need help & resources for setting up LAN

[saddy]

i am networking 3 computers without using a hub, a switch or a router.

instead, i have two network cards on the server com, and one network card each for the client coms.

using wingate, the server computer can provide internet access for as well as share files with the other two computers. however, i have a few questions.

1) when a client com gets powered down (its power point is still on though), its network status on the server com would be 'unplugged'. i have been told that is normal. but, this only happens to one of the client coms. the other client com could stay 'plugged' despite after being powered down.

the problem occurs - with becoming 'unplugged' - when i need to reboot the server com. wingate would not recognise the 'unplugged' network card at all, which means that client com would lose its internet access.

in order for wingate to recognise the network card. i have to wait for the client com to power back on, wait for the connection status for that network card to be active, shut down the wingate engine and finally, start up the wingate engine manually again.

does anyone has a solution to that?

how do i keep the network status 'plugged' despite connected to a powered down com (again, its power point is not turned off)? or, how do i make wingate dynamically detect the network card's activation without having to restart the wingate engine?

of course, if i have to abandon wingate, i would. though, it would be better if a wingate solution can be had because i have been using wingate for years now and i would like to stick with it. i did not have this problem prior to the new network interface for the current setup. the other NIC is older but it stays 'plugged' all the time by default installation and hence, does not give me that 'unplugged' problem.

2) when i browse the network ("computers near me") using windows explorer, i can see both client coms on the server com. however, when i try browsing using either client coms, they can only see the server com, but they cannot see the other client com.

most information i found on setting up a LAN has to do with one-to-one setups, or has to do with using a hub/switch/router. how do i make every computer visible to every other computer in my setup though?

i have been searching for some useful info on the web to little avail, so if i have missed any useful online reading/resource which i can use, please provide me that first.

else, it would be great if anyone can give me direct advice.

 

[lobadobadingdong]

make it easy on yourself go out and spend the $30 for a hub, or a switch(preferably a switch). if you had you're pm's on I'd offer to sale you a d-link broadband router for $30.

 

[Confused]

I was trying to do this a few months back with Windows 2000 Server, everyone told me to quit being a cheaparse and go get a hub/switch, so i found a cheap 5 port switch for £25.


I have since added a wireless client (my laptop), and got a USB wireless adapter with the deal (bought them off a friend for cheap) and that is going through my server, but only because I am now running Windows 2003 Server, which has the "Bridge Connections" option that previously only Windows XP had.


However, I am still experiencing problems with that, and it's a "it works only just, when it wants to" deal. It's doable, but when I get the money, I'll get myself a WAP and then I can set up another computer with the USB wireless adapter (my in-car MP3 computer) because I can't run a cable to it easily (with it being out in the car!)


To put it simply, go out and get a cheap 4-5 port switch and all the hassle will be gone.


Confused

 

[saddy]

sorry but i am new to this.

although i have read online for the differences between a hub, a switch and a router, i am still not clear on one particular aspect of those.

is the router the only one that allows any computer to share the internet connection without having to run a server computer? or are all three capable of doing that? because one of my main aims is to eliminate the need for one computer to be up all the time.

please bear with any misconceptions i may have.

 

[hoodwink]

Originally posted by: saddy
sorry but i am new to this.

because one of my main aims is to eliminate the need for one computer to be up all the time.

please bear with any misconceptions i may have.

That is one of the main purposes for having a router. The router handles the internet connection so your computer doesn't have to. Added advantage is that with NAT firewall, router blocks out a lot of junk from outside, router assigns internal IPs to your network, so outsiders can't see inside your network.

Take the advice and get yourself a router. I've recently installed several Netgear routers, very friendly, another good one I've heard is Linksys. Don't worry about the switch, from the sound of it, you ain't networking more than 4-8 systems.

 

[Confused]

A hub takes the data, cleans and amplifies it, and sends it out of all ports

A switch takes the data, cleans and amplifies it, and sends it out only the port it is destined for (based on layer 2, MAC addresses)

A router will allow you to transfer data between two different networks, with different IP ranges. Most SOHO routers come with a switch built into them, on the LAN side. This means that all the computers on the inside have the same IP range, and can talk, and they can access external IP address (the internet) going through the router to the WAN side, the outside world.

For sharing the internet without needing a computer to be on all the time, you would want a router. As i said, most SOHO routers come with a switch built in, however I have used and seen a router with only 1 LAN port, which is then connected to a hub or switch itself


Confused

 

[lobadobadingdong]

no, for a home lan, a broadband router(don't get these confused with switching or orther high speed routers) can usually be a dhcp server for your lan, and most contain 4-8 switch ports.(and can be expanded by adding additional switches).
You can use ics(internet connection sharing) in windows but it is limited to having that system running all the time, but this is of course done with software on your workstation. a broadband router frees up those resourses by using the asics to switch and route your ip packets to your isp. if you have dial up only and don't plan on upgrading to dsl/cable service anytime soon then a plane jane switch is all you need. if you have broadband, a router is the way to go.
As far as using software programs like wingate and ishare, with win98 and up there is really no point as the ics built in is arguably better anyway and is integrated into the os for better stability(ishare can be a b!tch w/severe stability problems, never personally used wingate though).
edit: plus most broadband routers offer hardware firewalls built in to protect your lan.

A hub takes the data, cleans and amplifies it, and sends it out of all ports

no, it just ampifies it, it would actually have to read the header and data info to clean the signal, which is a function of a switch , it does send it out all ports and creats multiple collisions when multiple links are being used.

Gary looks like great minds think alike, you just type faster than me

 

[JackMDS]

Originally posted by: saddy
sorry but i am new to this.

although i have read online for the differences between a hub, a switch and a router, i am still not clear on one particular aspect of those.

is the router the only one that allows any computer to share the internet connection without having to run a server computer? or are all three capable of doing that? because one of my main aims is to eliminate the need for one computer to be up all the time.

please bear with any misconceptions i may have.

Link: AnandTech - FAQ. Basic Options for Internet Connection Sharing

Link: AnandTech - FAQ. Hubs, routers, switches, DSL, LANs, WANs...?

Bear in mind that Millions of people who have Network do not use the Server Model.

Win98 & WinXP are peer to peer Networks.

 

[saddy]

Hello,

Windows 2000 has a feature called Media Sense. When the operating system starts up and does not detect a network connection from the other computer, it will disable the network card. There are some registry changes that need to be made in order to disable Media Sense for Windows 2000. For more information, please go to Microsoft's Knowledge Base site.

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx

Have a great day!
Matt Shaylor
_______________________
Technical Support Engineer
Deerfield.com

now, every NIC has its binding present in wingate even when the windows network icon indicates that there is no cable connected.

thanks all for the helping me verify that the info i have read is indeed accurate.

i am currently using the NAT and DHCP features of wingate to run the little network. works great. but once it is appropriate, a router would enter the picture - by then, preferably a wireless that is as fast as the current wired ones.

JackMDS, will take a look at those links when i return home. they look very helpful!