1. Creating or Joining a Network
Not too many years ago, networking was expensive, complicated, and found only in big
business environments. But networking is for everyone now, in the home
or at work. And it’s amazingly inexpensive. Even if you have just two
computers, for about the cost of a trip to the movies you can set up a
network that will let everyone trade music, video, and documents, use
the same printer and Internet connection, and back up files, almost
effortlessly. And, creating a speedy, useful network isn’t nearly as
hard or expensive as you might think. Once you’ve done the planning and
shopping, you should be able to get a network up and running in an hour
or two.
The Professional and Ultimate versions of Windows
7 have some spiffy features that come into play when they’re hooked up
to a corporate network with Windows Server, expensive servers, and
highly trained technicians. But setting up that sort of network is
beyond our scope here.
If you’re setting up a new network, though, read on.
2. Planning Your Network
You
must plan your network around your own particular needs. What do you
expect from a network? The following tasks are some you might want your
network to perform:
Share printers, files, and optical (DVD and CD) drives
Share an Internet connection
Receive faxes directly in one computer and print or route them to individuals automatically
Provide access to a wide area network (WAN) or other remote site
Provide access to your LAN via a modem or the Internet from remote locations
Host a website
Operate a database server
Play multiuser games
You should make a list of your networking goals.
You need to provide adequate capacity to meet these and future needs,
but you also don’t need to overbuild.
If your goal is to share printers, files, and
maybe an Internet connection among just a few computers that are fairly
close together, and you won’t need wireless connections, here’s a recipe
for instant networking. Get the following items at your local computer
store, or at an online shop such as www.buy.com. Chain computer or office supply stores are also a good bet if a sale or rebate offer is available.
One 10/100BASE-T network adapter for
each computer that doesn’t already have a network interface. These cost
$5–$15 for internal PCI cards, and $10–$40 for PCMCIA or USB adapters.
(The Buy.com category is Computer & Office, Networking, Wired
Networking: Adapters (NICs). Get a featured or sale price internal PCI
card for a desktop, or PC Card or USB adapter for a notebook.) But,
check before you buy: Most computers these days have a built-in network
adapter. A 10/100BASE-T switch with four
or more ports for $10–$40, or a DSL/cable-sharing router with a built-in
four-port switch for $20–$90. (The Buy.com category is Computer &
Office, Networking, Wired Networking: Routers or Switches.) I recommend
using a router even if you aren’t setting up a shared Internet
connection. One CAT-5 patch cable for
each computer. You’ll place the switch or router next to one of the
computers, so you’ll need one 4-foot cable. The other cables need to be
long enough to reach from the other computers to the switch. (The
Buy.com category is Computer & Office, Networking, Wired Networking:
Cables.)
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On
the other hand, if you want to use wireless networking, need access to
large databases, want fast Internet connectivity, or require centralized
backup of all workstations, you need to plan and invest more carefully.
Are You Being Served?
If you’re planning a network of more than a few
computers, you need to make a big decision: whether or not to use
Windows Server. The Server versions provide a raft of networking
services that Windows 7 doesn’t have, but you must learn how to
configure and support them.
Table 1 lists the primary trade-offs between Windows 7 and Windows Server.
Table 1. Primary Differences Between Windows 7 and Windows Server
Network with Windows 7 Only | Network with Windows Server |
---|
Allows connections for up to 5 computers for the Home versions of Windows 7, 10 computers for other versions. | Unlimited connections (subject to client licensing fees). |
Cost is low. | Requires
an extra computer, a copy of Windows Server, and additional fees for
Client Access Licenses. The added costs will easily exceed $1,000. |
Configuration is simple (relatively, anyway). | Complex to configure and administer. |
Each machine must be administered independently. | Administration is centralized. |
Rudimentary remote access, connection sharing, and WAN support are provided. | The features are more sophisticated. |
Managing file security can be difficult when you have more than one user per computer. | Centralized user management eases the task of managing security. |
For me, the 5- or 10-connection limit with
Windows 7 is the main dividing line. If you have a network of more than
10 computers, I recommend using at least one copy of Windows Server.
Note
If you are running either
of the Windows 7 Home editions, your computer will be limited to a
maximum of 5 user connections. All other versions support a maximum of
10. |
You can certainly use Server with smaller networks, too. Reasons for doing so include these:
You want to connect your LAN through a
WAN or through the Internet to another LAN at another location; that is,
you want to join your network to a Server domain somewhere else. This
is often the case in a business’s branch office.
You
want to support multiple simultaneous remote dial-in or virtual private
network (VPN) users. (Of course, you can buy inexpensive VPN routers or
software to handle this.)
You want to
exercise strict security controls, restrict your users’ ability to
change system settings, or use automatic application installation.
Note
When I talk about
Windows Server here, I mean the business Server versions. There is a
product called Windows Home Server, but it’s meant just to back up files
across the network, and it too has a limit of 10 connections. |
You want to take advantage of advanced networking services such as Group Policy, DHCP, DNS, WINS, and so on.
If you decide you need or want Windows Server,
you should get a book dedicated to that OS and a big box of Alka-Seltzer
before you go any further.
When to Hire a Professional
You’ve probably heard this old adage: “If you
want something done right, do it yourself!” It is true, to a point.
Sometimes, though, the benefit of hiring someone else outweighs the
pleasure of doing it yourself.
For a home network, you should definitely try to
set it up yourself. Call it a learning experience, get friends to help,
and, if you run into problems, treat yourself to a truly humbling
experience and watch a high-school-aged neighbor get it all working in
15 minutes. As long as you don’t have to run wires through the wall or
construct your own cables, you should be able to manage this job even
with no prior networking experience. When something is called “Plug and
Play” now, it really is.
However, the balance tips the other way for a
business. If you depend on your computers to get your work done, getting
them set up should be your first concern, but keeping them working
should be your second, third, and fourth. If you have solid experience
in network installation, installing a Windows 7 network will be a snap.
But your business is hanging in the balance, and you should consider the
cost of computer failure when you’re deciding whether it’s worth
spending money on setup and installation. Hiring a good consultant
and/or contractor will give you the following:
An established relationship. If
something goes wrong, you’ll already know whom to call, and that person
will already know the details of your system.
A professional installation job.
The benefit of full-time experience in network and system design without needing to pay a full-time salary.
Time to spend doing something more productive than installing a network.
If you do want to hire someone, it’s important to choose your consultant or contractor very carefully. Here are some tips:
Ask friends and business associates for referrals before you go to Craigslist or the Yellow Pages.
Ask a consultant or contractor for references, and check them out.
Find out what the contractor’s guaranteed response time is, if problems or failures occur in the future.
Be
sure that documentation is one of the contractor’s “deliverables.” You
should get written documentation describing your system’s installation,
setup, and configuration, as well as written procedures for routine
maintenance, such as making backups, adding users, and so on.
Even
if you do hire someone else to build your network, you should stay
involved in the process and understand the choices and decisions that
are made.