It's common today for families and small offices to have multiple computers. By linking the computers together in a network, you'll be able to share a printer, fax machine, or scanner. You can also exchange files effortlessly — say goodbye forever to your "sneaker net" system of copying on to floppies and passing them off by hand. Perhaps the most compelling of reasons to set up a network, however, is that it allows multiple users to share an Internet connection.
If you've been contemplating hooking up your family's multiple computers or connecting the several machines in your small office, now is the perfect time to get it done quickly and easily. With Windows® XP Pro you'll have a network of your own in no time.
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What equipment do you need?
While you already have the multiple computers and peripherals, you may need to purchase some additional equipment to set up your network. According to Andy Rathbone, author of Windows® XP for Dummies, you'll need the following items to create a network:
- One Windows® XP Pro or Windows 2000–compatible, 10BaseT–supporting Ethernet "Plug and Play" PCI card for each desktop computer (and a PC card for each laptop computer). To network wirelessly, you need a wireless PCI card for each desktop computer, and a wireless PC card for each laptop computer.
- An Ethernet switch with ports for your current computers (be sure to leave some extra spots for future additions). If you're going to network wirelessly, you need a wireless access point instead.
- One 10BaseT cable for each computer to connect to your hub. Wireless networks, naturally, require no cables.
Note: Be sure to unplug all of your computers and peripherals before installing the equipment and to follow the manufacturer's instructions for installation.
Let the wizard do the work
Amazingly, once you've attached the network cards and hooked the computers to the hub with the cables, you've done most of the hard work. At this point, the Windows® XP Pro Network Setup Wizard will take over to get your fleet of computers and related equipment working together. This step of the process is so seamless, there's very little you need to do short of turning your equipment on and indicating your preferences with your mouse.
The Setup Wizard enables the network creation by automatically making sure that your network cards are installed correctly, examining your settings, and installing the appropriate icons on your machine for printers and other equipment. It will also ensure that your Internet connection is working properly. "Be sure to run the Wizard on your most powerful computer and make that computer the one that connects to the Internet," writes Rathbone in Windows® XP for Dummies.
You can even put computers on your network that are operating Windows 98 or Windows 2000. Just run the Setup Wizard on those computers and you're off and running. Once all of the processing is done, in most cases, all you need to do next is restart your computer and you have your network.
Security
Once you've established a network, you may be concerned that it will be the target of a hacker when you're online. You don't need to worry about having your information seen by those who shouldn't. Windows® XP Pro has a security setting that allows you to switch on the "XP Internet Connection Firewall," which protects all the computers on your network while connected to the Internet. "For me to protect my environment, it literally took one–mouse click of the network setting," says Keith Landers, CTO of Extreme Logic and a beta tester of Windows® XP Pro
With this type of protection, as well as the ease and convenience of setting up a network, why wait? Set up a network today with XP Pro.
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Read a how–to guide on networking.
