A good guide for networking 2 pcs and 3 or more?

[ñòóKýçrÕôK]

Most fo the time there's not much I can't figure out on a pc but it seems like every time I've ever tried to just connect 2 together it's like any set of instructions just look like they're in french to me and I have yet to be able to do it successfully. Was curious if any of you knew where I could get a "grass roots redneck" set of instructions for doing it step by step that even I won't get confused trying to read. Kind of like a "Network 2 pc for Dummies" book or something. If I can do it once by instruction I know I could do it on all after. And if possable because I have 4 pcs altogether so if I could get a list of hardware and such and a little instruction on that too please.

[]-[êll.Ôñ.ËÀR'][']-[.]

Try this link it has several options available to you and reasonably easy to follow instructions

http://www.talkbroadband.com/articles/44/1/Setting-up-a-home-network-for-sharing-your-Internet-connection

Hope this helps 

[SamSeeSam]

Nice guide
Its a good read..
I might need it someday.

Cheers P

[Lagerlout666]

Thats a nice bare bones guide, i was not so long ago looking also for the same thing, i new how to set up a network with a router, i work with a fair few cisco routers, i new how to set up the internet, but i could never work out how to set up internet connection sharing, I had two PC's setup at the same time, I was running a TCP intensive programme and well home routers just arent cut for the job. I decided to bridge my router, this removed the problems of TCP connection drops. But i could never get the internet coenction sharing to work. Id find the main PC would be like open to the net other than a firewall, but the secondry computer i could never get any incoming traffic to it. I could get web pages on it but i couldnt run any server programmes or anything like that on it as nothing ever came threw to it. I spent ages looking it up but most guides where either pure technical jargon or just didnt work( or at least not for me). I know nowadays thier is not much call for a set up like that but no matter who i listened too, i gave up in the end.

[Me Here]

Internet Connection Sharing with XP

I can't offer this up for anything except XP because this is based on personal experience.

First thing before you get started your going to need a 'Cross-Over' cable.  This looks just like a regular Ethernet cable but the connectors on the ends have the wires laid out exact opposite of each other.

end1          end2
1]              [8
2]              [7
3]              [6
4]    ----      [5
5]              [4
6]              [3
7]              [2
8]              [1

They are cheap enough just be sure to specifically ask for cross over. 
Next thing you will need is for the Main PC (Gateway PC) to have two network cards (if your using ethernet for your internet connection that is). Basically you need an extra available Ethernet port on the 'Main' PC.

Before we make any network changes we need to make sure to write down your DNS servers, because using ICS requires the secondary PC to have a static ip.  On the 'Main' PC do this:
Click Start > Run > type in cmd
Click OK
In the black box type in ipconfig /all
Hit Enter.

You need to know the DNS servers listed here, there should be two, a primary and secondary IP address.  Write them down we'll use them later.  The IP Address and Gateway IP here are irrelevant with ICS.

Secondly, is to go to the Main PC and do this:
Control Panel > Network Connections > Click on Set up a small home or office network.
Choose This computer connects directly to the Internet...
Give the computer a description like 'Main'.
Give a workgroup name, its important to use the same workgroup on both PC (case sensitive)
Let the Wizard run through the process.


Next you want to do the same to PC2
Select This computer connects through another computer or a gateway router.
Describe it like 'Secondary'
Same workgroup name here
Let it run.

Now you can make sure that you have a cross over cable hooked up for this next part.
Once you have done this we'll need to make some network settings adjustments for the 'Secondary' PC.

Basically we need to set this pc with a static IP. 
Go to Control Panel > Network Connections > you should see your new connection listed here and enabled, right click it and choose Properties.
In the new box, scroll down the small menu in the middle to Internet Protocol(TCP/IP). Select it and click the properties button just under the menu.
In the new box you should see two sections one directs how to obtain the IP address, the second deals with the DNS (remember those IPs you were meant to write down?  Grab them now).
In the top section you need to put in the following information.

IP Address 192.168.0.2
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
Gateway Address: 192.168.0.1
Note: These address's are non negotiable, in other words if you have a ip address set up on a different device such as a router, or another PC etc with these address's set statically, you will need to change them on those devices.  XP will not allow you to change these ips.  Also if you have more then two computers each computer will receive the next ip sequentially ie; 192.168.0.3, etc.

In the next section is where you will need to put in your DNS name server IPs.  Put the one that you wrote down first in the primary area here, second in the second.
Note: Traditionally you could use your Router Gateway IP in this section, most PC's however are not set up for this so you will want to use your ISP's DNS here.


Now you can exit out of this area by saying OK, OK, OK etc.

Last thing to do is go to the Main PC open Control Panel > Network Connections > here you should see the Broadband connection listed, right click this connection and choose properties.
Click on the Advanced Tab, here you should see some settings for ICS.
Place a tick in the one that says Allow other network clients to share this Computers internet connection. 
Apply this and OK.

One more thing to check here, the Gateway (Main) PC is now acting as a router so if your using the built in XP firewall you will need to allow traffic through it to the secondary PC.


Thats it you should have internet connection sharing working fine.  If we feel this is helpful I dont mind making a guide for the site for this as users might benefit from it in relation to WinMX, but I cant speak for other Windows systems as I've only set it up on XP.  Maybe one of you can follow it and make sure it all looks ok?  It has been awhile since i needed this connection... lol   

[Bluey_412]

On Crossover Cables...

look at the wires inside the clear 8-pin plugs from the side with the gold contacts

Inside a regular network cable there is 4 pairs of wires, blue and mate, green and mate, orange and mate, and brown and mate. By mate, i mean a white wire with a bit of color that matches its twin.

At one end of the assembled cable, you will see the colors running across as white/green, green, white/orange, blue, white/blue, orange, white/brown, and brown (looing from the side with gold contacts)

At the other end it's white/orange, orange, white/green, blue, white/blue, green, white/brown, and brown, so that just the position of the green and orange pairs are swapped, or, technically 568A standard at one end, and 568B standard at the other

1]---------\  /------------[1                1 to 3
2]------\    X      /--------[2                2 to 6
3]-------\-/  \--/---------[3                3 to 1
4]--------\----/----------[4                4 to 4
5]---------\--/-----------[5                5 to 5
6]----------X------------[6                 6 to 2
7]------------------------[7                7 to 7
8]------------------------[8                8 to 8

The effect is that what one PC sends out is delivered directly to the listening connections on the reciever, and vice versa

such a cable will not work if used with any form of hub/switch/router hardware, nor will a 'straight' cable (both ends identical) work for linking 2 PC's directly

the 568A and 568B standards are electrically identical, they just use the differing color positioning.

Best way to avoid confusion, only buy/use blue cable for 'straight' patch cables, and red cable for crossovers

All the other pretty colors are just glitz

Bluey holds a Dip IT, PC and Network Support, and also has training in telephony and network cabling

[RReactor]

hmm i have 4 pcs networked together and just used the network set up tool that is on xp and it was a piece of cake, course i guess if you are running computers with different OS on them it can be a headache thats why there is a rule that can apply keep it simple!!!!

[Bluey_412]

The best method, for long term simplicity, is to use a router, even for dialup...

net source  ------>>[Router] ---->> [PC's]

net source can even be from a modem, obviously there will be specific cable requirements, but cable and DSL are the preferred options, and the PC's bit can be replicated for as many ports as the router has.

Each PC can then have a direct connection to the net, its own internal IP, and no fooling with ICS...

But the router will also allow all PC's in that lil LAN to easily intercommunicate with simple file sharing, and IP addressing