Networking 101 - issues

[bengance]

Here comes some very easy questions:

What is the optimal configuration to network these computers?
4 computers, Pentium 4's running Windows XP
5 computers, Pentium III's running Windows 2000
1 Highspeed ethernet connection

What's the best physical topology, hardware, protocol, etc...to make all 9 computers have internet and file sharing capabilites?

I have a 10/100 switch available. It has 16 ports, 2 uplink ports. It's a Archtek Smartlink switch from 1996. Yeah, old.

I just keep getting issues anytime I try a setup.

1. If half the computers have internet, the others don't appear in the workgroup.
2. The Windows XP network wizard seems to screw up configs more than it helps.
3. I have the Windows XP firewall disabled.
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   Please give me some specific basics on setting up a very reliable network. Thanks in advance!

 

[ZeekeDaGeek]

First things first, I don't have XP or WIN2K, but I do know that they are much more security minded systems.
In win 98 , as long as the comps are in the same "workgroup" and file sharing is on, the network is OK.
I have 5 comps on my home network, and that's pretty much how I'm set up.

My daughter's comp is using XPhome, and we don't have any problems.(recently upgraded from win 98, I'm still learning it.)

Anyway, make sure all your comps are:
1. Given individual "names"
2. Are in the same "workgroup"
3. Are in the same "domain" (if required)
Be sure to use a router, your high speed connection should plug into the router, and go from the router to each computer. If you don't have enough ports, run from the router to a switch/hub, and then to the other computers.

One more quick note regarding file sharing; be sure you have a router that provides a NAT firewall, if you don't want your network hacked.

There is a whole lot more to this that I don't have the expertise in, so be sure to follow the directions that come with your hardware.

 

[mikesgroovin]

Yea, the above is the best and easiest way to go. You should be setup using a physical star topology using all "straight-through" CAT5 or CAT5e cabling. For simplicity, just link the switch off of the router and then connect each PC to the switch. You should connect the switch's uplink port to either one of the numbered ports on the router. After connecting one PC, try accessing the net. Once successful, try another, then another and so forth. This way, you can catch any potential problems before the entire cluster of PCs are all on together.
To start out, just make sure that, like Zeeke said, all the PCs are on the same workgroup and that they are all using TCP/IP as the protocol. If you want to mess with a domain environment, you can do this once everyone is connected and working properly. Disable the internet firewall on all XP machines.
For starters, create an "admin" account on all of the machines. Make sure that you are using the same username and password for each machine. This will help you to troubleshoot any file sharing problems down the road.
Let us know if you run into a problem and we'll do our best to help you out.

-Mike

 

[bengance]

I've setup up the machines today using the switch only. The internet connection is plugged to the uplink port on the switch. The 9 computers are just plugged into the other ports.

It seems to work fine. My questions are:

What benefit would a router be?
(This network is part of a university, the university has network protection already.)

What benefit would a newer switch be?

 

[mikesgroovin]

The router would benefit you by providing a firewall. The router also allows your single connection to be shared out to other PCs using NAT. Network Address Translation is probably the biggest plus with routers. It will propigate network traffic that hits your router so that the intended receipient of the internet traffic is the only computer that receives the information. This greatly reduces network traffic.....(a big concern for larger networks). And also, the number of internet users is growing more and more each day....NAT is one of the biggest solutions for sharing one address for multiple users.
If this switch works fine then keep it. The brand is a little outdated but it's a smart 10/100 MB auto-sensing switch. So it will conform to the the type of connection on each port.
Down the road a little you may want to consider a Linksys, D-Link or Netgear. I would recommend Linksys.

-Mike

 

[CPearce9]

Actually, on a switch, the packets should only be replicated to the computer with the correct IP address. The Network traffic shouldn't be an issue, however, without a router everyone on the University network he is connected to can see his computers. Unless He trusts everyone at the university, I would get a router ASAP, A 5 port 10/100 Lynksys should be sufficient for less than 20 computers, hook up the internet connection to the uplink port and the switch to one of the subsequent ports for connectivity

 

[mikesgroovin]

Well, a swich doesn't use IP addresses.....it uses MAC addresses.
The funtion of the router is to carry the IP address from the internet packet (which doesn't contain a MAC address) and build the MAC address and forward it along to the switch...which is a part of the router he is using.....actually he is, technically using 2 switches....but either way, the switch will then direct the traffic to the correct MAC address.

***bengance***
Your setup is fine....the only thing you might want to think about in the future, is the switch that you are using.

-Mike

 

[bengance]

Mike,

Thanks for the info. I'm definetely taking this all into consideration. I'm in a networking class right now so I really appreciate getting a heads-up.

I'll be testing the reliability of the network and probably just keep the old switch.

If anyone knows some good diagnostics to run....please provide some links. Thanks to all!