Thread: Configuring Network Connection

Windows automatically detect the presence of the network interface card, so you don't need to manually install the device deriver for the network interface
card. When Windows detects network card, it automatically creates a network connection and configure it to support basic networking protocols.

However, you may need to manually change the configuration of a network connection. The following steps lets you create customize network connection.

1. Open Control Panel window and double-click over the Network Connections icon.

2. A Network Connections window appears with icon of LAN.

3. Right-click over the LAN icon and select Properties option.

4. To configure the Network Adapter card settings, click over Configure button.

5. The Management Properties dialog box appears. This dialog box has five tabs.

• General: This tab show basic information about the NIC, such as device type and status. If you are having trouble with the NIC, you can click the troubleshoot button to call up the Window XP Hardware Troubleshooter.

• Advance: Using this tab you can set a variety of device specific parameters that effect the opera¬tion of NIC.

• Driver: This tab displays the information about the device driver that is bound to the NIC and lets you update the driver to a newer version, roll back the driver to a previously working version, or uninstall the driver.

• Resources: The number of systems resources used by the card including the memory range, I/O range, IRQ, and DMA channels can be set manually.

• Power Management: Using this tab you can specify that the network card can be shut down when the computer goes into sleep mode and that the network card should be allowed to wake up the computer periodically in order to refresh the network state.

6. Make sure that the network items that your client requires are listed in the Properties dialog box Local Area Connection.

• Clients for Microsoft Network: This item is. required to access a Microsoft Window network. It should always be required.

• Internet Protocols: This item enables the client computer to communicate via the TCP/IP pro¬tocol. If all the servers on the network support TCP/IP. this 'protocol should be the only one in¬stalled on the client.

• File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Network: This item allows your computer to share its files and printers with other computers on the network. This option is normally used with the peer -to-peer network.



• NWLink IPX/SPX/NetBIOS Compatible Transport Protocol: This protocol is required only if some of the servers on the network require it.

7. If the protocol is not listed, click the Install button to add the protocol that you need.

8. Make sure that the network client that you want to use appears in the list of network recourses. Click on the Protocol, and then click Add.

9. Select the network protocol you want to install and click over the OK button.

10. Protocol is installed. Now to configure the TCP/IP settings, select Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) and click over the Properties button.

11. The Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) properties dialog box appears. It contains the following options.

Obtain an IP Address automatically:

Choose this option if your network has a DHCP server that assigns IP addresses automatically. Choosing this option simplifies the task of admin¬istrating TCP/IP on your network.

• Use the following IP address:

If your computer have a specific address, choose this option and then type in the computer's IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway address.

• Obtain DNS Server address automatically:

The DHCP server can also provide the address for the Domain Name System (DNS) server that the computer should use.

• Use the following DNS server address:

Choose this option if a DHCP server is not avail¬able. Then type the IP address of the primary and secondary servers.

12. Adjust the settings according to your requirement and click the over the OK button.

13. Local Area Connection Properties dialog box appears.
Click over the Close button.