How to build a local area network

Home or small office, if there are two or more computers, it is natural to want to make them into a network. For the convenience of narration, the following conventions refer to it as a LAN. In a home environment, you can use this network to share resources, play games that require more than one person, share a modem with an Internet connection, and so on. Office, the use of such a network, mainly to solve the sharing of peripherals such as printers, in addition, the Office LAN is a collaborative work of many people infrastructure.

Although such a small network engineering, in the past is also a need for professionals to configure the network. At that time, most of the operations are manual, the general user does not have the corresponding knowledge and experience. The situation which just belongs to "underachievement", naturally restricts its development. The advent of Windows XP has broken this situation, relying on its built-in powerful network support features and handy wizards. After the user completes the physical connection, run the Connection Wizard to detect the network hardware, install the appropriate driver or protocol, and instruct the user to complete all configuration steps.

This article describes two networking scenarios under the Windows XP operating system and describes the various features that Windows XP uses for the local area network.

I. Objectives:

Make up a home area network: Externally, you can connect to the Internet, allowing each computer within the LAN to share connections. Internally, you can share network resources and equipment.

Two. What network form is used?

The computer in the home network may have a desktop or portable computer, such as a PDA or notebook machine, may also appear various transmission media interface, so the network form, not all use wired network, wireless interface must be considered. However, if it can be clearly located in the pure wired network, you can not set up a wireless interface. So there are two options available:

1. Wired and wireless hybrid.

2. Wired.

Three. Network hardware selection

A network adapter (NIC) can have a PCI, PC, or PCMCIA interface card (the latter both used on a laptop or laptop), and Windows XP also supports a network adapter with a USB interface. The type of adapter that is used depends on the computer on the access network. Regardless of that adapter, you need to be aware of the interface with the existing computer and the alignment of the hub, the USB interface adapter may be more adaptable, but for older computers, you need to be aware of whether it supports USB interfaces.

Network cable, commonly used coaxial cable and twisted pair, which are familiar things, not many explanations. It depends on what you are thinking.

Four. Available network structure and media

Etheric structure: This structure is most popular in the office or business users, familiar with a lot of people, technical information and maintenance personnel are also easy to find, so not much to repeat.

Telephone line connection: The main feature of this form is the low cost, the physical connection is also very simple, suitable for most of the home users.

Radio waves: The use of electromagnetic signals to transmit signals, you can communicate without any connection, and can be used in mobile. But the need to install a wireless adapter on each computer, the high cost is certain. In our country, the wireless form uses in the computer network communication is still few. In the United States, the wireless network is a standard protocol called IEEE 802.11B for Computer Close-range network communication. With the support of this Protocol, the available speed is one Mbps.

Five. One of the programmes

This is a wired, wireless hybrid solution. In this example, a hybrid network is made up of 4 computers, PC1 is a host, and it has 3 paths with external connections:

1. Internet-connected modems: Computers for the entire network share the Internet.

2. Wireless adapter: For communication with wireless devices within the network.

3. HUB: Used to "drive" the downstream computers within the network.

The PC1 and PC2 machines in this scheme must use the Windows XP operating system, and the wired part uses an Ethernet fabric connection. PC3 and mobile computers do not require the use of Windows XP operating systems, and other versions of Windows are also available. The network connection between the mobile computer and the host uses the wireless form.

If you want to build a hybrid network, this scenario already has a typical feature, and it doesn't take much to scale up the network.

About connected operations:

After the physical connection is completed, the network can be truly put into use when it needs to be connected. The connectivity operation includes the communication between each computer within the local area network, and the connection between the LAN and the Internet. The former is connected to the established steps as follows:

1. Click start of Mouse, enter Control Panel, click "Network and Internet Connections Network connection", select Network connection (network Connections), proceed next.

2. Select "Two or more LAN connections"

3. Right-click on a connection.

4. Determine the completion of the connection task.

The connected operation within the LAN is completed.

Besides the connection between LAN and Internet, this situation mainly considers both the speed and the cost. Multi-machine Internet, the most convenient way is that each machine occupies a separate telephone line, but this is not the average user can afford, the waste of resources is too large. Another option would be to use residential gateways, but that would not be the best way to increase costs. A better approach is to use a computer as the host server. This is not only technically feasible, but there are many other advantages, such as:

①: Because Windows XP has a built-in firewall, the host is between the Internet and the terminals, you can use the firewall of the host to protect the local area network extensions from attacks from the Internet.

②: Host is "hidden in" between the Internet and the LAN, as a gateway to the foot color, in the extension, the user feels as if they are directly connected to the interne, the detection of the middle also has a host. In particular, you can make each computer in the local area network surf the internet simultaneously. Significantly reduced investment in equipment.

③: In addition to the host must use the Windows XP operating system, computers in the local area network can use earlier versions of Windows.

④: If you need to use different media (such as wired and wireless blends) on your local area network, you can use Windows XP as a bridging bridge.

⑤: Although there are network resources and equipment sharing functions, but also can restrict access to private files and data, especially when the file on the host, more this advantage is available.

⑥: The use of "Universal Plug and Play" function, you can expand the size of the LAN at any time.

Six. Programme bis

The programme applies to small offices. Compared with the previous scheme, the main is to remove the wireless part, the host and the extension does not use a telephone line connection, but the use of cable or twisted-pair cable connection. All extensions are connected to the Internet through a hub and can support printer sharing. This is actually the most common type of LAN structure.

After the scheme completes the physical connection, the following actions are required:

1. Open the Network Connection folder or locate the icon for the network connection.

2. Right-click the "Connection to the" Internet for your want to share (shared Internet connection) and then right click "Properties"

3. Select the Advanced (Advanced) task bar.

4. Select the Allow other network users to connect through this computer′s Internet connection (allow another user to connect via this computer to the Internet) check box and select.

5. Click OK to end the operation.

Windows XP-enabled firewalls must be set up and not set to work. To set up a procedure:

1. Open the Network Connection folder or locate the icon for the network connection.

2. Right-click the "Connection to the" Internet for your want to share (shared Internet connection) and then right click "Properties"

3. Select the Advanced (Advanced) task bar.

4. Select Protect My Computer and network by limiting or preventing access to this computer the Internet (use this computer to restrict from intern Et Access and protect my computer and network ", under which there is an Internet Connection Firewall check box, mouse click Selected.

5. Click OK to end the operation.

Seven. A few notes

A. The host must adopt a Windows XP operating system, and computers within the LAN can use earlier versions of Windows, such as Windows98, Windows ME, Windows2000, and so on.

B. Here is a typical case, the expansion of the scale of the network can basically be superimposed.

C. This article is based on an English test version of the test, can not guarantee the future of the official version. In particular, the performance of the official Chinese version is exactly the same.