CyberBabble
Site-Seeing on the Internet

No More Housework, No More Homework, 
Just Home Network 

Duff MacDonald
Mirror contributing writer

   Okay, no more dirty work. Last time we made our own RJ-45 jacks and installed them. These form the points at which our computers connect into the Ethernet cable laid for our home network. We then ran Ethernet patch cables between our computers and the RJ-45 jacks, which connect back up to our router and switch. If you’re just joining us, get up to speed online at (www.smmirror.com). 
   The grunt work is behind us. Your networking hardware is connected to your computers. All that remains is configuring the networking software.You won’t get any help from your broadband ISP in setting up your network. In fact, some providers will try to make you feel downright criminal about having a home network. Don’t worry, it’s absolutely legal and their propaganda is just another attempt to get into your wallet. Do not pay for another “IP address.” 
   Technical manuals can be intimidating, but ignore your fears and doubts and and have at the guide that came with your router/switch/firewall. The best way to de-mystify the techno babble is to understand the basic concepts behind your hardware. You know that the router splits the broadband signal and distributes it to the computers on your home network, but how does it do that? The answer to that question is the key to understanding how your entire network will work. 
   Without a router/switch/firewall, your computer is directly out on the Net and ID’ed by the customer number provided by your cable/DSL company. That same number when entered into the router’s setup via a Web browser transforms the router. Your router is now the device that is seen by others out on the Net (rather than your computer) and this is a good thing. By setting the router up properly, your broadband ISP will think you’ve still got your original computer hooked up to them. 
   Your router will act as a DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) Server on your network (www.cablesense.com/glossary/dhcp.html). DHCP Servers automatically assign IP (Internet Protocol) addresses to the computers on your network saving you from having to become a network geek (www.exabyte.net/lambert/subnet/ip_address
_definition.htm). Your router also shields your entire home network of computers from hackers behind its built-in firewall. 
   Let’s configure the individual computers on your network to communicate with the router and get them on the Net. For Windows, go to Control Panel and double click the Network icon. Under the Configuration tab, scroll down to the TCP/IP line for your NIC adapter and double click. Click on the Properties button, then the IP Address tab. Select “Obtain an IP address automatically” and press OK. Back at the Network control panel, click on Identification and under Computer Name enter your cable/DSL user ID (this is the same number you entered into the router’s set up). For Macs go to Control Panels and select the TCP/IP control panel. Change the “Connect Via” setting to Ethernet, Configure to “Using DHCP Server” and enter your cable/DSL user ID under DHCP Client ID. 
   So far it’s been pretty straightforward, but entering in the information about your mail and news servers can be tricky, if only because of your ISP. In a “normal” non-networked setup with a cable/DSL ISP you might just enter “mail” or “news” for the server info, but with a router that just doesn’t fly. You must enter the real IP addresses, which, if your ISP is friendly, you can get with just a phone call. If not, you’ve got to use a “Pinging” (Packet Internet Groper) utility to obtain the IP (www.wown.com/j_helmig/tsttcpip.htm#ping).     Windows users have it easy here, as DOS has a built-in pinger. At DOS command type: “ping mail” or “ping news.” Press Enter. Write down the IP numbers and then back at again DOS type “ping -a [IP numbers].” Press enter. You should get a Web address returned to you, enter this in your email/news program for the mail and news servers. 
   Mac users can download a pinging utility to get their info. Farallon has a great third party networking utility site (www.farallon.com/support/software/thirdparty.html). Once you’ve got the real IP’s, go to the Internet control panel, click on the Email and News tabs, and enter the address under the Incoming/ Outgoing Mail Server and News Server areas. 
   That’s it! You should now be able to surf on any of your home networked computers. If you haven’t yet drowned in the sea of networking specifics, hang on tight, next week we’re going on a Sharing and Security Surfari! 
   Email CyberBabble: duffmacdonald@yahoo.com.