is newer' popup box when Windows copies the files from the CD. Just click on 'Yes'.

Now we'll unbind TCP/IP and bind NetBEUI to File and Printer Sharing on each machine. Once the machine reboots, go back into Network Properties. In the list of items, find the ones with the protocol icons. You'll see one that says 'TCP/IP for your NIC', double-click on it. In the Bindings tab, uncheck the box next to 'File and Printer Sharing'. 'Apply'/'Ok' your way back out to the Network Properties page. Double-click on the listing that says 'NetBEUI for your NIC. Check the bindings tab to make sure that 'File and Printer Sharing' is checked (it should be, by default. If not, check it). 'Apply'/'Ok' your way back to the desktop. Give it the CD if it asks for it and reboot if necessary.

Now we need to share our drives and printers on each machine.

To share a drive:

Double-click on 'My Computer', then right-click on the drive you want to share. Choose 'Sharing' from the context menu. You'll need to decide at this point whether you want to require a single password or separate read and write access passwords for this share. You'll also need to name the share. After you 'Apply/Ok' your way out, you should be able to see the drive in Network Neighborhood on the other machine.

To share a printer:

In the Printers Control Panel applet, right-click on the printer you wish to share. Enable sharing, name the share and click 'Ok'.

To add a shared network printer to another computer on the LAN:

From the Printers Control Panel applet, double-click on 'Add Printer'. Click 'Next'. Choose 'Network printer'. Click 'Next'. Type in the UNC path or Browse the network for the printer. Unless you absolutely must print from a MS-DOS-based program, leave the setting at 'No'. Click 'Next'. Type in a name for the printer or use the default. Make it the default printer if you wish. When the Wizard has finished, it will ask if you want to print a test page, click 'Yes'. When it asks if the test page has printed correctly, I always say 'Yes', even if I don't know yet. If you say 'No', you will be sent to the 'Printer Troubleshooting Wizard' that I have always found worthless. That's your call.

Enjoy!

Definitions:

UNC (Universal Naming Convention) Path - A path to a shared resource in the form \\machinename\sharename.

machinename would be the NetBIOS name of the computer. For example, let's say you had a computer that had a NetBIOS name of 'Office". That computer had an HP LaserJet 5 printer attached to it. When you shared the printer, you named the share 'HP5'. The UNC Path to that printer would be: \\Office\HP5

If you browse for the printer instead of typing the UNC Path, after you have finished, you will see the UNC Path in the text box.

Date: May 31, 2001
From: heisman

Okay. Here is the setup for software in macintosh networking. A) Go to the Apple Talk controlpanel. Select the network type. i.e. Ethernet. (Note the hardware is pretty similiar to a PC network.) Go to file sharing and setup that with computer name, username, password. Turn file sharing on. Next do this to the other machine. Use the Chooser application on one off the computers. Click on the AppleShare icon. Turn on Appleshare. If you see the other computers in the right (direction) box, double click on it. Then it will ask for password and username. Enter the other computers info for the correct box. If you did everything right you can see the other computers drive on the desktop. Open it and it is like an extra drive on you machine