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When building a network, you can physically connect the computers before or after
installing (or checking) the operating systems. After installing the operating system, there are a few you should check to
make sure a computer is working. |
One of the things you should do is to check that a
computer can communicate with others.
After installing the operating systems on the computers that
will primarily participate in the network, you can "physically"
connect the workstations to the router. You can start connecting the pieces
whether the computers are on or off.
To connect the computers:
- Shut down all computers and the router (if necessary)
- Turn on one computer you will use to setup the router
- Your router should have come equipped with a piece of paper or a brochure
of just a few pages that lists the instructions to follow to setup the
router. One of the early instructions may ask you to insert the CD that came
with the router, in the CD drive and wait for the instructions. Follow these
instructions faithfully
- After setting up and configuring the router, turn it off and turn off the
computer you used to set it up (this step is optional)
- Connect each of the other computers to the
router using an RJ-45 cable for each connection:
After installing the operating systems on the computers,
a network, named a homegroup, is automatically created, and that network
is called Homegroup.
Microsoft Windows 7 provides a fast way to create a
peer-to-peer network. To use it, start Windows Explorer. Depending on the computer or
its manufacturer, in the left frame, you may see an icon labeled Homegroup:
If you see it, click it. A new window may come up:
Read the text and click Join Now. Another window would
come up:
Click Next. You will be asked to provide a password.
If you plan to let some computers access the network wirelessly
(using a
router that has wireless capability), you may need to use
one computer to set it up.
To do this:
- Start the computer you will use to setup the router (you should turn the
others off):
- Most, if not all, wireless routers come with very easy
to follow instructions. Most of them usually ask you to first insert the
disc that accompanies the router, that is, before physically installing the
router. Consult the documentation (usually just one or a few pieces of paper
or a small brochure) and faithfully follow its disc's instructions. At one time, the
instructions would indicate to you when to connect the computer and the
wireless router. To do this, you will use a cable (usually supplied to
you) to connect one end to the computer and another end to the router:
Because the steps to perform depend on the router (or the
manufacturer), we will let you perform as described by their documentation
- After installing and setting up the wireless router, turn it off and turn
the computer off
- For any computer that doesn't have a wireless network card but has a wired
network card, connect it to a port of the wireless router using an RJ-45
cable. The computers that have a network card will not need a physical
connection to the wireless router:
- Turn on the router. After a few seconds, turn on the computers one by one.
You may not need to check whether they work at this time or not.
Checking Network Connectivity |
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On the Taskbar of a computer that is a member of the network, you should see the icon for the network
connectivity. The the icon may appears empty:
That's good (this is not a guaranty that
everything is alright but probably everything is fine).
If the icon appears with a rotating cursor, the
computer is probably looking for a network:
In this case, you should let it continue searching.
The icon may appear with an orange ball:
Click that icon to show a list of available networks
(from your neighbors) and click the name of your network.
If the icon appears with a red X or any suspicious sign, it means
something is wrong:
If the computer connects using a cable (wired
connection), the first thing you should check is whether the network cable
is connected. If it's not, connect it and check the icon again. If the
cable is connected, the next thing is to check whether the driver for
the network card is installed and up-to-date. To check it, click Start,
right-click Computer, and click Manage. On the left, click Device Manager.
Check how Ethernet Controller and/or Network Controller appear. If either
or both have an exclamation mark in their icon, ...
...
right-click the item and click Properties (you can also double-click it). A dialog box would come up. It
may display a message that the drivers are not installed:
There are various ways you can get the drivers. One
way is to get to the web site of the manufacturer, download the driver,
and install it. Then check the icon again.
Network discovery makes it possible for a computer to allow
other computers to "see" it on the network. If you have a computer that
needs to participate in a network,
you should allow network discovery on it. To do that, open Windows Explorer and click Network (you can click the Start button and
click the Network option). A message should appear under the toolbar stating
"Network discovery is turned off...":
Routine Operations of a Network
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A pee-to-peer network, also called a workgroup, is a
network where each computer owns its own resources and can make them
available. Each computer may or may not present much security. One way to
secure a computer is to make sure that anybody who wants to use it must be
identified. That is, everyone who wants to use the computer must have a
user account on that computer.
To create a user account
- Click Start -> Control Panel
- Under User Accounts and Family Safety, click Add Or Remove User Accounts
- Click Create a New Account
- Specify a user name
- You have the option of making it a regular account (Standard
option) or an account that can perform more advanced options (such as
managing other account and/or controlling various operations on the
computer).
When you are ready, click Create Account
- To assign a password to the account, click the account to open its
properties
- Click Create a Password
- Type a password in the first text box and press Tab
- Type the same password and press Tab twice
- Type something that can help you remember the password if you
happen to forget it
- Click Create Password
Probably the most fundamental way a computer can make
a resource available is to share one or its resources or files. Of course,
you must first create the reources.
Of course, to create a folder, open Windows Explorer
or any file utility of your choice. select the drive. Right-click it or
right-click the right frame, position the mouse on New, and click Folder:
Give a name to the folder and press Enter
After creating a folder, to share it:
- Start Windows Explorer and display the drive where the folder is
located
- Right-click the folder -> Share With -> Specific Prople...
- Click the arrow of the combo box:
- Then:
- If you want to control access of the folder for all user accounts, click
Everyone
- If you want to control access for a specific account and that account is
in the list, select it
- If you want to control access for a certain user but his or her account
is not listed, click Create A New User... and create the new account
- Under Permission Level click the down-pointing arrow for the
account you selected
- Select the desired permission
- Click Share
- Click Done
Accessing a Shared Folder |
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When a folder is shared in a computer, the other
computers can access it. To access such a folder from another computer,
you must use an account that exists in the computer where the folder is
shared.
To access a shared folder:
- Open Windows Explorer
- In the left frame, click Network.
The right should play the names of
the computers of the same network
- Double-click the icon of the computer where the desired folder is
located
- A Windows Security dialog box may come. In the top text box, type the
name of the computer that has the folder, followed by \, followed by the
user account you created in that computer
- Press Tab
- Type the password that was given to that account
About the check box:
- If you leave Remember My Credentials unchecked, the next time you try
accessing the folders of that computer, you will be asked to provide the
credentials (user name and password) again
- If you check Remember My Credentials, next time, you can access the
folders of that computer
- When you are ready, click OK
The computer should then show its shared
folder(s)
You can then:
- Double-click the folder to see its contents
- Open a file that
is in that folder
- Create a file and save it in that folder
- Copy files and put them in that folder
- Put various types of files (pictures, music, videos, presentation, etc)
in that folder
- etc