Clearing our desk

This week as we try to get back to reality after a few days off and a diet of cold turkey, we're trying to catch up with a few review items.

The first is a utility from Globesoft called MultiNetwork Manager (MNM) that sort of solves a problem we recently wrote about. The problem was trying to configure Windows XP for multihoming. We wanted to have a DHCP assigned address and a static address on the same interface, and the only solution we found was a nasty piece of registry work.

As an aside, some of you wrote in to say we had delivered just the solution you needed while a couple of you said the problem could be solved through regular Windows configuration tools. These latter readers were mistaking the alternate IP address facility as support for multihoming. There really is no way to do multihoming without registry hacking.

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This week as we try to get back to reality after a few days off and a diet of cold turkey, we're trying to catch up with a few review items.

The first is a utility from Globesoft called MultiNetwork Manager (MNM) that sort of solves a problem we recently wrote about. The problem was trying to configure Windows XP for multihoming. We wanted to have a DHCP assigned address and a static address on the same interface, and the only solution we found was a nasty piece of registry work.

As an aside, some of you wrote in to say we had delivered just the solution you needed while a couple of you said the problem could be solved through regular Windows configuration tools. These latter readers were mistaking the alternate IP address facility as support for multihoming. There really is no way to do multihoming without registry hacking.

Globesoft got in touch after that piece and sent us MNM to test. While MNM doesn't support multihoming, it makes switching between various configurations so easy that it's a workable alternative.

MNM lets you define profiles that specify all the attributes of networking you might want to change. For each profile you create you can select which network card(s) should be enabled and whether they should use static or DHCP addresses, which drives and printers should be connected and which shares should be enabled, which applications to run on connection, which workgroups and domains should be selected, and so on - pretty much all the things you could hope to define.

In operation, MNM is presented as a box on the Windows logon screen so you can select a profile before accessing anything. After logon, MNM becomes an icon in the system tray. In both cases, selecting a profile switches network configuration in a few seconds.

MNM also can enable or disable the Windows firewall, perform autodiscovery to scope out the network configuration, save that data as a profile and track when you use each profile in an XML formatted log.

While MNM doesn't address multihoming, it lets us have configurations for wireless only in the office, wired only in the office, everything in the office and a minimalist configuration for when we travel.

This is an incredibly useful tool and at $36 per seat it is a great investment for power users.

A product many of you will feel an immediate need to buy is a T-shirt printed by ThinkGeek  that simply reads, "No, I will not fix your computer." Perfect apparel to wear around relatives and neighbors.

Another item of clothing we must mention comes from Syswear. This T-shirt shows a picture of a twig and underneath it the slogan, "You must be as smart as this stick to use the Internet."

As we burn off our Thanksgiving indulgences we also wanted to mention a few books we've taken a look at. The first is suitable to hand out while wearing your ThinkGeek T-shirt; it is Home Networking, A Visual Do-It-Yourself Guide. Written by Brian Underdahl, it does a fine job of covering all the components and technology your relatives and friends need to get a clue. While it won't make them experts, it will at least get them thinking in a way where they will understand what you're talking about and be better able to explain their problems.