setting up an XP/7 network

[arthur.daley]

The headquarters of The Cambridge Mug Company is starting to come together in its custom built industrial unit at the end of my garden - ok its a shed.

The next item on the agenda is to get a network sorted out.

The Virgin box is in the house and I run internet down to the HQ via TP Link internet over the mains units - which work pretty well despite not being on the same circuit. Good enough to run iPlayer and I should be able to speed it up a bit when I get the mains transmitter in the house on the same circuit as the shed.

So far so good

I have never had to do any of this networky stuff before and may be going about it in totally the wrong way but here goes................

I have several computers running either XP or 7. I have several printers which have network interfaces. I would like to be able to talk to any computer, from any computer. I would like to be able to print from any computer to any printer. I know that I can attach the printers to individual computers and then share them but that means they computers all have to be up and running.

I have an 8 port switch (not a hub) which has just enough ports to get me going - 16 ports would be better for a bit of future expansion. I can easily put in RJ 45 sockets and run cat 5 cable back down my trunking to the switch.

So installation of hardware is pretty much sorted but

The big question is

How easy is it to set up a network at home?

As I say I have never had to do this before and so last night I had a quick search on You Tube but it didn't throw up anything particularly useful (from a complete novices point of view) about what boxes you have to tick and what numbers go where.

I'd also like to back up all of my data from each of the computers to a NAS - but that can come a bit later.

Any one have any pearls of wisdom to throw my way?

I have to confess my brain is going into meltdown just trying to think about it (




Arthur

[arthur.daley]

41 views and not a sausage (

[socialgiraffe]

Let me digest, remind me in the morning


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[Quinsfan]

Sorry this is not going to help but as I am moving my stuff to a external office ( shed) later this month I am tagging this feed.

[Paul]

i am not sure if i got you correctly...
You going to use one wifi spot right?
if so, just set every computer to same network name. HOMEGROUP by default if i can remember correctly and then just set up printer sharing for all pc's you own.

[spongerobinson]

Are the printers going to be in the shed or the house?

Ideally you'd connect the printers directly to the router (or to a switch that is connected to the router), then all computers will be able to access them. If your happy enough with the signal on the powerline adapters, connecting a switch to that and then connecting all computers and printers in the shed to the switch should have the desired effect.

You'll probably want to give the printers static ip addresses, to ensure they are not constantly changing when things get powered down/restarted. The computers should be ok on DHCP (automatic IP addresses).

[pisquee]

assuming that you have multiple network ports on the virgin box, and that they and the switch you have are all 10/100/1000 speed then the order you plug stuff doesn't really matter.

at the virgin box, plug network cables into the powerline unit, and to the switch. Then a network cable from each spare port to the printers, computers etc that you want wiring in.

anything on the network you want to talk to you that's important should definitely have a static IP so you (and the computers) always know where things are.

if you're running network cables around, then you could also run one out to the shed, which will be better than powerlines.

[James990]

I have a router in the house and have run a cable down to the shed, where there is another router, which feeds all I need in the shed! Yes IU could have used wifi, but hard wiring is a lot quicker! I can see all the printers, computers etc, from all the computers.

James

[daviddeer]

Most virgin modems have a network (RJ45) socket. Get yourself a hub switch router with multiple ports such as the linksys 10/100 8-port VPN Router. Connect the main port (internet downlink) to your virgin cable modem. Then simply set your printer IP addresses to a similar set of numbers ie 168.192.2.1, 168.192.2.2 etc, with the DNS at 255.255.255.0. Plug these into the router and setup your network printer.....OH and don't forget to plug your computer(s) into the hub as well.

[arthur.daley]

Hi all


Sorry for not replying sooner - been somewhat distracted - several other fires burning higher than this one at the moment ( and for some reason I have stopped receiving notifications that someone has replied to a thread i started or have replied to, something else to add to the list of things to look at!


Just to make sure this is clear.........

In the house is a virgin box which in turn is wired to an ethernet over mains device

In the shed is another ethernet over mains device which is plugged into a Netgear Gigabit switch - GS108.

Plugged into the switch is a wireless access point for assorted wifi devices, and my desk top PCs and printers.


I need to be able to print from any PC to any printer (printers to be on network and not hanging off the back of a PC as a shared printer)

So the Virgin box is way off in the distance - running a network cable down to the shed is not really an option - well not to be undertaken lightly anyway!

The switch doesn't have an uplink socket - any one of them seems to be happy doing that job

What I really need to swot up on is how to fill in all the IP and DNS stuff in the network control panel.


Regards


Arthur