Networking two home PC's with NT. Settings help please!

[Rhodent]

I am trying to help a friend network two PC's in his home to a cable modem. I have him going the route of having the NT machine as the host and direct link to the cable modem and having the other PC which is 95 connect to the NT machine througha hub and additional NIC.

The Best B guy tried to tell him he needed a router. Would the cable company have an issue with him doing it the way I told him, and will it work just as well.
I assume the router would only allow net access from the 95 machine if the NT machine was shut down.
Anyway, he has about all the settings right in the 95 machine based on what I'v told him from my own setup with an ME and 98SE machine. He can't quite get the NT setup right. Can anyone tell me where the setting is for the workgroup in NT? And any other help is appreciated. I don't have an NT machine nor access to see his right now to find it myself.

thanks anyone

 

[Rhodent]

I assume this is doable. Correct? we can ping between machines but no internet traffic is passing yet. Thanks for any help

 

[Windogg]

For once I would have to agree with the WorstBuy salesperson.

Routers are so cheap now it makes no sense not to get one. It is possible using NT routing services or Windows ICS (Win98SE or above) to create a software router. Of course if the hose PC is down so is everyone else. Not only that but then you have to work with various bindings to make sure your network and printers are not exposed to the world. Overall, its more effort than it's worth. Get router like the SMC Barricade, it's cheap, has a 4 port switch, and a printer server.

Windogg

 

[alanwj]

I've never set up Internet Connection Sharing in NT, but in 98 it is pretty easy. You add the component from the Win98 CD, tell it which adapter has an internet connection, and which adapter to share that connection over. Then all the other computers use DHCP to get an IP from the host computer. I've had as many as 5 machines sharing a single 56K modem this way before (yes, it was painful).

Some things to check. Make sure that the host machine's IP on the adapter connected to you LAN is 192.168.0.1. This is absolutely necessary (or at least MS documentation says that it is. Also, your subnet mask should be 255.255.255.0. Internet Connection Sharing should set both of those up for you automatically. Next, make sure the client machines are all set to "Obtain an IP automatically". And after they start up, make sure they also have a 192.168.x.x address.

Alan

 

[Rhodent]

Win NT 4.0 with service pack 6 to my knowledge does not have Internet connection sharing. neither does the 95 machine. I know only the host needs it when dealing with 98 because it has to deal with two simultanious IP's. I was under the impression that NT is capable of dealing multiple IP's anyway. If you gys think the router would be easier I may suggest he go back and get that instead. Will it be secure by itself and leave less chance of the cable company seeing his other PC? I havn't set one up but if its not to bad i could probably figure it out. What sort of price are we talking for one of them?

 

[BreakApart]

Rhodent reply in-line...

"I am trying to help a friend network two PC's in his home to a cable modem. I have him going the route of having the NT machine as the host and direct link to the cable modem and having the other PC which is 95 connect to the NT machine througha hub and additional NIC."

To use NT to share the cable connection you need additional software, NT does not inlcude this sharing software.

"The Best B guy tried to tell him he needed a router. Would the cable company have an issue with him doing it the way I told him, and will it work just as well.
I assume the router would only allow net access from the 95 machine if the NT machine was shut down."

The router would be an EXCELLENT choice for your setup. The router will allow all your machines to connect at the SAME time. With router prices so low, it's almost silly to use a computer to share the connection anymore.


"Anyway, he has about all the settings right in the 95 machine based on what I'v told him from my own setup with an ME and 98SE machine. He can't quite get the NT setup right. Can anyone tell me where the setting is for the workgroup in NT? And any other help is appreciated. I don't have an NT machine nor access to see his right now to find it myself."

Get the router to share the internet connection. Then get a networking book to learn how to setup a domain/or workgroup to log into the NT server.

Good Luck...

 

[Ausm]

If you plan on Sticking with NT 4.0 I would definately go with a router would make life alot simpler

Ausm

 

[Rhodent]

Ok, Breakapart.
You make mention of getting a networking book to see how to log the 95 into the nt server. Sorry for misunderstanding but this is not going to be a server as I'd call it. I think file sharing will be used some but its basically just a terminal just as the 95 machine. He works or a large corporation and they have him run NT cause he's a progrmmer and its more stable and he works from home. Thats why its NT. What you said might still apply but I just wanted to clear that up. Surely I can make this work without needing a book

Ok on the router, basically I take it that the router will either run a little DHCP or I can assign IP's. Not sure if small routers have a way to set them up through a browser such as Lan Modems do...anyone know? Say for example it does DMCP. Can't I simply hook the cable modem directly to it and then let it assign IP's to the two PC's?
There are apparently settings in the PC that are related to the cable modem talking to it. How will these settings be affected by it going to the router first and then the PC being hooked to it?
I'd love some more advice, seems I'll have him return the hub.

 

[ucdnam]

Get any broadband router and it will do the ICS for you. I have 3 setups currently: 1 is a win2k box (P2 450) sharing my internet to the rest of the machines in my apartment using WIN2k ICS. My second setup is in my parent's home where I have a Linksys Cable/DSL router connected to the cable and have all the computers hooked up to it and getting access from the router. My third setup is using linux as a router at school, but that could prove troublesome and time consuming if you don't know what you're doing.

For the easy way, I'd recommend getting a broadband router, such as the Linksys, and hooking the cable connection into that. It has a web interface for you to set it up. I got it up and going in 10 min and I read every page of documentation to make sure. My cable modem service, @Home, required me to have a specific NIC address, so I specified that in my router setup. Pretty neato. There are plenty of options, like port forwarding, etc. The router is only 100 bucks.