H Network For Dummies

If you have more than one computer in your home, you should have a network.
I used to consider that statement an opinion, but it’s so logical that I now think of it as a fact of nature. Nobody has ever presented a convincing (to me) argument that supports keeping multiple computers isolated from each other.

Using and managing multiple computers is easier if you create a network. You
don’t have to remember which computer you were using when you started that letter to Uncle Harry because you can just reach across the network to finish it, using any computer in the house. A home network allows you to do the work you have to do better and more efficiently.

One of the best reasons to set up a home network is that when you install it, you become the network administrator, the person who controls which files your spouse and children can access, as well as which printers they can use. Talk about power! And the wonderful thing about being a network administrator is that the title makes it sound like you do a lot of hard work (but you don’t — you’ll be amazed at how easy all of this is).

About This Book

This book isn’t a novel or a mystery, so you don’t have to start at page one and read every chapter in order — you can’t spoil the ending. This book is meant to be digested on a subject-by-subject, not a chapter-by-chapter, basis. Each chapter is self-contained, covering a specific subject. However, because the process of creating the network requires that tasks be performed in a certain order, I recommend that you check out the chapters in either Part I or Part II before you go to any of the other chapters. After you get up to speed on the basics, you can decide which chapters you want to look at next and figure out which network features you want to add to your home network.


Introduction
Part I : Network Basics
Part II : Configuring Computers for Networking
Part III: Communicating Across the Network
Part IV : Network Security and Maintenance
Part V : The Part of Tens
Index