Networking : How to???

[c533n]

I have a 3com Etherlink III ISA from 1997 and a Leadfast PCI NIC. I am using a Cat5 cable. I installed both of them and connected the cable but need to know what protocols or whatever to install next. Please Help.

 

[hominid skull]

Firstly you need a transfer protocol, if you are using the network for file transfer then you can use Microsoft Netbeui, make sure you have both 'client for microsoft networks' and 'file and printer sharing' installed also. If you want to play games over the network you can install TCP/IP or a IPX/SPX compatible protocol.

Basically it is mostly a good idea to have 'client for microsoft networks' and 'file and printer sharing' installed for what ever network you have choosen, although some might disagree, you never know when you might need to transfer files.

Hope that gives you a start..

 

[SufferinSuccotash]

You don't even need NetBEUI. I would just use TCP/IP, unless you're not connecting to the Internet. NetBEUI and IPX/SPX are both no-brainers to set up, but only TCP/IP lets you get out to the Internet. Personally, I am only runnning TCP/IP. It orks for file trtansfers, connecting to the Internet, and playing games.

 

[Windogg]

Don't forget. you need a crossover cable to connect two computers togther directly.

Windogg

 

[SufferinSuccotash]

Unless, of course, if you've a hub...

 

[Jakki0]

Can someone set me straight here. Over and over I read "you don't need NETBEUI only TCP/IP in a small network." How is it that in my small network when I use TCP/IP alone my network does not work. Yet when I use both TCP/IP and NETBEUI every thing is fine. Doing some research on the protocols I found it is said that NETBEUI is ideal for a small LAN while TCP/IP is the protocol for the internet. I have ICS running on my machines and therefore need and use TCP/IP. I just brought a print server and it recommends that I use NETBEUI as the protocol for printing.

Let us set matters straight. What is the lowdown?

 

[SufferinSuccotash]

In that case, you'll probably have to install both NetBEUI and TCP/IP. NetBEUI is good for small LAN's (~10-25 nodes) because it is fast in a small environment and is a no-brainer to set up. Once you get past a certain number of users, however efficiency degrades and you need something heftier like IPX/SPX or TCP/IP. The reason for this is because every single packet sent out using NetBEUI is a broadcast, which means that every computer on the network has to stop, examine the data, see if the data is destined for that workstation or not, and then act accordingly. When you say print server do mean a software package or another machine? If it is another machine, my guess is that it uses NetBIOS, which can be encapsulated into TCP/IP, so you wouldn't need NetBEUI. If it is a software package that requires NetBEUI, then you're stuck using both protocols, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.