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«Home Networking»
Here we are, talking about the dream of every geek on the planet. (The
most core of core necessities, other than having a few computers....) The
home network. Good for games, sharing printers/files, and showing
off. (Not to mention that it sounds good in a job interview.) So
here's how to do it as quickly and cheaply as possible. Here we go...
The Hardware:
Before you even think about setting up your own network, you should have
a good understanding of all the hardware components involved. Basic Ethernet
(what you'll be running) is pretty simple... But it's a dog if you don't
know what you're doing. So here's a run down of common components and what
they do.
NIC
Network
Interface
Card |
The NIC (Network Interface Card, also called Network Card)
is the component that allows a computer to connect to a network.
They usually plug into PCI, ISA, USB, or PCMCIA connectors. (For
you're average computer, PCI is a good choice. For a laptop, PCMCIA
or a docking station will be about your only choice.) Each card is equipped
with an RJ45 jack. (That's the big, wide, phone plug lookin' thingy,
which is what I used to call it before I new better.) Some also have
a coax jack. (Older style 10baseT connection.) Some also have
a (15 pin?) female port. But I've honestly never used one so I'll
leave you in the dark on that one.
Each card is rated to run at a given speed. (The Coax jack is stuck
at 10baseT. I think it's only capable of half duplex, but don't
quote me on that.) For 95% of you, all you'll ever use is the
universally accepted RJ45 jack. Some cards run at 10baseT, some run
at 100baseT, some run at 1000baseT. (Some other's run at
non-standard speeds, such as 100VG.) There's also 2 modes for each
speed. Full duplex and half duplex. (Many cards will 'auto sense'
the speed of the hub and adjust themselves accordingly.) For your
purposes, you'll probably want to go with 10baseT or 100baseT. And
the duplex isn't really important. What is important is that your
entire network is running at the same speed. (Unless you want to
overcomplicate things a little... If you do, just email me and I'll
give you a hand with it.) |
Cat5 Cable
aka
Network/
Ethernet/
4 pair cable. (All the same thing.) |
This is the wiring you use to connect all your
computers. It's 4 pair (meaning there are 8 wires inside that are
twisted in pairs to reduce signal noise.) Each end has an RJ45
connector. (The big phone jack looking thingy with 8
connectors.) These wires go between everything on your network.
(Computers to hubs. hubs to computer. hubs to hubs. hubs
to printers?) You can pick some up, or make it yourself.
(Please just go buy some pre-made stuff. It's not that expensive at
good computer stores.) There's also Coax.... |
| Coax cable... |
This is like the stuff old TV's use. A wire inside a
woven wire tube. It's speed is rather limited, but you can run it
very very far before the signal gets to noisy. (Say, down the street
to your neighbor's house.) Coax is like Christmas lights. It
starts on one end of your network and jumps from computer to computer (or
hub) to the other end. On each end, there is a little
terminator. The bonus of such a setup is, no hub. (But hubs
are cheep now.) The downside is, hooking in additional computers
becomes more challenging; if one connection is broken, the entire network
goes down; more than 25 computers will slow things down drastically; it's
not as fast. But it still has it's place in SOME networks.
We'll find out if you'll need any later. |
| The Hub/Switch |
This is the core component(s). In each type of wire,
one set of wire(s) is set up to send from the computer to the hub (or down
the network, in the case of coax.) The other wire(s) is set up to receive from the hub (or other computers.) When using Cat5 (which we
hope you do), the hub takes all the signals sent to it and re-sends them
to all the other computers/hubs on the network. Whichever computer
the packet is addressed to will act on it. The rest will ignore
it. (A switch works on the premise of sending signals only to their
intended recipient. You can usually use hubs and switches interchangeably
and, on small networks, probably won't notice any performance difference.) |
So do you need a server? Let's take a look. I've been asked
if you need a server for you network. The answer is 'it depends'. If
you just want to share data, printers, an internet connection, and play games,
probably not. In fact, I do that every day on my network and do not have
any servers. (Yet.) If you want to host a dedicated game server, run
a 24-7 dedicated file/print server, or just have the right to say 'my home
server', then yes. By all means, put together a server. But please,
unless it's a game server, use the slowest computer you have. Let's take a
look at what type of servers you might see on a home network. (A 1337
<read: elite> network.>
| File/Print Server |
This is just a computer with some
disk space or a printer attached. The space/printer is shared via
the network. Any Operating System can do this. It requires
almost no CPU overhead, so please use a wimpy computer for it. (My
file server-to-be is a Pentium 90... It's overpowered.) |
| Firewall/ Gateway |
This sits between your network and
the outside world. (A must for full time connections.) A
gateway just does that. A firewall sits and monitors all the traffic
and enforces rules to help protect against potential hackers at your
door. A Pentium 90 would work just fine for this to. You can
also buy routers with firewalls built in. Unless you want to get
into the particulars of TCP/IP protocols and security schemes, just get
one of these. :) |
| Game Server |
This is just a server that handles
all the game traffic. If you're running a lot of computers (like
more than 10 or 15) you may need one. It varies depending on the
power of the gaming machines. This is where you would need a
powerful machine instead of a week one. |
| Web Server |
Another good place to put a cheep,
slow computer. Just run an HTTP server or something on it.
Doesn't matter what Operating System. HTTP servers are readily
available. You'll also need to assign it a static IP Address.
(Or set it up to use DynDns.org.)
If you have a firewall/gateway, these can act as a web server as
well. (unless it's that router box. That probably wouldn't
work to well, my friend... hehe...) |
That's the basics of hardware in networking. The more complex stuff
usually doesn't come into play on a smaller home network. So when
designing your home network, consistency is the most important thing. I'm
going to assume that you'll use a hub or two. (Note: Only use
multiple hubs if you've got a concentration of computers in 2 or more
areas. Place a hub near each concentration to reduce the need for running
wires. That's all it'll do for you. There's not other advantage.
For many home networks, mine included, 1 hub is all you need. The only
other time you need 2 is if you run out of ports on your first hub. You
can then just hook up a second. It's very scaleable.) Make sure they are both set
to run at the same speed. Make sure all your computers run at that
speed. (10/100/1000baseT. Half or full duplex.)
How do I hook multiple hubs together?
1. If they are 10baseT hubs with Coax hookups, you can run a coax cable
between them. Don't forget to put a terminator on both ends.
:) This way, you don't use up any of your RJ45 jacks.
2. If one of the hubs has an Uplink/Input button, switch, or slot...
Run an RJ45 cable from hub1's normal jack to hub2's uplink jack. They will
now act as 1 hub. (All the uplink jack does is flip the send and receive
signals. Nothing more.)
3. If there is no uplink option on either hub, run a 'cross cable' between
them. (As stated before, all you need to do to hook two hubs together is
to flip the send and receive. A cross cable has the flip built in.
Cross cables can also hook 2 NICs directly to each other.)
Why would you ever use 2 hubs?
1. If you run out of jacks, buy a second hub and hook them together.
2. If you have computers in more than one room, or on different floors,
put a hub in each location and link them together with one cable.
What speed should I run?
I'm running 10baseT right now. It's fast enough for most things.
(Much faster than 90% of your broadband home internet connections.) It's plenty
fast for games. 100baseT is becoming the corporate standard. It's
fast, yet not much more expensive. I'm planning on upgrading just because
I copy large collections of files fairly often and it will go much faster over
100baseT. 1000baseT is... well... frivolous unless you are
bandwidth starved.
What cable should I use?
Ask yourself 'Self, will you be running any Coax to link between two 10BaseT
hubs?'. 97% of the time, the answer will be 'No, self. Why the heck
would I do that on such a short range network?'. That being the case, go
buy yourself some CAT5 cable. It is also referred to as Ethernet, Twisted
Pair (make sure there's 8 strands inside cable), 4 Pair, and Network
Cable. 99% of the Network Cable you'll find should be CAT5. If
you've got the option, get shielded CAT5 as it holds up better to ...
stuff. It's just better, trust me.
How do I run the cable?
If you're going room to room, you've got several options. I'm a
heating duct type of guy. I like to use holes that are already there, but
this makes it hard to put a pretty jack in the wall. You can also run it
inside your walls like electrical wiring. (Note: No matter where you
run it, keep it away from strong electrical or magnetic fields. It's rare,
but these can disrupt your DataStream. It's happened to me once.)
What option you choose is up to you. You can run this stuff quite a ways
before the signal breaks down. You can ask your wire dealer for details on
the distance rating. (For long distances greater than 300 feet or so,
using COAX is a good option. It's slower, but it'll go further.)
Also, always leave a few feet of extra cable. It's easier to cut off a
little than add on a little. (Though you can add on a little if you
absolutely need to. Just stick a jack on each cable and put a Gender
Bender adapter between them.)
If you're using raw wire instead of the finished stuff, you'll need to hook
jacks to your ends. This is a little tricky, but definitely something you
can do yourself. (It may take a few practice tries.) You'll need a
few tools:
- A spool or length of cable.
- Some RJ45 jacks or ends.
- A crimping tool. (Purchase a local geek store.)
- Wire cutters.
- Optional: Connection testing boxes. Handy, but not required.
Run your wire and clip it's end. Strip off about 1/2' to 1' of the
outer wire. This will reveal 4 pairs of little wires. (8 wires
total.) Now comes the tricky part. Untwist about 1/2' of the little
wires. Clip their ends so they're all the same length when you flatten
them out. (Like a fan.) Now, line up the colored wire next to the
wire with that color of stripe. (so 'blue, blue stripe, brown, brown
stripe, etc...) It doesn't matter what color is where. (Just do it
the same on both ends!!! Very important.) Make sure you don't have
more than 1/2' untwisted. Untwisting to much wire will do bad things to
the wire's ability to shield from noise. (Don't get paranoid though.
You'll do fine.) Now, slide the fanned out wires into the
jack/socket/end/whatever... make sure each wire is in it's own slot and
that they are still in the correct order. If it's an outlet/socket thing,
just push down the little... um... thingies that hold the wires
in... Yeah... And push 'em down real good. (Ugh... Me
Tarzan. Me Jane's Network Administrator.) If it's a jack/head
thingy, put it into the crimper tool and clamp that sucker. (If you've
done a bang up job, there shouldn't be any bare pairs hanging out of the
jack/end.) Now do it to the other end.
If you have test boxes, test your wire. If not, hook up a computer on 1
end and a hub on the other. Make sure you can browse the network.
(But make sure to follow the directions in the software portion of this guide
first.) If you do end up with a screwed up wire, no worries. The
jacks can usually be reused. (The ends/heads cannot.) Clip the wire
back an inch and try again. It gets easier. If one end looks messier
than the other, clip that end first. Then the other. Don't worry,
you'll track down the problem. I've made some bad cables in my day, and
while it is annoying and perturbing, it's not the end of the world.
(Assuming you left yourself a few feet of slack on each end of the cable like
you're supposed to.)
Here's a little diagram of what a medium home network may look
like. The blue lines are CAT5 cable.
The network is divided between two floors. There's a hub on each floor.
(The two hubs make it so only 1 cable needs to be run between floors.)
By now, if I'm doing my job, you should have a good idea of the basic
structure of a network. You should probably draw out your network on paper
a little before setting it up. Good network planning is a happy
thing. If you need some help, please email
me. If not, please move along... There's nothing more to see here...
Software Aspects:
Your cables are run, your hubs are lit up, and your computers are all
wired together nicely. Now what? Now comes the interesting
part. You need to decide what you want running over those wires you set
up. You computers will talk to each other using a protocol. I think
some Windows versions still uses netbui (or something like that.) So I
won't even go into that. It just works. What you do need to worry
about it the stuff that everything else will use. A protocol is just a
language that the computers use to talk to each other. Some games use
certain protocols. (Most new ones use TCP/IP. Some use IPX/SPX.
Some use both.) I run TCP/IP and IPX/SPX on my home network. Here's
a bit about your options:
| TCP/IP |
Internet protocol. What you use to connect to the
internet. Also becoming very very popular on Ethernet. It's a
non-broadcast system. (Meaning less traffic.) It's fairly
simple and strait forward. Everything uses it now. It's
addressing scheme is a little complicated if you've never seen it
before. Each computer has an IP address and Subnet mask. (Both
in the form of xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx Numbers 255 or less. My home
network runs on this scheme: IP addresses are 10.8.1.__ and the
subnet mask is 255.255.255.0) I'll go into IP addresses in more
detail in just a moment. |
| IPX/SPX |
Used by Novell. Broadcast based. Uses hexadecimal
addressing (a bit confusing if you ever tinker with addresses.) It's
fairly quick on smaller networks. StarCraft uses it for LAN (local
area network) games. I run it just for star craft. |
| File/print sharing |
Turn these on to share drives and directories. (Under
Win95/98 it's in Network Properties. There's a big button that says
'File and Print sharing'. Just turn them on and make some
shares.) Email me if you need help. |
| Apple Talk |
If you've got an apple on your network and need apple
talk... good luck. Sorry. |
Addressing your Network:
Ok.. Right up front, I want to touch on DHCP. First, what is
DHCP? Simply put, it's a way to solve your IP Addressing woes without
touching an IP Address. You need a DHCP server (just a computer that tells
all the other computers what their IP Addresses are.) How do you set that
up? 2 ways. Windows 2000 has a DHCP service that I don't know how to
use yet. (I just haven't played with it.) The easy way is to turn on
Internet Connection Sharing on your Windows 98 (second edition) or Windows 2000
computer. This will also turn that computer into a DHCP server. If
you do this, do not assign any computers IP Addresses. It'll all be
automatic. If you need to talk to a computer, just call it by name instead
of by IP Address. But, it's still handy to know how IP Addressing work as
it is what drives the Internet and most corporate networks. (As well as
your home network.) Email me if you have any questions...
First, the only type of addressing you should worry about is IP
addressing. Just leave the rest alone and it should work just fine.
IP addresses, as I mentioned before, are 4 numbers (less than or equal to 255)
separated by periods. Like 128.165.12.8. Subnets create
sub-networks. There are very complex ways to do subnets. We'll stick
to the simple ones. For all our subnets, we'll use the number 255.
Just because that will work best for our home network and won't require and calculations
on our part. A subnet mask chops the IP address in half at a given
point. (This is where things can get confusing.)
Let's say my network is on a small (class C) subnet. 255.255.255.0.
The first 3 numbers in all my IP addresses will be my network, the last number
will be that computer's host name. (Or it's 'address'.) So if my
computer has an IP address of 10.8.1.10... The 10.8.1 is the
network and the 10 is the computer's address. Any computer with a
10.8.1 for it's first three numbers is on the same network. If I change
all my computers subnet masks to 255.255.0.0, this moves the break point in the
IP address. Now, 10.8 is the network and 1.10 is the
computer name. All the subnet does is organize your network into
sub-networks. For us, we only want one. This is important!
If you have 2 computers that are set up like this: Computer1 - IP:
192.168.77.8 - Subnet: 255.255.255.0. Computer2 - IP: 187.164.153.22 -
Subnet: 255.255.255.0. These computers will be able to ping each other,
but aren't really on the same network. They will not talk to each other
unless you make them (using whatever program you're in.) Computer one is
on network: 192.168.77. Computer2 is on network: 187.164.153.
So how should your addressing look?
Unless you're planning on having more than 250 computers on your network,
stick with subnet mask 255.255.255.0. As for the IP addresses, you can
just make them up (assuming they're consistant.) You can use the one's I
use, if you want. (10.8.1.__) For each computer, fill in it's IP
address. The first 3 numbers should be the same, the last one should be
unique. (NOTE!!!: If you run Windows 98 or 2000 with a shared
internet connection via Windows Internet Connection Sharing, your windows box
becomes a DHCP server. For this to work, do not specify any static IP
addresses for any machines on your network. This is the easiest way to put
DHCP on a network and solve your IP Addressing woes.)
So how do I set up the protocols?!
Go into windows. (If you're running something else, you
should be l33t enough to configure it.) Right click Network Neighborhood
and go to properties. (Or go to your control panel and click Network
Properties.) Under ME and 2000, things may be in a little bit different
places. Just poke around a bit to find them. They're in there
somewhere... Under windows 9x, it should list your network card [modem
to], and current protocols. If TCP/IP is listed for your network card,
double click it. Change it over to manual and specify your IP address and
subnet mask. (NOTE: If TCP/IP is listed for your modem, leave it
alone or your internet connection will stop working.) If it's not there,
click Add. Choose 'protocol'. Find TCP/IP. (Might be under
Microsoft.) Repeat this process to add IPX/SPX, if you want to run it on
your network. You may also need to enable file and print sharing.
This option is generally in a very obvious place. Once enabled, make some
shares... (Right click a directory, printer, or drive and click
sharing.) Also, under your network properties, there should be an
Identification tab. Go there and set all the computers on your network to
the same Workgroup. (Make one up. It's usually best to NOT use
spaces.) Also specify a unique computer name. Do this for all your
computers and you should be set.
I've got a network, now what?
Party.... Get some friends over and play quake, UT (Unreal
Tournament) or Half Life... (Or StarCraft...) Backup your files over
the network. Enjoy the power of shared printers. Try out VNC.
(I'll write an article on VNC later.) Have fun. Networks are
wonderful things. Some people don't realize how nice they are until they
have them. Swapping files becomes a million times easier. Enjoy it!
I'VE GOT A PROBLEM!
You have a problem? Don't panic. The first thing you
should know is that Windows machines take a few minutes to find each other on
the network. You're 'shares' will not be available right away. Give
it a minute or two before you freak out. If it never comes up, here's some
troublshooting tips.
1. Check the light on the hub. Does the problematic
computer light up it's slot on the hub? If not, check cabling and the card.
It's probably a hardware problem of sorts. Either a bad connection or a
bad card.
2. Check all the protocols (and the workgroup.) Make sure everything
is consistent with the rest of your network. (Workgroups can throw
things off if they don't match. You won't see your computer listed with
all the others.)
3. Open up a DOS prompt and ping another computer. Type 'Ping
<computer name>'. Replace <computer name> with the name of a different
computer on the network. If you don't get a reply try this. 'Ping
IPAddress'. Replace IPAddress with the IP address of a different computer
on the network. If neither of those bring back a response, you're either
not plugged in, TCP/IP isn't set up right, your network card is malfunctioning,
or the other computer isn't turned on. (Or maybe windows is just messin' with
ya'. He he he.)
4. Open up windows explorer. (Only works with win 95 ORS2.5, Windows
98, ME, and 2000.) In the 'address' type \\<computername>. Replace
<computername> with the name of another computer on your network. If
you see the contents of that computer (make sure it's got something shared) then
you're probably in a different workgroup. If not, you problems are
probably a bit deeper.
If none of those help, start at one end and work your way
down. Is the CAT5 hooked up tightly? Are your protocols set up and
in sync with the rest of your network? If it's just one computer, unplug
the wires and plug them back in (or try new ones. Might be a bad
cable.) Uninstall all your protocols and reinstall them. Make sure
they match the rest of your network. Most problems are solved by
answering these two questions...
If you can't figure out what's wrong, send me an email and
I'll work with you to get things straitened out. Good luck, my friend!
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