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scoot
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Networking FAQ
Q. Can I "uncap" my Cable or xDSL modem?
A. Although it is possible to remove the bandwidth restrictions for some DOCSIS cable modems it is NOT possible with xDSL.
Q. I have two or more computers and a cable modem/ADSL, now I want to have all working together and able to access the Internet. What do I need?
A. Get a router. Get one of these: Linksys BEFSR41, Netgear RT314, RP114, DLink DI-704 or a SMC SMC7004ABR. ADSL Routers are Netgear DG814, Alcatel Speedtouch and many others. Or you can choose to build your own router by using NT or Linux on a spare computer.
Q. What is the difference between a Hub, Switch and Router?
A. Hub – Also known as a Repeater.
A LAN device which allows the computers connected to it to talk to each other. All the computers share the same bandwidth. Switched technology replaced the repeater concept.
Switch – Also known as a Bridge.
A LAN device which allows those computers connected to it through a network to talk to each other. Each computer connected to the switch has its own dedicated bandwidth. Thus for a 100BaseT (100 Mbps) Switch and 4 computers, each computer gets its own personal 100 Mbps to the switch.
Router – Also known as a Gateway.
A networking device that is used to connect different networks (LAN & WAN) together (example: home network to the Internet). Most SOHO (Small office / home office) routers use NAT (Network Address Translation) to hide internal private addresses from the public Internet, but routers are used more commonly to simply route traffic.
Q. What is NAT and do I need to use it?
A. NAT stands for Network Address Translation. The basic purpose of NAT is to multiplex traffic from the internal network and present it to the Internet as if it was coming from a single computer having only one IP address. Because IP addresses are a scarce resource, most Internet Service Providers (ISPs) will only allocate one address to a single customer forcing you to use NAT.
Q. I have just two computers that I want to network together and I don’t want to buy a hub or switch; isn’t there a special cable I can use?
A. You can use a crossover cable. A Crossover cable is used between “Like-Devices”. For example, when connecting a hub to a switch, NIC to NIC or Router to Switch, you will use a crossover cable. A crossover cable simply reverses the Transmit and Receiver pairs of the UTP. When connecting a NIC to a Hub, Switch or Router, you will use a straight through cable.
Q. I'm thinking of setting up a small wireless network. I just want to network a few computers. Do I really need an expensive Access Point?
A. Generally you can run what is called “Ad-Hoc Mode” on the Radio Cards and do not require an Access Point. An ad-hoc wireless LAN is good for a small workgroup scale SOHO operation. Ad-Hoc networks with more than 2 nodes can have strange hidden problems where “A” may see “B” & “C” but “B” cannot see “C”.
Q. How do you share an xDSL or cable connection across multiple computers without spending too much money?
A. If you have an old computer (386 or better) lying around, use it with this:http://www.freesco.org and a good hub or switch depending of how much money you can spend. FreeSCO is a Linux build tailored for routing and NAT, which can be run from a floppy disk. The web page explains everything you need to know about setup.
Q: I'm afraid of Linux can I use a Windows based router?
A: Yes, though it is not recommended, http://www.sygate.com has a routing product though it costs little money but does work.
Q: I have tried FreeSCO and don't like it, it doesn't support my hardware or I feel like I’m missing something.
A: Try “Clark Connect”, it is based off of Red-Hat 7.0 (soon to be 7.1) version. Check out http://www.clarkconnect.org
Q. Where can I get a good firewall?
A. A router running NAT is in essence, a firewall. Since the internal addresses are hidden from the Internet you generally don’t have to worry about hackers getting in. But, keep in mind that many routers allow you to create static bindings to internal address for use with certain services such as FTP, HTTP, and many game servers. Using these static bindings creates holes in the firewall. You many want to use a software-based firewall such as Zone Labs “ZoneAlarm Pro”.
Q. I just installed my home network, what IP address should I use?
A. You generally want to use an address range that is not going to conflict with anything on the Internet. Generally home network users will use the 192.168.0.1 - 192.168.0.254 with a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0. There are three IP network addresses reserved for private networks. The addresses are 10.0.0.0/8, 172.16.0.0/12, and 192.168.0.0/16. They can be used by anyone setting up internal IP networks, such as a lab or home LAN behind a NAT router or proxy server. It is always safe to use these ranges because routers on the Internet will never forward packets coming from these addresses. These addresses are defined in RFC 1918.
Q: I'm running/have a firewall, home router or ICS. How can I set up a web, ftp, mail server, quake, Half-life or UT server on my home internal network so that people on the internet can see it??
A: You must open ports on your firewall or forward ports on your router to the internal address of the server on your home network. So if you are running a web server on internal IP 192.168.1.69 you would forward external port 80 on your firewall/router to 192.168.1.69 port 80. You can do this through most home router's advanced administration (RTFM). For ICS it’s a little tricky but MS tells you how to do it here. Here is a web page that lists the ports for commonly used applications.
Q. I just installed my network but my computers can’t see each other in Network Neighbourhood.
A. For computers to see each other in Network Neighborhood, you should have the protocol TCP/IP installed. In addition to TCP/IP, make sure that NetBIOS is enabled. NetBIOS is the protocol that small flat networks can use for computer browsing and file sharing. If you are using Windows95/98/ME make sure that you enabled file sharing. Another thing to look at is the workgroup name. If they are different, you can simply search for the computer by name or IP address. In larger networks, you will generally use a WINS (Windows Information Network Server) for all computer browsing.
Q. How to I make sure that NetBIOS is enabled?
A. In Windows 98, as long as you have TCP/IP, Client for Microsoft Networks and File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks installed, NetBIOS is installed by default. Verify in the TCP/IP Bindings properties that both the Client for Microsoft Networks and File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks are checked. In Windows 2000, when TCP/IP is installed, you need to double click on the TCP/IP properties and hit the advanced button. Now go to the WINS tab. At the bottom you will check "Enable NetBIOS over TCP/IP"
Q. I have a computer with Windows 2000 Pro that has a share folder but every time I try and access the share folder it asks me for a password but nothing seems to work.
A. You can try two things; either create an account just for sharing or use the guest account. The guest account is disabled by default.
To enable the guest account, try this:
Start --> Settings -->Control Panel -->Users and Passwords -->Advanced TAB -->Advanced User Management (Hit the Advanced button) -->Double click on the Users folder -->Double click on guest --> Deselect the "account is disabled" check box.
Keep in mind that unless you have a good firewall, enabling the guest account is NOT recommended.
Scoot
Q. Can I "uncap" my Cable or xDSL modem?
A. Although it is possible to remove the bandwidth restrictions for some DOCSIS cable modems it is NOT possible with xDSL.
Q. I have two or more computers and a cable modem/ADSL, now I want to have all working together and able to access the Internet. What do I need?
A. Get a router. Get one of these: Linksys BEFSR41, Netgear RT314, RP114, DLink DI-704 or a SMC SMC7004ABR. ADSL Routers are Netgear DG814, Alcatel Speedtouch and many others. Or you can choose to build your own router by using NT or Linux on a spare computer.
Q. What is the difference between a Hub, Switch and Router?
A. Hub – Also known as a Repeater.
A LAN device which allows the computers connected to it to talk to each other. All the computers share the same bandwidth. Switched technology replaced the repeater concept.
Switch – Also known as a Bridge.
A LAN device which allows those computers connected to it through a network to talk to each other. Each computer connected to the switch has its own dedicated bandwidth. Thus for a 100BaseT (100 Mbps) Switch and 4 computers, each computer gets its own personal 100 Mbps to the switch.
Router – Also known as a Gateway.
A networking device that is used to connect different networks (LAN & WAN) together (example: home network to the Internet). Most SOHO (Small office / home office) routers use NAT (Network Address Translation) to hide internal private addresses from the public Internet, but routers are used more commonly to simply route traffic.
Q. What is NAT and do I need to use it?
A. NAT stands for Network Address Translation. The basic purpose of NAT is to multiplex traffic from the internal network and present it to the Internet as if it was coming from a single computer having only one IP address. Because IP addresses are a scarce resource, most Internet Service Providers (ISPs) will only allocate one address to a single customer forcing you to use NAT.
Q. I have just two computers that I want to network together and I don’t want to buy a hub or switch; isn’t there a special cable I can use?
A. You can use a crossover cable. A Crossover cable is used between “Like-Devices”. For example, when connecting a hub to a switch, NIC to NIC or Router to Switch, you will use a crossover cable. A crossover cable simply reverses the Transmit and Receiver pairs of the UTP. When connecting a NIC to a Hub, Switch or Router, you will use a straight through cable.
Q. I'm thinking of setting up a small wireless network. I just want to network a few computers. Do I really need an expensive Access Point?
A. Generally you can run what is called “Ad-Hoc Mode” on the Radio Cards and do not require an Access Point. An ad-hoc wireless LAN is good for a small workgroup scale SOHO operation. Ad-Hoc networks with more than 2 nodes can have strange hidden problems where “A” may see “B” & “C” but “B” cannot see “C”.
Q. How do you share an xDSL or cable connection across multiple computers without spending too much money?
A. If you have an old computer (386 or better) lying around, use it with this:http://www.freesco.org and a good hub or switch depending of how much money you can spend. FreeSCO is a Linux build tailored for routing and NAT, which can be run from a floppy disk. The web page explains everything you need to know about setup.
Q: I'm afraid of Linux can I use a Windows based router?
A: Yes, though it is not recommended, http://www.sygate.com has a routing product though it costs little money but does work.
Q: I have tried FreeSCO and don't like it, it doesn't support my hardware or I feel like I’m missing something.
A: Try “Clark Connect”, it is based off of Red-Hat 7.0 (soon to be 7.1) version. Check out http://www.clarkconnect.org
Q. Where can I get a good firewall?
A. A router running NAT is in essence, a firewall. Since the internal addresses are hidden from the Internet you generally don’t have to worry about hackers getting in. But, keep in mind that many routers allow you to create static bindings to internal address for use with certain services such as FTP, HTTP, and many game servers. Using these static bindings creates holes in the firewall. You many want to use a software-based firewall such as Zone Labs “ZoneAlarm Pro”.
Q. I just installed my home network, what IP address should I use?
A. You generally want to use an address range that is not going to conflict with anything on the Internet. Generally home network users will use the 192.168.0.1 - 192.168.0.254 with a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0. There are three IP network addresses reserved for private networks. The addresses are 10.0.0.0/8, 172.16.0.0/12, and 192.168.0.0/16. They can be used by anyone setting up internal IP networks, such as a lab or home LAN behind a NAT router or proxy server. It is always safe to use these ranges because routers on the Internet will never forward packets coming from these addresses. These addresses are defined in RFC 1918.
Q: I'm running/have a firewall, home router or ICS. How can I set up a web, ftp, mail server, quake, Half-life or UT server on my home internal network so that people on the internet can see it??
A: You must open ports on your firewall or forward ports on your router to the internal address of the server on your home network. So if you are running a web server on internal IP 192.168.1.69 you would forward external port 80 on your firewall/router to 192.168.1.69 port 80. You can do this through most home router's advanced administration (RTFM). For ICS it’s a little tricky but MS tells you how to do it here. Here is a web page that lists the ports for commonly used applications.
Q. I just installed my network but my computers can’t see each other in Network Neighbourhood.
A. For computers to see each other in Network Neighborhood, you should have the protocol TCP/IP installed. In addition to TCP/IP, make sure that NetBIOS is enabled. NetBIOS is the protocol that small flat networks can use for computer browsing and file sharing. If you are using Windows95/98/ME make sure that you enabled file sharing. Another thing to look at is the workgroup name. If they are different, you can simply search for the computer by name or IP address. In larger networks, you will generally use a WINS (Windows Information Network Server) for all computer browsing.
Q. How to I make sure that NetBIOS is enabled?
A. In Windows 98, as long as you have TCP/IP, Client for Microsoft Networks and File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks installed, NetBIOS is installed by default. Verify in the TCP/IP Bindings properties that both the Client for Microsoft Networks and File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks are checked. In Windows 2000, when TCP/IP is installed, you need to double click on the TCP/IP properties and hit the advanced button. Now go to the WINS tab. At the bottom you will check "Enable NetBIOS over TCP/IP"
Q. I have a computer with Windows 2000 Pro that has a share folder but every time I try and access the share folder it asks me for a password but nothing seems to work.
A. You can try two things; either create an account just for sharing or use the guest account. The guest account is disabled by default.
To enable the guest account, try this:
Start --> Settings -->Control Panel -->Users and Passwords -->Advanced TAB -->Advanced User Management (Hit the Advanced button) -->Double click on the Users folder -->Double click on guest --> Deselect the "account is disabled" check box.
Keep in mind that unless you have a good firewall, enabling the guest account is NOT recommended.
Scoot
