Advanced Network User Question

By JeremyCDay
in Smart Home, Network & Security

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Proficient

hotrod

Posted
Posted

for home networks a domain is not needed. domains are purely for cooperate enviroments and it does provide several more networking features but it would also mean that you would have to have one machine setup specifically as a PDC (primary domain controller) and would have to purchase either a copy of windows NT server or 2000 server. you can do everything you need to do with just setting your pc's up on a workgroup. it's alot less confusing and alot easier to use. if you need help setting up a network and sharing resources such as files and your internet connection, just email me. good luck!

Community Regular

NETknightX

Posted
Posted

For domains, you would need a dedicated server to act as the primary domain controller and the server OS...although it does allow for centralized management of the other computers and more. But domains are overkill for a home network since workgroups (peer to peer) are much, much easier to set up.

Grand Master

Krome

Posted
Posted

I don't know if this is just me... but I find networking using P2P or so called WORKGROUP a bit of a hazzle... not very secure too... quite ironic, I find installing a server using Domain Controller much easier... I mean a bit more things to configure but it gets the network to work properly...

Proficient

hotrod

Posted
Posted

networking pc's within a workgroup is about as easy as it comes. there's no hassle to it all all. and why would you be worried about security on a home network as long as you hide your Pr0n from your old lady and protect your network from internet attacks, security is not a concern. but that's just my opinion and as usual it doesn't mean squat! ;)

Collaborator

JeremyCDay

Posted
  • Author
Posted

the reason i was asking was because i know how to get workgroups to work, i just cant stand how one day the network will work fine and then the next day, you cant connect to one of your computers no matter how hard you try. we have 5 windows xp pieces networked downstairs here, 4 of them can see eachother fine just the machine that we had all our files stored on while we formatted our others we cant seem to get the files off of that machine now... that machine can see all our computers just fine, it can even listen to music n stuff off from mine but when i try to copy my files from that pc back to this one i get network location no longer available? familiar anyone? any tool that will help fix a network connection?

Proficient

hotrod

Posted
Posted

if you are getting hacked that bad, you need to consider a hardware firewall. linksys makes a great cable/dsl router with Network Address Transaltion which does wonders when it come to protecting your pc's that share your internet. either that or run a software firewall like Blackice or something similar. email me and i can 'take care' of you ;)

Enthusiast

othernutrient

Posted
Posted

Setting up a domain for home use is an enormous overkill, especially considering cost. You would need a copy of Windows NT/2000/NET Server, which is really rather costly. Furthermore, you would need one machine to act as the domain controller. With Windows 2000, running Active Directory, DNS, and any other required services (and there are a lot of them) would mean a large amount of overhead; I wouldn't run it on less than a 700 MHz PC with 256 MB of RAM. Sure, you could use your DC as a regular workstation, but do you really want full access to your entire network to be readily compromised because you decided to use Kazaa on your DC?

On top of all this, there's a pretty steep learning curve for Windows Server. You have to be pretty knowledgeable and be willing to provide a lot of care to get it running smoothly and automated at first. And if you've never heard of AD or Dynamic DNS, you should be very prepared to read all about it, for hundreds of pages.

Is it worth it for a home network with five PCs? Not at all. Learn more about workgroups and solve your problems that way. Using Server just to clear up file sharing issues is like cracking a walnut with a Dodge Durango.

Explorer

mucter

Posted
Posted

You guys are all talking about a domain controller as if it costs anything... lets not forget that using Samba on Linux, you can flawlessly emulate a full featured NT Domain Controller for completely FREE. Not that I am saying that using a domain controller over a workgroup or vise versa is better one way or the other, just cost is not an issue if you really want to run a domain. And you can do it on some ancient 486 box no problem.

Peace. :cool:

Enthusiast

othernutrient

Posted
Posted

Let's not forget that Samba's ability to emulate a DC completely loses one of the key features of Active Directory -- group policy.

Let's not forget that Samba doesn't support Dynamic DNS and the integration it holds with AD.

Let's not forget that Samba can't provide the same configuration and integration options for servers and workstations in the domain.

Let's not forget that Samba is best at replicating the account creation, maintenance and authentication features of NT Server, but as full replacement for Server, it can't come close.

Collaborator

JustinLerner

Posted
Posted

To make your one un-cooperative XP PC available to all the other PC's in the workgroup (of the same name, I assume), ensure the shared resources have the proper share permissions assigned to each workgroup member or to the Everyone group.

I would also assign static unique IP addresses of the same network for all of your PC's (make sure they also all use the same, correct netmask; correct DNS server address if an always on connection exists to the internet; and correct gateway if you have a cable modem/DSL router).

In workgroups, each PC authenticates via it's own SAM (security access manager), so each PC must specify the other PC's that can read it's shared resources. (Obviously, the resources must be shared.)

C'mon, let's get real now. For a domain, a domain server must always be running for members to properly authenticate and access resources on other PC's. Usually, a domain controller is a dedicated PC. So when there are problems with the domain controller, everyone on the local LAN may not be able to access shared resources, while with a workgroup only the troubled PC is excluded.

In domains, startup takes longer for each client because of the extra domain authentications and security.

Complexity of domains is much higher than workgroups although security is greater. 2000/.NET servers are great, but if you have a DOMAIN, with either of these server versions (as another user wrote), you will need to incorportate DNS and Active Directory -- which are mandatory, complex and integrated for security.

Costs for running and operating a domain controller will be higher than for a workgroup. A MS server version of 2000 Server or .NET Server (not yet available) is not inexpensive for 5 client licenses, but even more expensive for a version with 10 client licenses. (What if a vistor or friend wanted to come by and temporarily connect a PC to the network for file sharing or gaming and you only have 5 client access licenses?)

Since you all run XP I also would not even consider a dedicated server with SAMBA, but you can all choose what you really need.

I like the comment by othernutrient, "Using Server just to clear up file sharing issues is like cracking a walnut with a Dodge Durango."

Enthusiast

othernutrient

Posted
Posted
  Quote
Originally posted by Faction

Thanks , next restart ill check the networking tab, but i dont get what your saying about RADDIAL.exE?

To manually dial a connection, use RASDIAL.EXE. Usage:

rasdial entryname [username [password|*]] [/DOMAIN:domain]

[/PHONE:phonenumber] [/CALLBACK:callbacknumber]

[/PHONEBOOK:phonebookfile] [/PREFIXSUFFIX]

rasdial [entryname] /DISCONNECT

rasdial

For example: rasdial "My Connection" bob@myisp.com mypassword

The same principle would be applied to DSL connections with PPPoE. You can setup a batch file (startup.bat) with the example above, replacing the pertinent information, and then set it to run as a computer startup script (run gpedit.msc and see inside Computer Configuration). It would then connect to you the Internet when the computer boots and leave the connection on until you manually disconnected it.

Contributor

PeteA_UK

Posted
Posted

To summarise (we've got a bit off the beaten track here). You don't really need to use a Domain/Server solution for a home network. A workgroup generally works, and I find that I can normally sort out most visibility problems by a) ensuring that the computer is plugged into your hub/switch to begin with or b) using the network ID wizard to reconnect with w/g name and machine name.

For home networks, you need only to have the TCP/IP protocol (and not the IPX/SPX or NetBEUI protocols), unless you've got a strange setup. Finally make sure that the properties of the NIC card's TCP/IP details all point to the correct items (eg IP allocation etc...)

As for hacking, either a hardware firewall in your internet connector (modem/internet gateway) or software firwell (black ice defender or zonealarm).

And as a final reminder, there is a delay before machines can see other machines on a hub/switch, somethings it can be 15mins!

pete a

ps if you have any other questions, mail me pete@pa-sy.com

Veteran

=NickJ=

Posted
Posted

I tried a workgroup in my home network for a while, but got so annoyed that i changed one of the PCs to a DC and now the whole network runs flawlessly. I use my DC for Web Serving, as a File Server, Print Server, AD and it all runs swimmingly. HAving one centralised location for everything makes it so much easier i have to say. And it wasn't that hard to learn, just play around a bit until it works! lol

P.S. The only protocol that should be installed is TCP/IP, the others just slow it down

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