LAN Question (Joining 2 PC's; my first time)

[Terrapin]

Greetings:

In a few days, I will have my new PC together and plan to give my son the one I am currently using.

My new computer will have Two Network connections; one that is built into the board itself, and another network card I am adding.

My old computer has one built-in Network connection.

The objective, is to give my son access to the internet, and to be able to play LAN games with him. My main (new) computer I will be using, obviously has internet access via cable modem. It also uses ZoneAlarm for its firewall.


QUESTION: Can I simply run a Network cable from my Sons computer to mine? By doing so, what else would I need to do so that his computer has access the net through mine, and to also make it so we can plan LAN games together?

I've never worked with a LAN on any level, so would appreciate you helping me out. I think this is relatively simple, but having never done it before leaves me a bit confused.

Thank you in advance,

Terrapin

 

Here is a easy solution:
Have the NIC that has the cable modem plugged into it run internet connection sharing, then the other NIC on that main computer will have a 192.xxx.xxx.xxx ip. Run a cat5 from that NIC to your sons computer and his should be ready to use dhcp. VIOLA
Your done.

 

[acejj26]

u can use a crossover cable to directly connect the two PC's. this would save you the trouble of buying a switch/router.

i'm pretty sure you can't just take a normal CAT 5 cable and connect the two PC's. i had to get a crossover cable to connect the two on my LAN.

after you get the crossover cable, make sure you are both on the same workgroup. once you do that, you can share drives and such.

to share the internet connection, here's what i did:

set up XP on your machine to share the internet connection on the network card that accesses the internet. then, assign a static IP address to the card that will be connected to your son's PC. then download this program and have it run on your computer (you don't have to configure anything on it since your PC has the firewall already running). after doing that, open up the internet properties on your son's machine and have it access the net via a proxy server which the address is the static IP you assigned to the second NIC. then, your computer will serve as the server and will send the pages to your son's computer (it's also handy since that program keeps a log of what sites he's hitting)

again, that's just what i did. it's probably REALLY ghetto, but it works and it works well. good luck

 

[Terrapin]

Originally posted by: acejj26
u can use a crossover cable to directly connect the two PC's. this would save you the trouble of buying a switch/router.

i'm pretty sure you can't just take a normal CAT 5 cable and connect the two PC's. i had to get a crossover cable to connect the two on my LAN.

after you get the crossover cable, make sure you are both on the same workgroup. once you do that, you can share drives and such.

to share the internet connection, here's what i did:

set up XP on your machine to share the internet connection on the network card that accesses the internet. then, assign a static IP address to the card that will be connected to your son's PC. then download this program and have it run on your computer (you don't have to configure anything on it since your PC has the firewall already running). after doing that, open up the internet properties on your son's machine and have it access the net via a proxy server which the address is the static IP you assigned to the second NIC. then, your computer will serve as the server and will send the pages to your son's computer (it's also handy since that program keeps a log of what sites he's hitting)

again, that's just what i did. it's probably REALLY ghetto, but it works and it works well. good luck

Thank you. Great information.

I am confused by one thing however. Doesn't XP Pro have the controls necessary to accomplish my goals? Why would I need a third party program to merely give my son access to the net and plan games with him, via a two computer LAN ?

Thank you again,

Terrapin

 

[NeoMadHatter]

this may help and it may not.

Practically Networked

 

[walla]

You do not need a third party program. Setting up internet connection sharing, or a simple two-person network is as simple as its ever been for Windows.

You need a crossover cable, or a CAT5 with a crossover adapter. First and foremost.

First, you need to establish a LAN connection between the two computers. If you already have network interface cards (NIC's) physically installed, chances are that WinXP has already detected them and installed them for you.

For IP addressing, I'd choose 192.168.0.1 for the computer with the internet connection and 192.168.0.2 for the other. It is personal preference. Just make sure of 192.168.0.X, and that X is unique for all computers on the LAN.

There is a place where you can specify workgroup and computer name I believe in network settings. Make sure the work group is identical for both computers.

Once this is set up, and you can access files an each other's computers, you must set up Internet Connection Sharing (ICS). WinXP has a great Help system explaining all of this. You can also take a look Here. It will be different depending on the type of internet connection you have.

If you get all of this set up, you should be good to go. For some games, you may need to install additional protocols. Refer to WinXP help, the game manual, the internet for more info.

Good Luck!

 

[Terrapin]

Originally posted by: walla
You do not need a third party program. Setting up internet connection sharing, or a simple peer-to-peer (P2P) network is as simple as its ever been for Windows.

For P2P You do need a crossover cable, or a CAT5 with a crossover adapter. First and foremost.

First, you need to establish a LAN connection between the two computers. If you already have network interface cards (NIC's) installed, chances are that WinXP has already detected them and installed them for you.

For IP addressing, I'd choose 192.168.0.1 for the computer with the internet connection and 192.168.0.2 for the other. It is personal preference. Just make sure of 192.168.0.X, and that X is unique for all computers on the LAN.

There is a place where you can specify workgroup and computer name I believe in network settings. Make sure the work group is identical for both computers.

Once this is set up, and you can access files an each other's computers, you must set up Internet Connection Sharing (ICS). WinXP has a great Help system explaining all of this. You can also take a look Here. It will be different depending on the type of internet connection you have.

If you get all of this set up, you should be good to go. For some games, you may need to install additional protocols. Refer to WinXP help, the game manual, the internet for more info.

Good Luck!

Cool !!

Is there a way I can access my sons computer files; but not allow him to access mine? Can I do this without interfering with the LAN, or internet connection I am attempting to give my son?

Terrapin

 

[walla]

Is there a way I can access my sons computer files; but not allow him to access mine? Can I do this without interfering with the LAN, or internet connection I am attempting to give my son?

I am positive there is. It has to do with setting file and user permissions on your computer. Also, if you are sharing certain files or folders, you can set user permissions and/or passwords to restrict access. Or simply don't share any files.

Look up 'file sharing', 'user/file permissions' for a better idea.

I'm not an expert, can't give you specifics, but I recommend using the Help menus in XP as I'm sure this is all well documented.

 

[Belegost]

Just a point to note: CAT5 refers to the type of wiring used, both crossover and patch (the common type of cable) cables can be made with CAT5 wire. The only difference between the two types of cables is how individual wires were crimped into the RJ11 connectors at each end.

File sharing is easy, make sure in the network settings on both computers, the File and Printer Sharing module is loaded. If it isn't, Add it, and make sure you enable file sharing. Then, open My Computer on your son's box, right click on the hard drive that you want access to, and hit Sharing. Click the check box to share the drive, and name it if you want. Choose whether you want read only, or read/write access. Do the same thing for any other drives you want to be able to access. Now, on your computer, you should be able to open My Network Places and see the computer name for your son's computer listed, open it up and the shared drive should be shown. You can now explore it like a drive on your system. Furthermore, since you didn't mark any of your drives for sharing, none of your files will be accessible.