Network

Quick & Easy Peer-to-Peer Setup Cable & Jack Drawings Improving Network Initialization Times Quick & Easy Peer-to-Peer Setup Here's the quickest, and cheapest way to connect two PCs in a small peer-to-peer network. Hardware Required:   2 - network interface cards (NICs) (10-baseT or 100-baseT)   1 - *crossover* cable (eliminates need for hub) -or-   2 - network interface cards (NICs) (thin Ethernet with BNC coax connectors)   1 - thin coax cable   2 - T-connectors   2 - terminators Hardware Installation: install NICs install NIC driver software provided with cards connect cable between PCs (use T connectors & terminators with coax cabling) check LEDs on NICs to ensure cards are operating and cable connection is good Windows Setup: Make sure Windows recognizes the NIC's are working properly. use System/Device Manager and open Network Adapters the NICs should be listed and there should be no Exclamation points Use Control Panel/Networking to: highlight Microsoft Family Logon and remove it click Add, highlight Client, click Add, select Microsoft and Client for Microsoft Windows click Add, highlight Protocol, click Add, select Microsoft and IPX/SPX highlight TCP/IP -> (your network card), and click Remove highlight IPX/SPX -> Dial-Up Adapter, and click Remove click File and Printer Sharing highlight TCP/IP -> Dial-Up Adapter, click Properties, click OK in the TCP/IP Properties Information Dialog, click the Bindings tab, and uncheck File and Printer Sharing (this prevents your shared files and printers from being exposed to the Internet), then click OK use the Identification tab to: set a different Computer name for each PC set a common Workgroup name for both of the PCs Reboot To Make a Drive or Folder Available on the Network: Start Windows Explorer. Highlight the drive or folder you want to share. Right-click on the drive or folder and select Sharing. click on Shared As type in the Share Name for the folder or drive set the Access Type and Password to suit your needs The drive or folder you've shared will become visible in the Network Neighborhood, and can be accessed from the other system using Windows Explorer. To Make a Printer Available on the Network: Open My Computer on the PC which has the printer connected to it. Open the Printers folder. Highlight the printer you want to share and then select File/Properties. Click the Sharing tab and assign a Name and access levels to the printer. Install the appropriate printer driver on the other PC.   Note: It's an especially good idea to obtain and install the Win 98 Service Pack 1 as it has a number of important network-related fixes and improvements. Download the Win98 System Updates  Windows 98 Home Page Improving Network Initialization Times Some systems can take several minutes to initialize, causing a delay before all the PC's show up in Network Neighborhood. Here's some extra settings you can use to help your network to initialize quickly, nearly eliminating the delay. In Control Panel/Network, highlight the line that says IPX/SPX-compatible Protocol -> (your network card), then click on the Properties button. Click on the Advanced tab, then highlight Frame Type in the Property window. Use the pull-down to the right to select Ethernet 802.3, then click OK. Highlight File and printer sharing... and click on the Properties button. Make sure that Browse Master is highlighted, and use the pull-down to set the value to Enabled, and click OK. Click OK again, and let the system restart. (Make sure your Win98 CD is handy - or in the CD drive.) Repeat this for each system. Steps 1 and 2 set the Ethernet protocol that the PC's will use, eliminating the normal handshaking while they all agree on one of the half-dozen that are available. Steps 3 and 4 tell each computer to take responsibility for keeping a list of the computers currently on the network. Cable Drawings Network 10/100 baseT cables use 8-conductor, unshielded twisted-pair (UTP) wire. Category 5 wiring should be free of tight kinks and should be protected from pinches caused by fasteners, staples, cable ties, etc. Loose excess cabling must not be coiled up in loops. A cable from the hub to a PC may not exceed 328 feet in length. Standard Cables Standard cables are used to connect PCs to the network hub. Crossover Cables Crossover cables are designed to connect hubs together, expanding the capacity of a network. Crossover cables may also be used to connect two PCs together without the use of a hub. RJ-45 Diagram 10/100 baseT cables use RJ-45 connectors on the ends. The following diagram shows how to determine the pin numbers on the connectors.