Windows Vista Security: Praxisorientierte Sicherheit für Profis

476

|

Chapter 14: Setting Up Your Network

Requirements for Building a Small Network

Every computer you want to connect to your network requires a network interface card

(NIC), also called a network adapter. Some motherboard manufacturers include a net-

work adapter on the board, making connecting to a network very easy. You can pur-

chase additional network adapters at any office supply store or computer hardware

supplier. Ethernet is the single most common network standard in the world, and inte-

grated network adapters always fall into this category. Additional network standards

exist, and they work very well with Windows Vista, but Ethernet has the most use.

This chapter only discusses its use as a network medium for shared network resources.

Networking machines together requires several different items to allow the function-

ality you desire. Table 14-1 lists the different requirements and functionality of the

components available.

As the table shows, you can set up an isolated internal network using network

cables, network cards, and an Ethernet router. I recommend an Ethernet router over

a hub or switch to allow you to connect your network to the Internet later, without

having to purchase an Ethernet router. As an example, the D-Link Ethernet Broad-

band router has four Ethernet ports for connecting your computers and network

devices, and an additional port for connecting to the Internet. The LinkSys Wireless

G Broadband router has four Ethernet ports for connecting your computers and net-

work devices, wireless connection capability, and an additional port for connecting

to the Internet.

You can create a simple network to connect your computer to the Internet using a

network card, two network cables, and a cable/DSL modem. Typically, your ISP will

supply the necessary cable/DSL modem.

By merging the components required for an internal network with those that are

required for connecting to the Internet, you could create an internal network with

Internet connectivity. This type of network would allow multiple computers to share

resources and to connect to the Internet through your ISP’s cable/DSL modem.

While most ISPs will allow you to connect multiple computers to the Internet

through their cable/DSL service, some won’t, and you might need to purchase a ser-

vice upgrade to allow this type of connectivity.

Table 14-1. Small-network functionality requirements

Hardware Internal network

Internet

connectivity

Internal network

with Internet

Internal network

with secure Internet

Network cables XXXX

Network cards XXXX

Cable/DSL modem X X X

Ethernet router X X X

Firewall X