Setting a Network

[b4u]

Hi,

I have a network of 3 computers I need to re-configure, since it seams something is not working as it should be I'm getting too much trouble searching for computers in the LAN.

What I would like to ask you, is for opinions on how would you set up a network like this. I mean, would you set your IPs on each machine? Would you DHCP them? What settings, etc...


Config:

3 Desktop Computers, 1 Laptop:
1st: named C01 - Windows 2000 Advanced Server
2nd: named C02 - Windows 2000 Professional
3rd: named C03 (surprise) - Windows 2000 Professional
4th: named L04 - Windows ME (will be changed to Windows 2000 Professional in the future, after I get the microsoft licence, and network stability)

One 100mbps hub, with 4 ports.

One Lexmark Optra T610 network printer. Would like to connect to the remaining port so it could work as THE central printer.

The 4th computer (Laptop) is connected when needed, and to the net port of the 3rd computer (since hub only supports 4 connections at a time).


In this moment, the configuration is:
C01 - IP 1.7.1.1 - Subnet: 255.255.0.0 - Gateway: none
C02 - IP 1.7.1.2 - Subnet: 255.255.0.0 - Gateway: none
C03 - IP 1.7.1.3 - Subnet: 255.255.0.0 - Gateway: none
L04 - IP 1.7.1.4 - Subnet: 255.255.0.0 - Gateway: none

Printer configuration:
Name laserc5 - IP: 1.7.1.5 - Subnet: 255.255.0.0 - Gateway: 1.7.0.0 (cannot disable it)


My questions:

[1] Sometimes when I connect to the LAN using another laptop (say L05), I cannot access to ANY computer, because it gives me a message saying something like "no authentication server available". The only way I can connect the LAN to this laptop, is by creating a user in the desktop, and connecting from the LAN computers to this laptop. THEN, it asks me for user/password, and I can access fine ... but the inverse order (from laptop L05 to C01/C02/C03), it just refuses, giving the message I told.

[2] Would you configure this network in a different way? What settings?

[3] I believe I can set up my Windows 2000 Advanced Server to deliver IPs to the machines connected to the network. That way, I could just setup any machine to "Obtain an IP address automatically". I could make it delivering addresses 210.50.20.* to machines, and set the network printer to something like 210.50.20.1 so it could have the same IP address, and computers could access them everytime, without the need to change the IP printer link. Right? How could I do this?

[4] I cannot access the printer in any way. I mean, if I open a browser and go to http://1.7.1.5 it shows me a "configuration page" from the printer itself, but if I open a command line and make "ping 1.7.1.5" or "ping laserc5", it just gives me "hotname not found", from any computer. But if I ping the computer IPs, it works fine ...

[5] How to install a network printer like this one? In the Lexmark web site, I have lots of drivers available, but I don't know which to choose ... PS, PST, STD ... what is that? I don't know much about printers, and it's the first network printer I have to install ... if I make "Add Printer->Network Printer" and then enter the address "1.7.1.5" it should work, right? Well, it doesn't ...


Thanks

 

[owensdj]

You shouldn't be using 1.7.1.x IP addresses for your LAN. Those IP address aren't part of the designated range of private IP addresses. I usually use the 192.168.x.x IP addresses for LANs.

Here's what I would do. Go ahead a buy a new switch that has more than enough ports for all of your Ethernet devices. Leave some empty ports for future expansion. You have 4 computers and a network printer, so I'd get an 8 port switch such as the Netgear Model FS608 8-port 10/100 Switch.

Set your Win2K Advanced Server machine to a static IP address of 192.168.0.1 with a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0. Install the DNS server service on the Advanced Server and make sure the DNS server setting on the server itself has the server's own IP address of 192.168.0.1. In the DHCP server on the Server let it assign an IP address range of 192.168.0.11 to 192.168.0.254 with a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0 and DNS server of 192.168.0.1. On the Advanced Server, you'll want to create an Active Directory domain, assuming you haven't already.

Set all of the client computers to use DHCP and have the Win2K Pro client machines join the Domain.