Test Scenario
In most homes, networking requirements evolve as family needs and technologies change. We devised scenarios that represent three phases of network requirements in a busy household that wants to share one printer and employ a cable modem for shared Internet access. For the server, we used a Dell Dimension 4100 with Windows Me installed. That system connected to the Internet using an installed 3Com PCI NIC and a cable modem, with Internet service provided by Excite@Home. Before we installed any other network cards, we made sure the cable-modem Internet connection was working correctly.
Phase one in our household scenario involved linking two home PCs via cables in a wired Ethernet network. We used the 3Com HomeConnect Home Network Ethernet Kit, which consists of two USB nics and a five-port hub. We installed one of the NICs in the Windows Me server and the other in a second desktop PC (a Dell Dimension XPS B533R), and then we plugged both systems into the hub.
For phase two, we expanded the network to include a third PC (a Micron Millennia with a PIII/400 processor). The Micron system was not located near the other networked PCs, so we used HomePNA 2.0 technology with NetGear PhoneLine 10X PCI and USB nics in the server and in the new PC.
In phase three, we added a notebook (a Dell Inspiron 7000) to the home network. Because we wanted to roam around the house with the notebook, we chose the Intel Anypoint Wireless Home Network HomeRF-based kit (a PC Card NIC that goes in the notebook and a USB NIC that's installed in the Windows Me server).
When we were done (see Figure 1), we had four NICs running on the Windows Me server PC (one each for the cable modem, the Ethernet wired network, the HomePNA network, and the HomeRF wireless network) plus one in each of the other PCs. Only the server was running Windows Me; the other systems were running Windows 98 SE. We'll take you through the networking process step by step.
Phase One: Connecting two PCs via Ethernet
1. Set up and test your Internet connection. Before we first ran the Windows Me Home Networking Wizard on the server system, we made sure that the cable modem was working correctly. If you have not yet set up an Internet connection, do the following: From the Windows Me desktop, click on Start | Programs | Accessories | Communications | Internet Connection Wizard. Run the Windows Me Internet Connection Wizard (see Figure 2) to be sure that the Windows Me computer is configured properly and is connected to the Internet.
2. Install the NICs. Install the wired Ethernet cards in the server and in the other PC (for a two-PC network), following the manufacturer's instructions. Connect the two systems by plugging one end of a Category 5 (Cat 5) cable into the RJ-45 port on the NIC and the other end into a port on the network hub. Repeat for the second PC.
3. Run the Windows Me Home Networking Wizard on the server system. On the Windows Me server, click on the My Network Places icon on the desktop. Double-click on the Home Networking Wizard, then click Next.
4. Configure your network Internet connection. Confirm that your server will have the direct connection to the Internet, and select (in this case) the NIC to which the cable modem is connected (see Figure 3); then click Next.
Confirm that you want other computers on the network to share the Internet connection, and select the network-device NIC that connects your Windows Me PC to the home network. Click Next again.
5. Pick names for your network and for your PC. Each PC on your network must have a unique name, but all the PCs on your network must have the same workgroup name (see Figure 4). The wizard suggests using MSHOME as the workgroup name, which is fine; we use the more generic Workgroup as the workgroup name, which is what most users prefer. Click Next again.
6. Choose to share folders and printers. If you want to share folders and printers on your PC, this is the screen where you confirm it. Click Next, and you can choose to protect the shared folders. If you don't select password protection, you're prompted one more time to be sure you really want others on your network to be able to see your files. When you're done, click OK.
7. Create a setup disk for other PCs. If you'll be installing PCs running Windows 95 or Windows 98 on your network, you'll want to create a Home Networking Wizard setup disk on a blank floppy disk. When you run the setup program on this floppy disk, it installs the Home Networking Wizard on systems running earlier versions of the OS. Click Next again.
8%
1%
