Microsoft KB Archive/813940

= How to Set Up a Small Network with Windows XP Home Edition (PART 5) =

Article ID: 813940

Article Last Modified on 11/5/2003

-

APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition

-



SUMMARY
This article includes Part 5 of the &quot;Set up a Small Network with Windows XP Home Edition&quot; guide. Part 5 discusses how to configure the TCP/IP protocol.

Note To view the other topics of the &quot;Set Up a Small Network with Windows XP Home Edition&quot; guide, see the Microsoft Knowledge Base articles that are listed in the &quot;References&quot; section of this article.

The &quot;Set up a Small Network with Windows XP Home Edition&quot; guide includes the following topics:

Part 1. Introduction: Set Up a Small Network with Windows XP Home Edition

Part 2. Buying the Network Hardware

Part 3. Connecting the Computers

Part 4. Installing the Network Card

Part 5. Configuring TCP/IP Protocol

Part 6. Setting the Computer Names and the Workgroups

Part 7. Sharing Folders

Part 8. Sharing a Printer



Verifying the Connections
Now that you have successfully configured your network card, you must make sure that your computers can communicate with each other. To do so, follow these steps:
 * 1) Click Start, click Control Panel, click Network and Internet Connections, and then click Network Connections. Windows has installed a LAN connection for your small network here.







Note You can also use the Classic view in Control Panel. To switch to Classic view, click Start, click Control Panel, click Switch to Classic View (if available), and then double-click Network Connections.



If you want to establish other connections (for example, to the Internet), it is helpful to give all connections clear names. This makes it easier to differentiate the connections from each other.
 * 1) Right-click the network interface, click Rename, type a different name, and then press ENTER.




 * 1) To verify your LAN connection, right-click your connection, and then click Properties. The installed network components appear.



All the following key features are available:
 * 1) * Client for Microsoft Networks

This service makes connections to other Windows-based computers.
 * 1) * File and Printer Sharing (this feature makes network resources available).
 * 2) * Quality of Service (QoS) Packet Scheduler (this feature optimizes network traffic).
 * 3) * The TCP/IP protocol.



Adding Network Components
If a component is no longer available, it may have been inadvertently removed. In this case, you can reinstall it.

Client for Microsoft Networks

 * 1) Click Install, click Client, click Add, and then click Client for Microsoft Networks.
 * 2) Click OK, and then click Close.





File and Printer Sharing

 * 1) Click Install, click Service, click Add, and then click File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks.
 * 2) Click OK, and then click Close.

QoS Packet Scheduler

 * 1) Click Install, click Service, click Add, and then click QoS Packet Scheduler.
 * 2) Click OK, and then click Close.





You cannot remove the TCP/IP protocol. Otherwise, it is available if you click Install, click Protocol, and then click Add.

TCP/IP
Network protocols help your computers speak the same language so they can share data. Network protocols define the rules for communication. Most computers use TCP/IP protocol. After the Internet boom, this protocl became the standard protocol for small networks. You must configure two items.

IP Address and Subnet Mask
The most important item is the IP address. The IP address gives each computer a unique address where it can be accessed in the network. This address has four numbers between 0 and 255, separated by periods. All computers are numbered in a series.

The subnet mask determines the network where the computer resides. This is especially important in larger networks. Large networks are frequently divided into several subnets. In your small network, all the computers are in the same subnet.

Internet
The Internet is a large TCP/IP network that is based on IP addresses. The addresses must be unique here, too. Two computers cannot use the same IP address. If you want to access the Internet, you must make sure that your small network does not use an address that is already in use. Therefore, there are certain address ranges that you can use in your network without problems. For example, you can use address ranges such as 192.168.0. , where  is a number between 1 and 254. Use 255.255.255.0 for your subnet mask.

To define the IP address and the subnet mask, follow these steps:
 * 1) Right-click your LAN connection, and then click Properties.
 * 2) Click Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), and then click Properties.
 * 3) Click Use the following IP address, and then type the corresponding number combination. If you use 192.168.0.1 for the first computer, use 192.168.0.2 on the second computer, and 192.168.0.3 for the third computer, and so on. The subnet mask stays the same for all the computers. Use 255.255.255.0 for this, as recommended.
 * 4) Click OK, and then click Close.



Tip If you want to share Internet access, assign the address 192.168.0.1 to the computer that will establish the Internet connection. However, when you configure Internet Connection Sharing, this IP address is assigned to the computer automatically.

