Creating peer-to-peer networks

By Ron Nutter
Network World, 03/13/00

I have recently connected two computers up to make a peer-to-peer network. The only problem is that when I go into a computer (on the network) the window is just blank. I can't see any resources. When I installed my network card(s) they set up their own protocols and I have also made sure that the print and share option has been ticked. I am really confused about what to do now.

Dalbir Burhm

The first thing to check between the systems is that both have a link on the network card. There are two ways that you can connect the systems together. For just two PCs, you can use a crossover cable to connect them together. This looks like a regular network cable, but the two pairs are crossed in the cable. Wires 1 and 2 at one end of the cable go to pins 3 and 6 at the other and vice versa. You can also buy a four-port minihub for less than $50. Of the two approaches, I prefer the hub approach. This may mean a little more money up front, but it can save you some troubleshooting when there is a problem because you will have an independent device - the hub - to confirm if one of the cards or cable is having the problem.

I recommend using just one protocol when connecting workstations together (unless you have reasons for doing otherwise). NETBEUI is the easiest to use and the simplest to configure. You can use IPX or TCP/IP depending on what you are trying to do. By using TCP/IP, you will be able to use the workstations on a regular network when your needs for the peer-to-peer network are over. TCP/IP is a little more involved to set up. You'll need to manually enter IP addresses, a subnet mask and default gateway addresses since you won't have a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol server available to automate this step for you.

Although you have enabled sharing, you will want to check that each drive and resource on each computer is set up for sharing. Double-click on the "My Computer" icon on the desktop. Right-click on each drive or resource that you want to share and click on the Share menu option. Try creating a new share for each drive (I like to name them DRIVE_C, for instance, to simply reflect the resource being accessed). You shouldn't have to reboot the systems to be able to see the shares, but it might take a few minutes for the updated information to be exchanged. You can get pretty creative on assigning rights to shares. But in your case, I would recommend going with full access to minimize having a rights issue being the cause of a problem where a program doesn't work as expected.