In This Chapter
Setting up network printers
Configuring your client computer’s Internet connections Mapping network drives
After you have your network servers and clients up and running, you still have many details to attend to before you can pronounce your network “finished.” In this chapter, you discover a few more configuration chores that have to be done: configuring Internet access, setting up network printers, configuring e-mail, and configuring mapped network drives.
Configuring Network Printers
Before network users can print on the network, the network’s printers must be properly configured. For the most part, this is a simple task. All you have to do is configure each client that needs access to the printer.
Before you configure a network printer to work with network clients, read the client configuration section of the manual that came with the printer.
Many printers come with special software that provides more advanced printing and networking features than the standard features provided by Windows. If so, you may want to install the printer manufacturer’s software on your client computers rather than use the standard Windows network printer support.
Adding a network printer
The exact procedure for adding a network printer varies a bit, depending on the Windows version that the client runs. The following steps describe the procedure for Windows XP Professional:
1.Choose Start➪Printers and Faxes.
The Printers and Faxes window opens.
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2.Click Add a Printer in the task pane.
The Welcome page of the Add Printer Wizard appears.
3.Click Next.
The wizard asks whether you want to set up a local printer or a network printer.
4.Check A Network Printer and then click Next.
This brings up the page shown in Figure 5-1, which provides you with three ways to identify the printer you want to set up:
• Browse for a printer. This option displays a list of all the printers that are available on the network.
• Specify the server’s name and the name of the printer; for example,
\\MyServer\Printer1. This option is best if the printer is con- nected to a server and you know the name of the server and the printer.
• Specify the URL of the printer, using a host name such as http://
printer1.MyDomain.comor an IP address such as http://207.
126.67.155. This option is best if the printer is connected directly to the network.
If you don’t know a printer’s host name or IP address, you can usually find out by printing a configuration page at the printer. You can usually print a configuration page by pressing or holding down one or more front panel keys in a certain way or by selecting a front-panel menu command.
You’ll have to consult the printer’s documentation to find out how to print the configuration page for your printer.
Figure 5-1:
Three ways to identify the printer.
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5.If you know the printer name, URL, or IP address, select the appropri- ate option and enter the name or URL. Otherwise, select Browse for a Printer and then click Next.
Assuming that you opted to browse for the printer, a list of available printers appears, as shown in Figure 5-2.
6.Select the printer that you want to use and then click Next.
The next page of the wizard asks whether you want to specify the printer as the user’s default printer.
7.Choose Yes or No to indicate whether you want to designate the printer as the default printer and then click Next.
The wizard’s final page appears, summarizing the settings you’ve chosen.
8.Click Finish to complete the wizard and install the printer.
You may be asked to insert a Windows CD-ROM or the driver disk that came with the printer. In many cases, however, the wizard will be able to locate the correct printer drivers on the server computer to which the printer is attached.
Accessing a network printer using a Web interface
Printers that have a direct network connection often include a built-in Web server that lets you manage the printer from any browser on the network.
For example, Figure 5-3 shows the home page for a Hewlett-Packard LaserJet 4100 Series printer. This Web interface lets you view status information about the printer and check the printer’s configuration. You can even view error logs to find out how often the printer jams.
Figure 5-2:
Browsing for a printer.
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To call up a printer’s Web interface, enter its IP address or host name in the address bar of any Web browser.
In addition to simply displaying information about the printer, you can also adjust the printer’s configuration from a Web browser. For example, Figure 5-4 shows the Network Settings page for an HP 4100 printer. Here, you can change the network configuration details, such as the TCP/IP hostname, IP address, subnet mask, domain name, and so on. Other configuration pages allow you to tell the printer to send an e-mail notification to an address that you spec- ify whenever you encounter a problem with the printer.
As the network administrator, you may need to visit the printer’s Web page frequently. I suggest that you add it to your browser’s Favorites menu so that you can get to it easily. If you have several printers, add them under a folder named Network Printers.
Figure 5-3:
The browser interface for an HP 4100 printer.
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Configuring Internet Access
To enable the network users to access the Internet, you need to make sure that the TCP/IP configuration settings on each client computer are set cor- rectly. If you have a high-speed Internet connection, such as T1, DSL, cable, or ISDN, connected to the Internet via a router, and your network uses DHCP for automatic TCP/IP configuration, you may not need to do anything special to get your clients connected to the Internet.
Configuring clients for DHCP
The easiest way to configure client computers to access the Internet via a shared high-speed connection is to use DHCP. DHCP automatically distrib- utes the detailed TCP/IP configuration information to each client. Then, if your configuration changes, all you have to do is change the DHCP server’s configuration. You don’t have to manually change each client. Plus, the DHCP server avoids common manual configuration errors, such as assigning the same IP address to two computers.
Figure 5-4:
The Network Settings page for an HP 4100 printer.
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Before you configure the clients to use DHCP, you should first set up the DHCP server. The DHCP server’s configuration should include:
✦ A scope that specifies the range of IP addresses and the subnet mask to be distributed to client computers.
✦ The IP address of the router that should be used as the default gateway for client computers to reach the Internet.
✦ The IP addresses of the DNS servers that clients should use.
Note that DCHP can be provided either by a server computer or by an intelli- gent router that has built-in DHCP. For more information about configuring DHCP, see Book V, Chapter 3.
After the DHCP server is configured, setting up Windows clients to use it is a snap. Just follow these steps:
1.Open the Control Panel and double-click the Network Connections icon.
2.Right-click the LAN connection icon and choose Properties.
This brings up the connection’s Properties dialog box, as shown in Figure 5-5.
Figure 5-5:
The Local Area Connection Properties dialog box.
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3.Select Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) from the list of items used by the connection and then click the Properties button.
This displays the Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) Properties dialog box, as shown in Figure 5-6.
4.Make sure that both the Obtain An IP Address Automatically and Obtain DNS Server Address Automatically options are selected.
These options enable DHCP for the client.
5.Click OK to return to the Local Area Connection Properties dialog box and then click OK again.
That’s all there is to it. The computer is now configured to use DHCP. You should check to make sure that every computer on your network is config- ured for DHCP.
If your network doesn’t have a DHCP server, you’ll have to configure the TCP/IP configuration manually for each computer. Start by deciding the IP address that you want to assign to each computer. Then, follow the preceding procedure on every computer. When you get to Step 4, enter the computer’s IP address as well as the IP address of the default gateway (your Internet router) and the IP addresses of your DNS servers.
Figure 5-6:
Making sure that TCP/IP is configured for DHCP.
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Frankly, setting up a DHCP server is a lot easier than manually configuring each computer’s TCP/IP information unless your network has only two or three computers. So unless your network is tiny, get a DHCP server.
Disabling dialup connections
If your client computers were previously configured to use dialup connec- tions to access the Internet, you need to disable those connections so that the computer will access the Internet via your LAN connection. If you use Internet Explorer as your Web browser, follow these steps:
1.Open the Control Panel, double-click the Internet Options icon, and then click the Connections tab.
The connection options appear, as shown in Figure 5-7.
2.Choose the Never Dial a Connection option.
The Never Dial a Connection option tells Windows to not automatically call the dialup connection to connect to the Internet. That way, Windows will use the LAN connection to reach the Internet.
If for some reason the network is down, the user can still call the dialup connection by opening the Network Connections window, right-clicking the dialup connection, and choosing Connect.
Figure 5-7:
The Connections tab of the Internet Properties dialog box.
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If you prefer, you can choose the Dial Whenever a Network Connection Is Not Present option. When you select this option, Windows first tries to use an existing LAN connection to reach the Internet. If the LAN connec- tion is not working, it automatically uses the dialup connection instead.
3.Click OK to dismiss the Internet Properties dialog box.
If you have replaced your old dialup Internet connections with a faster shared LAN connection, you may want to remove the dialup connection altogether.
To do so, call up the Internet Properties dialog box, click the Connections tab, select the dialup connection that you want to delete, and click the Remove button.
Using Internet Connection Sharing
Actually, the title of this section is misleading. It should be “Not Using Internet Connection Sharing.” Windows 2000 and XP come with a built-in feature called Internet Connection Sharing (ICS),designed to let you share an Internet con- nection with several computers on a small network. However, this feature is designed to be used only on very small networks that don’t have a separate router to enable the connection to be shared.
The latest release of Windows XP (called SP2) includes a feature called the Windows Firewall that provides basic firewall support for home networks.
This feature keeps hackers from invading your home network.
I recommend that you use ICS and the Windows Firewall only for home networks with no more than three computers. Even then, you’re better off purchasing an inexpensive connection-sharing device. For more information, refer to Book VI, Chapter 1.
If ICS and the Windows Firewall have been enabled and you don’t need it, you should disable them. Otherwise, they will disrupt your network. For information about how to enable or disable these features, refer to Book VI, Chapter 3.
Mapping Network Drives
One of the main reasons that users want to use a network is to access shared disk storage located on network file servers. Although you can do this in sev- eral ways, the most common method is called mapping. Mapping assigns a drive letter to a shared folder on a network server. Then, the user can use the drive letter to access the shared folder as if it were a local drive.
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Before you map network drives for your network’s client computers, you should devise a strategy for how you’ll share folders and map them to drives.
Here are just two possibilities:
✦ For private storage, you can create a separate shared folder for each user on the file server and then map a drive letter on each user’s com- puter to that user’s shared folder. For example, you can create shares named jBrannan, dHodgson, and mCaldwell. Then, you can map drive N:
to jBrannan on jBrannan’s computer, dHodgson on dHodgson’s computer, and mCaldwell on mCaldwell’s computer.
✦ For shared storage for an entire department, you can create a share for the entire department and then map a drive to that share on each com- puter in the department. For example, you may map drive M: to a share named Marketing for the entire Marketing department to use.
After you’ve decided how to map the file server’s shared folder, the next step is to create and share the folders on the server. For information about how to do that, refer to the appropriate chapters on specific network operating sys- tems later in this book.
When you’re ready to map drives on the client computers, follow these steps:
1.Open the My Computer window.
2.Choose Tools➪Map Network Drive.
The Map Network Drive dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 5-8.
3.Select the drive letter that you want to map in the Drive drop-down list.
Figure 5-8:
The Map Network Drive dialog box.
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4.Type a valid path to the server and share that you want to map in the Folder text box.
For example, to map a folder named mCaldwell on a server named MKTSERVER, type \\MKTSERVER\mCaldwell.
If you don’t know the server or share name, click the Browse button and browse your way to the folder that you want to map.
5.To cause the network drive to be automatically mapped each time the user logs on, check the Reconnect at Logon option.
If you leave this option unchecked, the drive is mapped only until the next time you shut Windows down or log off.
6.Click OK.
That’s it! You’re done.
If you’re the type who prefers to do things through the command line, you can quickly map network drives by using the NET USEcommand at a com- mand prompt. For example, here’s a NET USEcommand that maps drive Z:
to \\MKTSERVER\mCaldwell:
net use z: \\MKTSERVER\mCaldwell /persistent:yes
Specifying /persistent:yescauses the drive to be remapped each time the user logs on. To remove a drive mapping via the command line, use a command like this:
net use z: /delete
Here, the mapping for drive Z: is removed.
Manually setting up drive mappings as described here works well enough for small networks but not so well for large networks. If a server or share name changes, would you want to go to 200 computers in order to update drive mappings? How about 2,000 computers? For larger networks, you’re more likely to use either login scripts or group policies to configure network stor- age for end users. You can find more information about login scripts and group policies in Book III, Chapter 2.
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