Hi,

just wanted to know what peoples thoughts are on networking home computers. Advice on best way to do it and advice on security as I understand it can be tricky when networked

Moon

I used to have 2 PC's networked.

Basically, each PC had a nework card, and I had just the one wire running beteen them (no need for hub's and stuff).

Was pretty simple stuff ...

Networking not really my area of speciality though Moon.

Good luck tho.

Originally posted by JamieW
I used to have 2 PC's networked.

Basically, each PC had a nework card, and I had just the one wire running beteen them (no need for hub's and stuff).[
If you do it this way, you need what are called "crossover" cables. Otherwise, you can get hubs quite cheaply now.

Are you networking them up to share broadband? If so, I've had no experience in that... sorry!

I have a Mac and PC networked and both sharing the same cable connection.

I am using an SMC Barricade SMC7004ABR which is a little grey box that acts both as a network hub and a mini-firewall.

No problems so far in 2 years of usage.

Where may I acquire one of these Phan?

moon

Going down the network hub route is not the best way to do it, unless you want to have 3 or more computers connected.

If you just want to connect two computers together, you just need two network cards and a crossover network cable.

Assuming you have XP installed, it is fairly simple to set up.

Try www.ebuyer.co.uk for network accessories. They are usually quite cheap, but as you expect for cheap goods the customer service is normally bad. They are based in Sheffield tho'

Skatie

ok... pop quiz time.

1. How many computers are you intending to network initially?
2. How many computers do you think you'll be networking in a years time?
3. Do you want to share an internet connection between comp's? and if so, what sort of connection (dial up, cable, adsl)?
4. What Operating system will you be running on each machine (please include more than just "windows" ;))?

With the answers to that I can give you a few tips and ideas on how best to approach the problem without busting your bank balance or a blood vessel :)

In terms of security, I'd recommend an anti virus suite on each that keeps itself up to date (eg: Norton AV - get 2004 pro and you get 2 licenses).. and a firewall such as zonealarm... I use something a lot more powerful but then I'm running 4 systems on the same network using different operating systems..

Hope to be able to help soon :)

Well i will double check with the hubby on some of that but I won't touch Norton with someone else 10ft bargepole. But we do have a very good virus protection and trojan killer. Already have zonealarm so that shouldn't be a problem.

The reason i ask about security is because a friend of mine tried to network her two computers on Blueyonder broadband and it revealed massive holes in her firewall.

Will get back to you on the rest.

mon

Originally posted by Moon Maiden
Well i will double check with the hubby on some of that but I won't touch Norton with someone else 10ft bargepole. But we do have a very good virus protection and trojan killer. Already have zonealarm so that shouldn't be a problem.
Heh... I used to be like that about Norton but the last 3 releases 2002 - 2004 have been very good... earlier versions tended to cause untold grief when upgrading or applying patches to windows, etc...

But basically so long as you have regularly updated protection you'll be fine there.

The reason i ask about security is because a friend of mine tried to network her two computers on Blueyonder broadband and it revealed massive holes in her firewall.
Well so long as you setup and maintain your patches for winupdate and also keep zonealarm current you should be ok... Blueyonder is rife with open ports though as I found when sorting a friends PC up the road.. scared me to death, which is why I have a dedicated firewall now.

Well perhaps then you could give your opinion on this firewall? The virus software we have used for the past two years with no problems at all.
But I am considering the firewall at out renewal!

Armour (http://www.my-etrust.com/products/Armor.cfm)

Cheers
Moon :thumbsup:

Originally posted by Moon Maiden
Well perhaps then you could give your opinion on this firewall?
Well to be honest I've never even heard of that one, let alone used it... so, best I can suggest is to do some research to see if you can check for any problems people have experienced, etc...

It's dead easy with Windows XP, there's a Wizard which sets it all up for you.

Originally posted by Sidla
It's dead easy with Windows XP, there's a Wizard which sets it all up for you.
Yes and no... I had great fun trying to get XP Pro and Home talking to each other... still haven't got it licked on a friends network...

I've got 3 PCs running and a laptop all running XP and using a Zoom X3 ADSL modem and a Belkin Wireless access point/router. The good thing about wireless is that I can use the laptop anywhere in the house and still have broadband and don't have to worry about wiring up the other boxes so can set them up in different rooms with no hassle. Wireless is more expensive but the convenience is worth paying for imho.

The advantage of using an access point or router is that any computer has access to your internet connection, irrespective of whether the other computers are turned on or off.

If you do go the wireless route, take the time to set up WPA encryption as the normal WEP is considered insecure these days. It's not hard, just takes a little time.

I set it up so only one box (the one I use for file sharing) is exposed direct to the web (though I use zonealarm on that box) - all the others are protected by the modem's firewall which does a fine job of it.