A rchive Date
[ 10-03-2001 ]
Category
[ Information Technologies ]
sub-Categoy
[ Networking ]
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[Hardware Router
Setting up the Equipment
The following equipment is required for setting up your network:
Hardware Cable Modem Router
You only need one. This will be the heart of your network. There's a lot of options to choose from, with a wide range of prices and feature sets. I have a personal preference for the Linksys routers because of their outstanding value; but any old router will do. Choose whatever floats your boat.
Ethernet Cards
You need one per computer. They can be 10BaseT, 10/100, or 100BaseT. It's likely that some of your computers already have an ethernet card, so look on the back of each computer for what appears to be an enlarged phone jack. If you don't see it, you'll need to buy an ethernet card for that computer.
Ethernet Cables
You need one per computer, plus one for the cable modem. They should be standard unshielded twisted-pair straight-through category 5 cables with RJ45 plugs (the larger cousins of RJ11 phone plugs). As with ethernet cards, you probably have some of these lying around your house (you get one when they install your cable modem), so check before you order. When determining length, make sure to buy more than you need. It's always easier to simply coil up the leftovers than to run short.
Once you have the equipment, the first step is to install ethernet cards. Refer to the card's user manual for instructions. Then, run ethernet cables and make connections as shown in the example diagram below. It doesn't matter which computer plugs into which numbered port on the router, but the cable modem must plug into the WAN port. Also, unless you're connecting to another hub, the uplink port should be left empty.
As far as TCP/IP settings go, the only requirement is that your computers be set to Obtain an IP address automatically. Since this is the default setting, it shouldn't be a problem. You can also manually set IP addresses for your computers, but if you really want to do so (and not many people do), I'm guessing that you probably know what you're talking about.
Then, in your router's configuration, the first thing you should do is change your password from the default setting. I know it sounds far-fetched, but once the router is connected to the Internet, a hacker could (potentially) access it and mess with your network settings. That's not a good thing, of course, so do yourself a favor and prevent it from happening in the first place.
Most of the other options are completely unimportant to the average user, with two notable exceptions: first and foremost, port forwarding. I won't explain it in depth, but ports are essentially the pathways into your computer from the Internet. In fact, there are exactly 65,535 ports, and almost every program uses a different one. Although web browsers, email, etc. usually work without a hitch, other programs (like ICQ and NetMeeting) are often problematic when used through routers. To make them work, you have to specify certain port numbers in your router's configuration to be forwarded to certain computers. For more information on how to set up port forwarding, see your router's documentation. To find out which port numbers need to be forwarded, see the problematic program's documentation.
The other notable exception is the router's MAC address. The acronym stands for Media Access Control; it is a unique 12-digit number embedded into almost every network device, including network cards and routers. Cable companies often restrict Internet access to only the MAC addresses they have on record; this prevents piracy. You can ask your cable company whether or not they record MAC addresses, but if your router doesn't work at this point, you can usually assume that that's the case.
The first step to fixing the MAC address problem is to find out that 12-digit number. To do this, follow your router's user guide to access its web-based configuration. It varies from router to router, but the MAC address is usually on the front page. On the Linksys models, it's in small print, to the right of where it says WAN IP Address. The number will look something like this: 00-20-78-02-3A-14. Make sure you're reading the WAN MAC address, not the LAN MAC address; then write the number down.
Finally, call your cable company and tell them you need to update the MAC address on your account. Give them the new number, and you should be set to go.]
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