E-Books: Networking with Microsoft Windows VistaYour Guide to Easy and Secure Windows Vista Networking
Paul McFedries
Only connect! —E. M. Forster
If you have just a single computer in your home or small office, and if you’re the only person who uses that computer, your setup is inherently efficient. You can use the machine whenever you like, and everything you need your applications, your printer, your CD/DVD drive, your Internet connection, and so on—are readily available.
Things become noticeably less efficient if you have to share the computer with other people. For instance, you might have to wait for someone else to finish a task before you can get your own work done, you might need to have separate applications for each person’s requirements, and you might need to set up separate folders to hold each person’s data.
User accounts and fast user switching in Vista ease these problems, but they don’t eliminate them. For example, you still have to twiddle a thumb or two while waiting for another person to complete his work.
A better solution is to increase the number of computers available. Now that machines with fast processors, ample RAM, and massive hard disk space can be had for just a few hundred dollars, a multiple-machine setup is an affordable proposition for most homes. At home, for example, the current trend is to buy a nice system for Mom and Dad to put in their office, while the kids inherit the old machine for their games and homework assignments.
Now you have several computers kicking around the house or office, but they’re all islands unto themselves. If you want to print something using another computer’s printer, you’re forced to copy the file to a memory card or other removable media, walk that media over to the other computer, and then print from there. Similarly, if multiple computers require Internet access, you face the hassle (and expense) of configuring separate connections So now you must take the final step on this road: Connect everything together to create your own small network. This will give you all kinds of benefits:
- A printer (or just about any peripheral) that’s attached to one computer can be used by any other computer on the network.
- You can transfer files from one computer to another.
- Users can access disk drives and folders on network computers as though they were part of their own computer. In particular, you can set up a folder to store common data files, and each user will be able to access these files from the comfort of her machine. (For security, you can restrict access to certain folders and drives.)
- You can set up an Internet connection on one device and share that connection with other machines on the network.
- You can stream images, music, and videos from one computer to another computer or to a digital media receiver, such as an Xbox 360.
- You can set up a wireless portion of your network, which enables you to access other computers and the Internet from just about anywhere in your house or office.
includes comprehensive coverage of networking hardware, including both wired and wireless devices. You get handy buyer’s guides that tell you how to make smart choices when purchasing network hardware. Then, when you 2 Networking with Microsoft®Windows Vista™ have your hardware in hand, this book shows you how to put everything together, including installing the devices, laying the cable, and connecting all the pieces.
With your hardware tasks complete, the book switches to the software side and examines Windows Vista networking features. These include the Network and Sharing Center, managing wired and wireless connections, accessing shared network resources, sharing local resources on the network, implementing security, and much more.
How This Book Is Organized
To help give you a sense of the overall structure of the book, the next few sections offer a brief summary of the four main parts of the book.
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