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If your local network doesn't work before you install sharing software,
it won't get any easier after you add it! So, do yourself
a favor and get your local network talking TCP/IP before you attempt
to install your sharing software.
To avoid headaches...
Before you go off and get setup, please note the following points that
should make things easier for you:
Don't use a HOST or LMHOST table on any machines.
Yes, it's nicer to be able to refer to machines by name and if you
have a larger network, or already know how to use Host tables, then
great, use them. However, in a small network, you can easily
keep track of the IP numbers for a few machines.
Don't use a DHCP server to assign TCP/IP information
for your Client computers if you are going to use the "free"
2.1d version of Wingate. See this
page for more info on using a DHCP server.
Use 192.168.0.1 as the IP for the NIC in the
computer that will be running the sharing software. The first
Client computer should be assigned IP 192.168.0.2.
If you don't like those numbers or have more computers, then feel
free to use any numbers between 192.168.0.1 and 192.168.0.254.
Just remember that each machine must have its own unique IP address.
(If you want to know why we're using these IP addresses or want to
know what the other alternatives are, read
this page.)
In general, don't change the DialUpNetworking TCP/IP
settings. You should only have to touch the settings for the
NIC that is connected to your LAN. The
exception to this is to make sure that you uncheck
"Log on to Network" on the Server Types
tab of your DialUp Connection Properties. This will greatly
speed your connection to your ISP, and remove a possible security
risk to your LAN. This only needs to be checked if you are sharing
Files and Printers on your ISP's network... pretty unlikely!
IMPORTANT! Pay attention to Client
(Shared) computer TCP/IP setup instructions that come with the sharing
program that you use. Different programs require different
Client computer TCP/IP settings.
If
your Client is a laptop and you have to move it between multiple locations,
the easiest thing to do is set up TCP/IP to obtain an address automatically
(or use a DHCP server). See this page
for more info on using a DHCP server.
If either of the locations where you use your laptop doesn't
use a DHCP server, then you'll have to switch TCP/IP settings when
you move between locations. Check this
page for suggestions on how to handle this.
If you have a MacOS computer, go here
for info on configuring the TCP/IP control panel. If you try to follow
the instructions below, you may not be able to successfully ping all machines.
Check for TCP/IP In many cases, installing your Network Adapter will also
install the TCP/IP protocol that your computer needs to communicate with
the Internet. You can quickly check to see if it's installed by
opening your Network Control panel. You should see something like the
highlighted entry in the picture below.
The highlighted entry means that the TCP/IP protocol has been
installed and "bound" to the Maxtech Ethernet adapter.
("Bound" means that the hardware adapter and software protocol
have been connected so that they work together.)
If you see an entry like this (the name of your Ethernet adapter may be
different than this example) in your Network Control Panel, you're probably
ok and you can skip down to enter information
into the TCP/IP properties. Otherwise, you'll need to install it,
so read on!
Install TCP/IP Installing TCP/IP is straightforward. On a Mac,
it's installed as part of Open Transport, so you can skip this section.
On a Windows machine, go find your Windows installation CD, put it in
the CDROM drive, then do the following:
Open the Network Control Panel and click the Add
button.
Select Protocol (as shown below) and click the
Add button.
Select Microsoft and TCP/IP as shown
below
Click OK to close each open Network properties
window. Windows will load the files it needs then ask to reboot.
Let it reboot.
After the computer reboots, you're ready to configure the
TCP/IP settings.
TCP/IP
Settings for the (LAN) NIC in the Sharing Computer
Enter the following information into your TCP/IP
Control panel for the NIC in your Sharing computer:
IP address: set to 192.168.0.1
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
WINS Configuration: Disable WINS resolution
Gateway: Make sure there are NO entries.
DNS Configuration: Leave
this alone DNS settings apply to all NICs in a
given computer, so you can't set them differently for the LAN NIC.
If your ISP has assigned you a static IP address, this will
probably be enabled and other information will be filled in
when the first NIC was set up. If your ISP uses DHCP to assign you an IP address, then this
will probably be disabled because the DHCP server takes care
of giving your computer the DNS and Gateway server information it
needs. At any rate, don't change the DNS setting.
Bindings: Check Client for Microsoft Networks
and File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks if you
don't have any other protocol (NetBeui, IPX/SPX) installed and bound
to these items. Otherwise uncheck both these items so that you do
not have either item bound to TCP/IP.
Advanced: make sure the "Set this protocol
to be the default protocol." is checked.
NetBios: no changes.
TCP/IP Settings
for the NIC in the Client Computer
You may need to change the following settingsonce you
install Sharing, but they'll get you started so that you can test your
network:
IP address: set to 192.168.0.2 through
192.168.0.254. Each computer needs to have a different IP address.
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
WINS Configuration: Disable WINS resolution
Gateway: set to 192.168.0.1
DNS Configuration: set
to Disabled
Bindings: Check Client for Microsoft Networks
and File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks if you
don't have any other protocol (NetBeui, IPX/SPX) installed and bound
to these items. Otherwise uncheck them.
Advanced: make sure the "Set this protocol
to be the default protocol." is checked.
The
exception to this is to make sure that you uncheck
"Log on to Network" on the Server Types
tab of your DialUp Connection Properties. This will greatly
speed your connection to your ISP, and remove a possible security
risk to your LAN. This only needs to be checked if you are sharing
Files and Printers on your ISP's network... pretty unlikely!
If
your Client is a laptop and you have to move it between multiple locations,
the easiest thing to do is set up TCP/IP to obtain an address automatically
(or use a DHCP server). See 
