Microsoft Windows XP Networking Inside Out
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You can learn how to configure a network bridge in Chapter 3, “Creating Network Connections.”
An initial question often asked concerning a multi-segment network is simply, “Why?” Why use a multi-segment network? There are a few reasons:
●A multi-segment network can solve connection problems when one networking solution does not meet all of the needs of the network.
●A multi-segment network bridged using Windows XP can join two existing networks without having to buy new hardware, thus saving money and configuration time.
●A multi-segment network can create greater flexibility.
Suppose you live in an older home with limited wiring, and it’s difficult to run new wire through the walls or ceilings. Then suppose you have a home office that contains an Ethernet network consisting of five computers. Your computers are limited to residing in that single room because running Category 5 cabling up and down your hallways isn’t very attractive. You could use a HomePNA network, but if some of your rooms do not have phone jacks, you still have a wiring problem. You can deal with this type of telephone problem by using remote phones that you carry from the base station room to rooms that do not have phone jacks.
In a similar way, you can extend your LAN (which might also include your Internet connection) to the rest of your house by installing a wireless network. You can then place a desktop computer in another room and plug it into a wall socket for power. The network connection is made through a wireless NIC installed in the computer. Even better, you and your family can carry a couple of laptop computers from room to room or into your backyard. Each laptop must be equipped with a wireless NIC, perhaps in the form of a PCMCIA (PC) card or a card that is integrated into the laptop. To link these wireless computers to your Ethernet network (and in turn, the Internet), you outfit one Windows XP computer on the Ethernet LAN with a wireless NIC. This Windows XP computer contains both a wired Ethernet NIC and the wireless NIC. To connect the two networks logically, you use the Network Bridge feature in Windows XP to bridge the wireless network to the Ethernet network rather than using a wireless access point (the name for a dedicated wireless bridge) and plugging it into the Ethernet hub. As long as the Windows XP computer serving as the network bridge is turned on, you can sit elsewhere in your house and share files with your LAN. The following illustration shows the setup of a multi-segment network using a wired LAN bridged to a wireless LAN. You have now solved your cabling problems without incurring construction costs or making holes in the walls!
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This type of configuration can give you the flexibility you need and solve difficult physical connection problems. Windows XP automatically creates a network bridge when two or more network adapters are present in a computer. You can even connect three dissimilar networks. For example, in the following illustration, a wireless network, a HomePNA network, and a wired Ethernet LAN are all connected by means of a single Windows XP computer running Network Bridge.
note Networks can contain more than one bridge. A network could easily contain Ethernet, wireless, and Powerline segments in one cohesive network. In fact, Windows XP can bridge several different network connections at once—as many different types of network connections as you can install on the computer.
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Keep in mind that you don’t have to use the Windows XP Network Bridge feature. You can use a hardware device to bridge the networks, such as a router (a device that handles the task of routing network traffic between multiple networks) or a dedicated hardware bridge (such as an external wireless access point).
You’ll first need to purchase the router or bridge that can accommodate your mixed networking needs, and you’ll need to make sure the router or bridge will work well with Windows XP. Although other networking devices like NICs and hubs are relatively inexpensive, even home or small office routers and bridges can be quite expen- sive—often costing $200 or more. Because Windows XP can automatically provide a network bridge for you, your least expensive solution is to use one of your computers running Windows XP as your network bridge.
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Gathering the Network Hardware
Once you make a decision about your network topology, create a careful sketch of the network. Include all of the computers, hubs, cabling, and any other accessories that might be necessary. Then make a list of the hardware that you need and purchase that hardware. Depending on the kind of network that you want, the hardware that you’ll need will vary. Be sure to refer to Chapter 3, “Creating Network Connections,” and Chapter 19, “Wireless Networking,” to help you determine what you need to buy.
Planning for the Future
As you plan your workgroup, always make your plans with an eye to the future. Do you anticipate adding more computers to the network, or do you anticipate using different types of network media (wired, wireless, HomePNA, Powerline) that will require a bridge? As you think about the network, try to imagine how the network might grow and change over the next few years. This will help you make wise topology decisions as well as wise network hardware decisions. After all, you do not want to outgrow the network and quickly make your investment in networking hardware obsolete. So, think
carefully and plan judiciously, and the result will be a workgroup that meets your needs well into the future.
Installing the Hardware
Once you’ve purchased your networking hardware, you’ll need to properly install the hardware and any software support that it needs. Although the exact steps required to do this depend on your specific hardware, there are a number of guidelines that you can follow that will make the process significantly smoother.
1Take stock of your existing setup. Determine how your computer(s) currently connects to the Internet (via dial-up, DSL, or cable modem, for instance), and make sure you have the pertinent settings for that connection handy (either by finding your ISP’s documentation or writing down the settings yourself). These settings should include the details of any dial-up connections (such as phone numbers and encryption settings), any static IP configuration information that your ISP might have assigned you, and whether you have to use PPPoE to connect to your ISP.
See “Configuring Modems and Broadband Hardware,” page 96, for more information on these settings.
2While you still have a functioning Internet connection, take advantage of it. Download any instruction manuals that you might be missing for your hardware. Determine the latest driver versions for your network adapters and
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download those as well. Examine the ReadMe information for all your network hardware and download any operating system updates required to support it. If you intend to use devices such as residential gateways, hubs, switches, or routers, download the latest firmware upgrades for those
devices because they often fix critical issues and security holes. Once you’ve downloaded all of these tools, either copy them to a removable medium (such as a CD-R/RW or a Zip disk) or keep them handy on one computer.
3If you intend to install hardware (such as internal NICs) in any of your computers, it’s a good idea to have a current backup of any irreplaceable information kept on those systems.
4If you’re using a wired network type, such as wired Ethernet, make certain that all of your Ethernet cabling has been strung (or installed in the walls) so that
it can easily reach your computers. If you have access to an Ethernet cabling tester, now’s a good time to use it; however, most of these devices are expensive, and Ethernet cables are rarely bad. Still, because cabling is relatively cheap, it never hurts to have some spare cables to use in case you encounter a connectivity problem that you can’t resolve in any other fashion.
5Install any internal hardware in your computers. If operating system updates are required before installing the hardware, install those updates before you shut down the computer. Follow standard precautions against static electricity buildup. Have the latest drivers for the hardware handy, and follow their installation instructions.
6Connect any wired network media to your computers. If you’re using Ethernet, it’s perfectly safe to connect the cabling while the computers are powered up. For other formats, check the manufacturer’s directions. For Ethernet, unless you’re simply connecting two computers directly to one another with a crossover cable, you’ll need to connect each computer to a hub or a switch (or a residential gateway device that includes the features of a hub or a switch). You can determine whether your media connections are successful by opening Network Connections in Control Panel, right-clicking the media connection, and choosing Status, as shown in Figure 10-1.
tip Placing Network Icons in the Notification Area
As with Windows 2000, you can have an icon for each network connection on your computer appear in the taskbar’s notification area. This icon will dynamically display outbound and inbound network traffic and warn you when network connections are broken and restored. To display this icon, open Network Connections. Right-click the media connection you’re interested in monitoring, and choose Properties. In the properties dialog box, select the check box labeled Show Icon In Notification Area When Connected, as shown in Figure 10-2.
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Figure 10-1. The status dialog box for a LAN connection helps you determine if it’s functioning properly.
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Figure 10-2. Each connection’s properties dialog box lets you choose to display its status by means of an icon placed on the taskbar.
7Now is a good time to upgrade the firmware on your hub, switch, or residential gateway device (if you’re using one). Firmware is control code that resides in updatable read-only memory (ROM) inside a device, allowing it to be easily
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upgraded and replaced as necessary. To determine if any firmware upgrades are needed, visit your device manufacturer’s Web site. Instructions on how to upgrade the firmware should also be available on the Web site.
8If you’re using a residential gateway connected to a broadband device, follow the manufacturer’s instructions to configure that device to work with your ISP and to provide IP addresses to your network using Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), if that feature is available.
More information on DHCP is available in “Dynamic and Static Addressing,” page 27.
Setting Up the Workgroup
After you’ve installed the software drivers and hardware devices, and have made your connections, you’re ready to configure the workgroup. Windows XP provides the handy Network Setup Wizard to help you set up the workgroup. If you want to use the Network Setup Wizard, and you plan on using Internet Connection Sharing (ICS), you should first run the wizard on the computer that directly connects to the Internet. You can then run the wizard on the other computers on your network. If you are using a mixture of Windows XP computers and computers running earlier versions of Windows, such as Microsoft Windows 2000 or Windows 9x, Windows XP provides a way for you to create a network setup disk for those clients when you run the Network Setup Wizard. See “Configuring Computers Running Earlier Windows Versions,” page 298, for more information.
To use the Network Setup Wizard, follow these steps:
1Make sure all network computers are turned on and all NICs and media connections are functioning properly.
2Open Network Connections.
3Under Network Tasks in the task pane of the Network Connections window, click Set Up A Home Or Small Office Network. If you don’t see the task pane, click the Folders button on the toolbar to toggle from the Folders bar to the task pane.
4The Network Setup Wizard opens and presents the Welcome page. Click Next.
5On the Before You Continue page, read the instructions and make sure that all network components are connected and working. If you want to use ICS to share your Internet connection but haven’t set it up yet, do that at this time. Make sure the computer hosting ICS (the one directly connected to the Internet, and the one you’re running the Network Setup Wizard on first) has a working Internet connection. Click Next.
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6On the Select A Connection Method page, select the first option, This Computer Connects Directly To The Internet, if the computer will function as the ICS host. See Figure 10-3. Remember, you should be running the Network Setup Wizard on the ICS host first. If there is already an ICS host computer, select the second option. If neither of these options apply to you, select Other. Click Next.
Figure 10-3. Select how the machine you’re configuring connects to the Internet.
7If you select the Other option, the page that appears allows you to select one of three alternate computer configurations:
■This Computer Connects To The Internet Directly Or Through A Network Hub. Other Computers On My Network Also Connect To The Internet Directly Or Through A Hub.
■This Computer Connects Directly To The Internet. I Do Not Have A Network Yet.
■This Computer Belongs To A Network That Does Not Have An Internet Connection.
Select the most appropriate option and click Next.
8In step 5, if you determined that the computer should function as the ICS host, the Select Your Internet Connection page appears, which is shown in Figure 10-4 on the next page. If you selected another option, follow the steps presented by the wizard. Your choices will vary, but the ICS host scenario includes most of the same configuration steps (and more) as the other choices. Select the Internet connection that you want to share and click Next.
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Figure 10-4. If you have more than one way of connecting to the Internet, |
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Computer Name box. The name must be unique (no two computers on the network can have the same name) and should be no fewer than three characters, and no more than 15 characters. You can use letters, numbers, and even some special characters (such as #, $, -, _, and !); however, you should avoid using any punctuation or spaces (other than the underscore character) because they can cause problems that can be difficult to diagnose. Keep it simple but descriptive, like Ingrid, Kitchen_PC, or Notebook. Click Next.
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Figure 10-5. This page appears if your computer has more than one network connection.
caution If you are using a broadband connection such as a cable modem, your computer might have a required name for Internet access. In that case, do not change the name if it is required by your ISP. See your ISP documentation for additional details.
12On the Name Your Network page, type a name for your workgroup. By default, your workgroup is named MSHOME. However, you can change it to anything you like. The name should be short and simple, and all computers on your network must use the same workgroup name to connect with each other. Click Next.
13Review the settings you are about to apply on the Ready To Apply Network Settings page. Use the Back button to make any necessary changes. When you are sure the settings are correct, click Next.
14As Windows XP configures the computer for networking, you’ll see the Please Wait page.
15When prompted, you can choose to create a network setup disk to apply the network settings to other computers on the network. You do not need a network setup disk if all clients on your network are Windows XP clients. If all your computers are running Windows XP, select Just Finish The Wizard; I Don’t Need To Run The Wizard On Other Computers. Although you will still need to manually launch the Network Setup Wizard on your other Windows XP clients, you don’t need setup disks to do so.
16Follow any necessary instructions if you do need to create a network setup disk and then click Finish.
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