connect systems in a LAN????

hi,

I have 15 systems in my company which i want to connect each other i.e . i want to create a LAN so as to transfer files and share internet connection.

I have NIC installed in each system , have a switch, and the seperate network cable.

What more i need to connect all these systems together????

Do i also need a local Server?? and if yes then what is the use of local server in a LAN???


Rinkesh

You have all the hardware you need to network the PCs together. Now you just need to connect all PCs to the switch and configure them with the correct network settings. Pick a subnet, preferably a private range, and give each computer a distinct IP address. They'll also need their subnet masks configured at minimal. You should then be able to ping each machine by IP address which means they're networked and talking to each other. In order to share files you need to create some shares on one or more PCs and give access rights to those shares. It's not absolutely needed, but I'd suggest putting all PCs in the same workgroup so you can just browse to each PC through 'My network places' in Windows. I suggest using a server if you want a central place to keep all data that can be accessed by users. It's much easier to have one server that hosts all the data rather than having 15 computers with shared directories on them. Having everything in a central place makes it easier to find the files you need. Let us know if you have any other specific problems.

Hi,

Thanx for the reply. Actually one of my friend told me that in order to share internet connection among multiple users in a LAN one needs to have a local server which should have two NIC's installed in it of which one of it should be connected to modem and other to provide connection to rest of the PC's. Is it true????

Can't i share internet connection among multiple users without using a local server in a LAN???

Rinkesh

Unless you want to use a proxy server, it's easier to buy a broadband router (assuming you have broadband) to do the sharing of your internet connection. Otherwise, you can have a PC/server with two NICs running some sort of NAT or proxy software to share the connection. What type of internet connection do you have?