Networking

 

The purpose of this document is to give step-by-step instructions on how to install a network, both peer-to-peer and client-server connections. 

 

Peer-to-peer networking

1.  Peer-to-peer networking with Windows XP and Windows 7

Client-Server Networking

2.  Instructions for installing and configuring Windows Server 2008 and Client-Server Networking with Windows Server 2003

 

 

The steps will start with those for a peer-to-peer connection, followed by the client-server connection.

 

Networking with Windows XP and Windows 7 & Also Server 2008

  

1.  Peer to Peer Networking with Windows 7

1.  Open the Network and Sharing center-- Click Start -> Control Panel -> Network and Internet -> Network and Sharing Center

2.  If you are not already connected to a network, do so by selecting Connect to a Network. The network can be classified a home, work, or public network, and privacy, sharing, and  other settings can be set accordingly.

3.  In the Network and Sharing Center, sharing settings can be modified by selecting Change Advanced Sharing Settings. There is an also an option to modify Homegroup settings if one has been set up on your home network.

4. To change the workgroup or computer name, open the start menu, right-click on computer, and select properties. The change settings option is next the relevant information.

5.  If the computers you want to set up on the peer-to-peer network are already in the same workgroup, the network has already been set up - there is no need to change anything. If the computers are not in the same workgroup, change each computer as necessary to the desired workgroup - this will require a restart.

6.  Opening Windows Explorer and clicking on Network will show all devices detected on the network. Files will be made public to them based on your settings in the Network and Sharing Center and vice versa.

Peer-to-peer networking with Windows XP

 

If you would like to see what the different screens look like, refer to the screenshots here,

 

1.      Open the Start Menu on one of the two computers running Windows XP, and select Settings --> Control Panel.

2.      Double click on Network Connections.

3.      If one exists, right click on the Local Area Connection icon, and go to "Properties".
**The Network Interface Card (NIC) should already be recognized and ready to be configured, assuming that the version of Windows you're using includes drivers for it. If it doesn't, installing the drivers included with the card should automatically set it up to this point.**

4.      Select the "Internet Protocol" icon, and click on the "Properties" button.

5.      Click on "Use the following IP address", and set the IP addresses to each of the three machines to an IP such as 192.168.1.x, where there x is a number between 1 and 254.
**x=0 and x=255 are reserved. x=1 is the traditional place for gateways and routers in networks with multiple subnets, and for the server in smaller networks such as this example. Each machine should have a different IP, if they are connected to the same network.**

6.       Set the Subnet Mask address to a Subnet Mask that matches the IPs used in Step 6 and press OK.
**For example, 255.255.255.0 would be a valid Subnet Mask for a 192.168.1.x network.**

7.      Make sure that "File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks" and "Client for Microsoft Networks" are installed. If not, see appendix.

8.      Press OK and close until you are back to the Network Connections window. No rebooting should be necessary at this point, but do so if prompted. Windows enjoys being rebooted.
**Those interested might consult RFC 1918, to see a list of IPv4 subnets that are not routeable on the Internet. Using IPs like 10.x.x.x and 192.168.x.x allows network administrators to set up TCP/IP networks without risking collisions with other IPs on the Internet-proper, and are extremely useful in situations like this one.**

 

 

 

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2. Client-Server Networking

 

 

Instructions for installing and configuring Windows Server 2008

 1. Backing up important files

Later on in the installation, there will be an option to simply upgrade the current version of Windows to Windows Server or to run a custom, or complete, installation.  Upgrading keeps all programs and files as they are currently installed.  However, the complete install removes them and the current version of Windows and then does a complete installation of Windows Server.  The complete install does put all of these files in a folder called Windows. old, but just to be on the safe side, back up any files that you would like to save in case the complete installation has to be chosen.

2. Beginning the installation

After inserting the cd, installation will start in one of two ways

A. Autorun - the computer may automatically start the installation program.  If not, it may open a window called autorun that will ask you what you want to do.  In this case, choose the option that runs setup.exe.

B. Manual run - if autorun does not start the installation, then you will have to manually start the installation.  Open My Computer and double click on the drive where the Server DVD is located.  Run the file called setup.exe.

 C. After setup.exe is run, a window will come up with a button to begin installation.  As mentioned earlier, make sure important files are backed up and other programs are closed, then begin the installation.

3. The installation process

A. The next screen will ask if you want to get the most recent updates for Windows Server.  If you are connected to the Internet, choose to get the updates.  It performs this task by itself.

 B. The next screen is choosing which version of Windows Server to install.

Choose the Standard edition, full install.  Should you desire to read about the differences between the different versions, here is a link to a web page that explains the major differences:

http://www.directionsonmicrosoft.com/sample/DOMIS/update/2008/02feb/0208ws2plp_ch.htm

C. The next screen is accepting the license terms.  Do so and move on.

D. The next screen is choosing to upgrade or do a complete install.

Choose the upgrade if possible.  If upgrade isn't available, choose the custom install.

E. Next select which drive to install it on.  The default drive should be fine.

F. Start the installation. Note that the computer will restart during the installation, probably more than once.

Server-side: Creating user accounts with Windows Server 2003/2008

 

1. Is the server turned on? Should you have to reboot it, make sure you use the default OS at boot time. (Windows Server 2003 as of this writing)

2. On the server, log in as Administrator.

3. Open the Start Menu, and go to Administrative Tools-->Active Directory for Users and Computers

4. Create at least one new user account. Note that the password will likely have to be alpha-numeric and include a special character (eg. @, $, or !) or both uppercase and lowercase characters, to pass the password-checker's requirements for complexity.
 

Client-side: Changing the Host name and Domain Name on the two clients with Windows XP

 

1. Right-click on My Computer.
2. Go to the "Computer Name" tab.
3. Click "Change", next to the text "To rename this computer or join a domain, click Change".
4. Record the original Computer and Domain Names.
5. Set a computer name.
6. Change the Domain name to CIS367.
7. Click on "More" and set the Primary DNS Suffix to "local"
8. Press Okay, and give it your new user name and password. You will get an error message if the domain name or DNS suffix is typed in incorrectly, the username on the server is not yet created, or if the client is unable to find the server.
 

Testing:

1. Reboot one or both clients and attempt to login to the domain CIS367 from the login screen, using your new username and password.
**Don't worry about the slow login speed. It is most likely triggered by a miss configured DNS server on the server side, but doesn't concern us here.**
2. Go to "Network places" and verify that the two clients can see each other.
3. Connect to the server by going to Start-->Run, and entering "\\192.168.1.1" or "\\your-hostname-here", to see a list of shared directories and devices from that machine.
**You may be prompted again for a username and password for the domain server**
4. Try connecting to the other two machines as well. You can test it by sharing new folders and devices, and then writing to and reading from them from the other machines.
5. The above would not likely work without a functional TCP/IP network, but if you wish to experiment with less operating system specific tools, you might try going to Start-->Run, and running "cmd". In the command prompt that runs afterwards, running "ping /t", followed by an IP address on your network. That will test the ability of the computers to send TCP/IP packets back and forth, and is installed by default on nearly every major operating system (including all derivatives of Unix, such as Mac OS X and Linux). You might also try running "ipconfig", which will show you your current IP, subnet mask, etc, and is a useful tool for making such changes remotely.

Cleaning Up:

 

*-Warning-* Do not follow these steps until you have your network tested and accepted!

1. Follow the steps under Changing the client Hostname to restore the hostname and domain to their original settings.
2. Go back to the TCP/IP properties window, and select the "Obtain an IP address automatically" bullet.
3. Delete the username that you created
 

Appendix:

Installing "File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks" and "Client for Microsoft Networks" drivers
1. Go to the Local Area Connection Properties via the steps listed above.
2. Click on Install.
3. Select either the Client and Service tabs to install the required drivers. This step will have to be repeated, if both drivers are absent.

 

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