August 30, 2008

How do I… create a Suspend mode shortcut in Windows XP?

  • Date: August 20th, 2008
  • Author: Greg Shultz

On the Advanced tab of the Power Options Properties dialog box, Microsoft Windows XP provides you with several built-in shortcuts for putting your computer in Suspend mode — either Standby or Hibernation. These shortcuts allow you to reconfigure the operation performed when pressing either the Power or Sleep buttons. (If you’ve enabled the Hibernation feature from the Power Options Properties dialog box, using these shortcuts will put your computer into Hibernation mode. If you haven’t, using these shortcuts will put your computer into Standby mode.)

Figure A

Power Options dialog box — Advanced tab

This blog post is also available in PDF format in a TechRepublic download.

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However, if you wish to expand your alternatives, you can create a standard shortcut that will put your computer in Suspend mode. You can the put the shortcut on your desktop or place it on the Quick Launch bar, where you can easily put your computer in a suspended state with a click of your mouse.

Here’s how:

  1. Right-click the desktop and select New | Shortcut.
  2. When the Create Shortcut wizard’s location text box appears, type:
    rundll32.exe PowrProf.dll, SetSuspendState
  3. Give the shortcut a name like Suspend Now!
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August 20, 2008

What you should already know about Windows XP Backup

  • Date: August 13th, 2008
  • Author: Erik Eckel

For many small to midsize businesses, the native backup utility in Microsoft Windows XP is sufficient to handle data backup and recovery chores.

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Data backups aren’t as exciting as dual-core Intel chips that dual-boot Mac OS X and Windows XP, but maintaining a sound back-up strategy can prevent excitement of a different kind (the kind you don’t want). Although technology professionals can choose from a confusing array of OEM, proprietary, and third-party solutions, Windows’ native back-up program often proves adequate for meeting the data backup and recovery requirements of most small and medium businesses. The trick is in knowing Windows Backup’s benefits and drawbacks. By playing to the utility’s strengths, you can eliminate unwanted excitement and keep your workday low key.

This blog post is also available in the PDF format as a TechRepublic download.

#1: It’s proven (i.e., no one ever got fired for buying IBM…)

No one in their right mind wants to explain to a client or director why a backup or recovery operation failed. Losing data is among the greatest technology sins, so it’s only appropriate that the job be entrusted to a reliable solution. The old saying reminds us that “No one ever got fired for buying IBM.” The same holds for technology professionals in small or medium-size businesses who opt for using Microsoft tools.

Although many criticize Microsoft’s native Backup tool for its lack of sophistication and flexibility, the Windows utility’s lack of complexity is its greatest strength. Windows Backup provides a simple and proven method for safeguarding data. Further, it’s a capable tool for backing up data to a medium that’s easily stored off site.

#2: The wizard is your friend

Sure, you can elect to work in Backup’s Advanced mode (see Figure A), but wizards simplify complex tasks. More important, they help ensure that you don’t forget a step. And let’s face it, when the phone’s ringing and you’re downloading a service pack, applying a patch, and configuring a backup, it’s easy to overlook a setting.

Figure A

Windows Backup’s Advanced Mode lets you specify all backup configuration details manually.

There’s a reason wizards dominate Windows Small Business Server administration: They work. When creating a critical backup, take a few extra moments to allow the wizard shown in Figure B to walk you through the process.

Figure B

The Windows Backup Or Restore Wizard simplifies back-up creation and helps ensure that you don’t miss critical configuration settings (such as scheduling the backup to occur  daily or configuring an Incremental versus a Normal backup).

The Backup Or Restore Wizard first asks whether you want to back up or restore files and settings. Assuming you specify a back-up operation, the next step involves specifying the data you want to back up. You can elect to back up local files and folders as well as network shares, of course.

After you configure the data to be backed up, you’ll have to select the back-up location. I’ve encountered clients who back up data to the same hard disk, believing it’s a second disk (due to its being partitioned and possessing a different drive letter). Backups always work best when a copy is stored off site, thereby protecting against fire/smoke/water damage that might occur at the central place of business.

Next, the wizard will prompt you to provide a name for the backup. It will then provide a summary screen, shown in Figure C. But you’re not through yet.

propecia message board align=”justify”>Figure C

The wizard’s summary screen leads you to believe you’re just about finished configuring the new backup; you’re not. You still need to configure advanced settings.

Click Advanced to configure the type of backup:

  • Normal backs up all files and marks each as backed up.
  • Copy backs up files but does not mark them as backed up.
  • Incremental backs up files only if they were created or modified since the last back-up operation completed and marks them as backed up.
  • Differential backs up only those files created since the last backup completed, but unlike Incremental backups, a Differential backup doesn’t mark the files as backed up.
  • Daily backs up only files created or modified that day (without changing files’ archive bits).

Once you’ve specified the back-up type, the wizard presents two options: Verify Data After Backup and Disable Volume Shadow Copy. A third option, Use Hardware Compression If Available, will appear if the system has the appropriate equipment. Make your selections and specify whether to append or replace the backup, select a time for the backup to run, and enter a back-up name (this name identifies the back-up operation, not the .BKF file the backup creates). Enter a user account with the appropriate permissions to run the back-up operation and then provide the password.

Before clicking Next to finish creating the back-up routine, click Set Schedule. Use the Schedule tab to specify how often and when the backup should run. Use the Settings tab to configure additional options, such as the length of time the backup has to complete the process and whether the backup should run even if the power fails and the system’s battery power kicks in.

Once those settings are configured, you’re finished with the wizard. You can rest assured all important steps have been considered (even if you’re interrupted mid-process by a telephone call).

#3: You must watch names when creating new backups

When creating backups using Windows Backup Or Restore Wizard, you need to provide a name for the back-up routine. In fact, you must enter two names — one to identify the back-up operation itself (the job name) and another for the actual .BKF file that Backup creates (the backup name). They’re easy to confuse, and worse, Windows Backup remembers the last names you used and displays them by default; it’s easy to overwrite an existing routine or back-up file when creating a second back-up operation. Take care to ensure you don’t accidentally overwrite an old back-up file or mistakenly alter an existing back-up operation when configuring new backups.

When using the Backup Or Restore Wizard, the first name you specify is for the back-up file itself. This is the data file the back-up operation creates. It’s entered on the wizard’s Backup Type, Destination, And Name screen.

Scheduling a backup triggers the Job Name box, found on the wizard’s When To Back Up menu. The name you enter there determines the job name used to administer the back-up operation.

#4: Advanced options are key

Advanced Options, accessed using the Advanced button found on the Backup Or Restore Wizard’s summary screen, shown in Figure C, provides access to critical settings. In addition to configuring the back-up type as described above, you use Advanced options to specify whether backups append or replace older backups and whether a backup is scheduled to run regularly.

When scheduling back-up routines, the Set Schedule button provides access to yet another set of tabs. The Schedule tab enables configuring the backup’s frequency, while the Settings tab, shown in Figure D, permits customizing Scheduled Task completion parameters, managing the system’s idle time, and setting power management.

Figure D

Critical power management and idle time settings are configured using the Settings tab reached by clicking the Set Schedule button from within Advanced options.

#5: You needn’t overcomplicate schedules/types

Microsoft exams and practice test companies love quizzing you on how you best recover from a disk failure if you’ve got a six-day-old Normal backup and five days of Incremental or Differential backups. Although such practices work well in theory, they’re more difficult to complete as intended in the real world. Office managers forget to replace the tapes or Rev Disks in a system and copy a Tuesday Differential over a Monday Differential. Disks get lost; tapes fail over time.

I recommend simply talking with clients or reviewing with corporate staff how much data you can afford to lose. Can you get by without a week’s worth of data? Then configure weekly Normal backups, ensure they complete properly, and get them off site. Regularly recover backups to ensure all necessary data is being properly protected.

However, some organizations need data backed up every day. In those cases, I recommend setting Windows Backup to complete Normal backups daily. Just be sure to keep several copies (at least a week’s worth, if not more) and rotate them. That way, if a user accidentally deletes a needed customer file on Monday and you don’t discover the problem until Friday, you still have a week-old backup from which you can obtain the file.

Still other companies can’t afford to lose even a half-day’s data. Microsoft Backup isn’t the solution for them. That’s when it’s time to turn to high-availability data provisioning services (such as RAID arrays and on-line backups).

#6: You likely need to replace–not append–backups

In most small and medium businesses, there’s no need to obtain more than a week or two’s worth of backups. Although for some it makes sense to keep master quarterly back-up copies forever, typically just replacing Normal backups works well as part of a regular rotation. Thus, many will elect to use the Windows Replace feature rather than the Append feature when configuring scheduled backups.

If circumstances require, you can append backups or add them to your media as opposed to replacing an existing backup. But more often than not, you’ll run out of storage space quickly. Most midsize businesses and many small businesses will be best served by maintaining fresh sets of operative Normal backups. Therefore, these organizations can simply replace existing backups.

Larger organizations requiring more complex data back-up regimens will be best served using a more sophisticated backup system. Because of Windows Backup’s simplicity, it quickly becomes unwieldy when trying to manage multiple back-up sets in small organizations. And trying to scale appending Incremental or Differential backups in addition to weekly Normal backups simply isn’t worth the effort in large enterprises, where more sophisticated systems help ease the tediousness of the process.

#7: Data compression is weak, so plan accordingly

If you need to back up 30GB daily, as I often do for everyone from one- or two physician-practice health care providers (due to patient records and x-ray images) to realty firms wishing to retain copies of various blueprints, contracts, and show house images, your backup requires a lot of storage space. Windows Backup works well for these businesses, but don’t expect the backup to compress data effectively.

Third-party tools typically outperform the compression capacities Windows Backup boasts. In larger backups I’ve configured for clients, I see little data compression result from Windows Backup (using standard removal hard drives, Rev Disks, and the like). Using tape technologies, additional compression benefits emerge.

When calculating media storage required to manage back-up routines, I recommend planning at least 12 months ahead. Thus, if you’re using Windows Backup and you must back up 12GB worth of data weekly, and the organization adds 500MB of new data a month, I’d recommend working with at least a 20GB tape or disk.

#8: Data verification can take forever

Windows Backup offers a data verification feature, which helps confirm that backups complete properly. Almost everyone advises that you use it. The option should be selected with care when creating larger backups, however, as the confirmation process can add an inordinate amount of time to the back-up operation. In one example I’ve seen in the field, a 32GB backup regularly and consistently failed to complete in eight hours due to the verification feature taking too long; when data verification was turned off, the backup completed much more quickly.

If you’re completing smaller (5GB or less) backups, consider selecting data verification (the Verify Data After Backup check box) from the Backup Or Restore Wizard’s How To Back Up screen. For larger backups, I recommend periodically verifying backups complete properly firsthand instead, by opening a backup and checking its uniformity.

#9: When scheduling backups, once is the default

It’s important to note that the default setting for the Schedule is Once. This is true even though you can set the backup to begin a week or months in advance. As a result, it’s easy to configure a Normal backup to occur on Friday at 11:00 p.m. and forget to select Weekly from the Scheduled Task drop-down box. If you don’t confirm that you’ve selected the appropriate frequency, you’ll wind up configuring a scheduled backup to run only once. When you create a new back-up routine using Windows backup, always be sure you specify that it run Later and click Set Schedule.

#10: You need to limit Backup’s default run time

Backups can easily suck up a system’s resources, not to mention network bandwidth (when backing up files from network shares). Add in the fact users are constantly making changes to files during regular business hours, and it’s easy to see why backups are traditionally programmed to occur during off hours.

When configuring Windows Backup, be sure to review the timeframe Windows allots the routine to complete. The default setting (reached by selecting Set Schedule and clicking the Settings tab from Advanced options) is 72 hours. That’s an incredibly long time, especially in the event that a back-up routine becomes stuck, confused, or locked in an endless access, read, or write cycle. You don’t want users rendered unable to access the server, network data, or the network. Configure reasonable run times and make it a habit to review backups and confirm that they’re completing within the allotted time.

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August 18, 2008

You’ll get a new Windows Update, like it or not


Scott Dunn By Scott Dunn

Microsoft will soon install a new version of Windows Update on your computer, even if you've set your PC not to download and install any updates.

With such a potential for confusion, it's a good idea for you to know what's going to be done to your machine by this important but often misunderstood tool.

When turning updates off really doesn't

Windows Secrets first disclosed on Sept. 13, 2007, that Microsoft had been silently downloading Windows Update (WU) executable components on users' computers — even when the users' auto-update settings required advance permission. At the time, Microsoft admitted in its Update Product Team blog that it has carried out this practice for many years, as I wrote in a follow-up column.

This time, Microsoft is being more up-front about its forthcoming refresh of Windows Update. For example, product manager Michelle Haven described in a blog post on July 3 some new features that the upgrade will add.

The new version will reportedly reduce the time WU takes to scan for and send out new updates. In addition, if you use the online version of WU, and you click an update for more information, the new version will offer you more links with additional details.

But the Redmond company hasn't changed the wording of the Control Panel settings that appear to prevent Windows Update from performing silent downloads — but don't.

In light of these potentially misleading controls, a few tricks on managing Windows Update are just what the doctor ordered.

To view your Windows Update options in Windows XP, press the Windows key plus R to open the Run box. (In Vista, just press the Windows key.) In both versions of Windows, type control wuaucpl.cpl and press Enter. In Vista, select Change settings on the left.

According to the aforementioned blog post, the Microsoft Update Product Team considers Windows Update to be turned on when any setting is selected except the last one:

Turn off Automatic Updates (in XP)
Never check for updates (in Vista)

Consequently, Windows Update itself may be updated even if you select an option such as:

Notify me but don't automatically download or install them (in XP)
Check for updates but let me choose whether to download and install them (in Vista)

Windows Update
Figure 1. Windows Update may automatically install some executable files, even if you set auto-update configuration to require permission.

If you prefer to decide for yourself when and whether to install updates, but you don't mind the Windows Update app upgrading itself, use either the second or third setting. For total control, select the last option. (You'll see regular warnings, which is the price of choosing this setting.)

Keep unwanted updates from bugging you

After you read warnings about a specific update — such as the ones Windows Secrets readers regularly see in Susan Bradley's Patch Watch column — you may decide that the fix is not for you. If you have one of the "notify me" options set (choice 2 or 3), you'll see an icon and possibly a pop-up menu in the taskbar tray endlessly pestering you to install the update.

To shut off notifications about a particular update in Windows XP, take these steps:

Step 1. Click the Windows Update icon in the taskbar tray to open the Automatic Updates control panel.

Step 2. Select Custom Install (Advanced) and click Next.

Step 3. Uncheck the items you don't want to install. Make a note of their Knowledge Base numbers in case you change your mind later. Then click Install (to install remaining items) or Close (if no items are checked).

Step 4. When the Hide Updates prompt appears, check Don't notify me about these updates again and click OK.

Step 5. If you later change your mind and want to install the items, surf on over to Microsoft's Download Center, enter the update's KB number in the Search box, and click Go. Follow the on-screen instructions to download and install the update.

To shut off notifications about a particular update in Windows Vista, take these steps:

Step 1. Click the Windows Update icon in the taskbar tray to open the Windows Update control panel.

Step 2. Choose View available updates below the Install Updates button.

Step 3. Find the update you don't want installed and uncheck its box.

Step 4. Right-click the update name and choose Hide update.

Step 5. Click the close box in the upper-right corner to close the window.

Step 6. To see this and other hidden updates in the future, reopen the Windows Update control panel and click Restore hidden updates in the left pane.

Tips for installing recalcitrant updates

Sometimes an update you want to install never gets loaded despite repeated attempts. What to do?

First, identify any updates that didn't get installed properly by going to the Windows Update or Microsoft Update site. Choose Start, Windows Update (or Microsoft Update) or Start, All Programs, Windows Update (or Microsoft Update).

In XP, click Review your update history on the left; in Vista, choose View update history. XP shows failed updates with a red X; in Vista, the word "failed" appears in the Status column. (Note that some updates may have failed to install on their first attempt but succeeded subsequently.)

Here's a checklist of things to try when attempting to coax an update to load:

Consult a troubleshooter. Windows logs troubleshooting info specifically for updates. In Vista's update history control panel, click the Troubleshoot problems with installing updates link above the list of installed updates.

XP's troubleshooter may offer more-specific info about the update. Start by checking out your update history as explained above. Click the red X icon to open a window of information about the update. Select and copy the error code in this window.

Browse to Microsoft's Windows Update Troubleshooter site (you'll probably need to use Internet Explorer). Press Ctrl+F to open a search dialog, paste the error code into the Find box, and click Next. You may find a link relating to that specific error.

If no such link appears, search for the same error code on Microsoft's Help and Support site or use one of the support sites I reviewed in my propecia is great color=”#000099″>July 10 column. Finally, try skimming through the list of symptoms on the Update Troubleshooter page to see whether any match those you're experiencing.

Clean up your act. If a specific update is listed as installed, but it's still offered to you repeatedly, scan your system for spyware and viruses. Windows Secrets contributing editor Scott Spanbauer rated on June 26 several free antivirus packages you can use to do this.

Take the Safe Mode route. If an update doesn't install properly in normal mode, try uninstalling it and then reinstalling it in Windows' Safe Mode.

Step 1. To uninstall an update, press Win+R to open the Run box (in Vista, simply press the Windows key), type appwiz.cpl, and press Enter. In XP, check Show updates at the top of the box and scroll to Windows XP – Software Updates. In Vista, click View installed updates on the left.

Make a note of the problematic update's KB number, click Remove (in XP) or Uninstall (in Vista), and follow the prompts on the screen.

Step 2. Browse to Microsoft's Download Center and enter the update's KB number in the Search box. Once you've found the update, download it to your desktop.

Step 3. Log into Windows' Safe Mode by rebooting your system and pressing F8 until you see a menu of startup options. Use the arrow keys to select Safe Mode and press Enter.

Once you're in Safe Mode, double-click the update on the desktop to install it.

Windows Update isn't the most transparent or easy-to-use tool, but at least it's built into Windows and can be made as automatic or as manual as you choose. Of course, you can always jettison Microsoft's updater in favor of one of the refreshers I reviewed on Oct. 4, 2007.

If you're having problems with Windows Update that aren't described above, read MS Knowledge Base article 906602 for official troubleshooting tips.

And, until Microsoft or a third party comes up with something better, keep reading Windows Secrets to determine which patches you need and which you can hold off on.

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How do I… set up multiple network interfaces in Windows XP?

  • Date: August 6th, 2008
  • Author: Scott Lowe

Network administrators need to know how to set up and manage multiple network interfaces.

———————————————–

As more networks are rolled out and more computers are shipped with multiple connection methods, the need for a workstation to participate in more than one network is becoming more common. Working with multiple adapters in Microsoft Windows XP can be a little intimidating at first, but it gets easier once you get into it.

This blog post is also available in PDF format in a TechRepublic download.

There are three scenarios that would require you to use more than one network interface on a machine. In the first, you’re physically connected to two separate networks; this would obviously require multiple network adapters (Figure A).

Figure A

A single PC connected to two networks with separate adapters

In the second, you have two separate IP networks at the office and need to be able to access both of them (Figure B).

Figure B

A single PC connected to two networks with one adapter

In the third, you have a single network adapter but are connected to multiple networks (Figure C). For example, you could have a remote small office network with a DHCP-assigned RFC 1918 address, but you would also need to connect to your network at the main office via a VPN connection. In any case, you’d need to set up XP to recognize any and all of the networks that you participate in.

Figure C

A single PC connected to two networks with one adapter but two connections

The language

You can reduce possible confusion by keeping a couple of terms in mind while reading this article. An adapter is a piece of hardware that you install in your system or a piece of software that you install under XP that emulates a network adapter, such as the loopback network adapter. Connection describes an individual connection to a network. Depending on how your network is configured, this can include multiple addresses. I’ll explain more about this later.

My configuration

I’m using a laptop with differing types of network adapters and connections so that I can show you a wide range of options. I have two physical network adapters installed — an 11-Mbps wireless adapter and a fixed 10/100 jack on the side of the laptop. I also have a modem with a dial-up connection that I use when I’m on the road. Other than that, I have a whole host of virtual adapters and connections that I will also explain.

Showing them all

In Windows XP, all network connections — dial-up, LAN, VPN, or FireWire (IEEE 1394) are shown in the Networking control panel. (Figure D)

Figure D

A listing of all the Windows XP network connections

You can see in Figure D that there are four categories of network interfaces under Windows XP. Dial-up connections are just that — connections to a dial-up ISP. I have only one, and I use it when I can’t connect to anything faster. Next on the list are my LAN or high-speed Internet connections. I have two adapters: an Intel 10/100-Mbps adapter and an 11-Mbps 802.11b D-Link wireless Ethernet adapter.

Next are Network Bridge adapters, which include my FireWire and VMware bridge network connections. Network Bridge connections work a little differently from other connections because they’re assigned addresses from a pool reserved by the actual bridge adapter, which is a piece of software. Often, bridge connections are used to communicate between the host (the Windows XP machine) and the remote end — a device such as a digital video camera or a certain kind of VMware session.

Finally, my VPN connections are listed. I almost always have one connection open to my work network when I’m working at home, and I keep Outlook running over it. (I’ve blacked out the name and IP address of the connection for security reasons.) The last connection is TechRepublic Tunneling Test, which I was using for testing.

Two physical connections

I’ll first go over installing two separate network adapters in a Windows XP machine because they’re the easiest to understand and troubleshoot. This connection method corresponds to Figure A.

In this scenario, there is a physical adapter for each individual connection on the machine. On the laptop that I’m using to write this article, these adapters could be considered the two physical jacks — the wireless adapter and the one on the side of the machine.

I’ve configured the Intel adapter, which is wired directly to my home network, to use DHCP for its address and have provided a static address for the wireless adapter to use. However, I haven’t provided the wireless adapter with a default gateway. Providing multiple default gateways to a Windows 2000 or XP machine can seriously confuse network issues, because the machine won’t know which one is the real default gateway.

To see IP addressing information, I issue the command ipconfig /all at the command line. Listing A shows the results for the two physical network adapters in my machine.

Listing A — Windows IP Configuration

Host Name . . . . . . . . . . . . : slowe-nb Primary Dns Suffix . . . . . . . : Node Type . . . . . . . . . . . . : Unknown IP Routing Enabled. . . . . . . . : No WINS Proxy Enabled. . . . . . . . : No Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection: Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : Description . . . . . . . . . . . : Intel 8255x-based PCI Ethernet Adapter (10/100) Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-20-E0-69-7F-AD Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : Yes Autoconfiguration Enabled . . . . : Yes IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.102 Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0 Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1 DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1 DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . : 209.183.205.35 209.183.192.65 Lease Obtained. . . . . . . . . . : Sunday, July 28, 2002 4:45:53 PM Lease Expires . . . . . . . . . . : Wednesday, July 31, 2002 4:45:53 PM Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection 5: Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : Description . . . . . . . . . . . : D-Link DWL-650 11Mbps WLAN Adapter Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-05-5D-D9-69-30 Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 10.10.10.2 Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0 Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Disabled

This listing shows me the IP address, network mask, gateway, and almost all other information related to networking that I would need. Notice that the names of the connections correspond to the names in Figure D. I’m also told whether this is a DHCP-assigned address.

When I attempt to ping an address on either network, Windows XP will use the appropriate interface. When you try to traverse beyond the routers that connect the workstation to these networks, things become a little trickier. After the router, your Windows workstation has no way to determine what lies beyond. It only knows about what is directly connected to it, unless you provide it with static routes or install the RIP Listener Service. For this reason, one of your connections must include a default gateway. This is the device that your Windows XP workstation will consider its “next hop” on the network when you attempt to access services that are beyond your directly connected networks.

To modify an address on an adapter, bring up a list of network connections by selecting Start | Control Panel | Network Connections. If you’re using Windows XP’s default Category View, browse to Start | Control Panel | Network And Internet Connections | Network Connections.

Note: I will not be using Category View. I find it less efficient than the classic view of the Control Panel.

Next, double-click the connection you wish to work with and click the Properties button to bring up the information related to that adapter. This screen will look similar to the one shown in Figure E.

Figure E

Adapter information

To bring up the TCP/IP properties, click TCP/IP and then click the Properties button. You will see a screen similar to the one shown in Figure F.

Figure F

TCP/IP properties

To change the TCP/IP address, enter the information you need and click OK.

Single NIC, multiple networks

Next on the list of complexity is connecting a workstation to two logically separate but physically connected networks, as shown in Figure B. This setup might occur, for example, if (1) you have separate departments using separate address spaces, (2) certain users need to be able to connect to services offered by both departments, and (3) everything is connected via switches with routers only at the edge of the network. This setup may also be done for security reasons, particularly when sensitive information is put on the network address space that isn’t connected to the router that goes out to the Internet.

In any case, you’d propecia insomnia need to be able to get workstations attached to both networks, which is actually a very easy task. First, decide which connection will have the default gateway. For the same reasons I mentioned earlier, using more than one gateway can be problematic. I always use the router with the connection out to the Internet as the default gateway because it lets me avoid adding routes to every host on the Internet — that wouldn’t be much fun.

Second, the address for the network connected to the Internet router must be assigned. When you assign multiple addresses to a NIC, they all must use static addressing. For my example, I’m going to use my wireless adapter and work with the IP addressing. I’ll then statically assign the second address.

To accomplish this, I’ll use a single network adapter with multiple network addresses. (You may have heard the terms “multihoming” or “binding multiple addresses” associated with this action.) To perform the action, bring up the TCP/IP properties for the network adapter that you wish to work with. On my system, the screen shown in Figure G shows my current configuration, with a single address assigned to the network adapter.

Figure G

Current configuration of my wireless adapter

To add an address, click the Advanced button, which will bring up a second properties screen, as shown in Figure H.

Figure H

Advanced TCP/IP properties

You need to work with three areas. The first is the IP Addresses section, which is where you’ll add the second IP address. You can see in Figure H that there is already one address assigned. The second section lists the default gateways currently defined on the machine. You can see that a single gateway is already defined. Finally, the network metrics section defines the order in which network information will be used. This information can be used to alleviate problems with multiple default gateways, but it isn’t always 100 percent reliable.

Adding a second address

To add the second address, click the Add button in the IP Addresses section of the window. You’ll be presented with a window that asks for the IP address and subnet mask for the new address, as shown in Figure I.

Figure I

Adding a second IP address

That’s all you need to begin accessing resources on the second network. Listing B shows the network parameters from an ipconfig /all command for this adapter. Notice that there are two entries for IP address now listed. This shows that Windows XP can communicate with both the 10.10.10 and the 10.10.11 networks over this single physical network connection.

Listing B

Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection 5: Connection-specific DNS Suffix . : Description . . . . . . . . . . . : D-Link DWL-650 11Mbps WLAN Adapter Physical Address. . . . . . . . . : 00-05-5D-D9-69-30 Dhcp Enabled. . . . . . . . . . . : No IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 10.10.11.2 Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0 IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 10.10.10.2 Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0 Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 10.10.10.1 NetBIOS over Tcpip. . . . . . . . : Disabled

Other types of connections

Windows XP can also work with other types of connections, such as VPN adapters, as evidenced by Figure D. In essence, these types of connections make use of one of the actual physical connections but show up as a separate, virtual connection, as shown in Figure C.

In the example shown in Figure D, a VPN connection was established over the WAN Miniport (PPTP) to a specific IP address. The WAN Miniport is a virtual port established in XP for just this purpose. The ipconfig /all listing for this connection is visible in Listing C. The IP addressing information in Listing C is DHCP assigned from the VPN server in my office, as are the remaining parameters, such as DNS servers and WINS information. Other than the fact that it is a software adapter and uses a real adapter to do its work, the VPN adapter works like the other adapters I have shown you.

System tray tip

Finally, I find it useful to enable icons in the system tray to get at-a-glance information about my network connections without having to open the Networking control panel (Figure J).

Figure J

Network information in the system tray

This information is more useful if you rename the network connections with something more descriptive than Local Network Connection. You can enable a system tray icon for any adapter — hardware- or software-based — by selecting the Show Icon In Notification Area When Connected check box on the properties page for the adapter.

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How do I… add Macs to a Windows workgroup?

  • Date: July 30th, 2008
  • Author: Erik Eckel

Your network administrators have to be able to incorporate Windows, Apple, and Linux workstations.

—————————————————————————

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, Macs are likely to be on your network. Fortunately, advances within Apple’s OS X operating system simplify connecting Windows XP and Macs on the same network. Windows administrators can follow these steps to add Macs to Windows workgroups.

This blog post is also available in the PDF format in a TechRepublic download.

Verify the PC side

After confirming the Windows and Mac systems all have Ethernet connections and required switches or wireless connectivity, begin by verifying the Windows workgroup name (Figure A):

  1. Click Start.
  2. Right-click My Computer and select Properties.
  3. Select the Computer Name tab.
  4. Note or record the name of the workgroup you wish to add the Mac to.

Figure A

Verify the Windows workgroup name by right-clicking My Computer, selecting Properties, and clicking the Computer Name tab.

Next, confirm the Windows workgroup is sharing the appropriate files within the workgroup:

  1. Click Start.
  2. Double-click My Computer.
  3. Verify the appropriate folders are shared (look for the folder held by a blue hand icon (Figure B), thereby indicating the resource is being shared).

Figure B

The blue hand icon notes shared resources.

Once you’ve confirmed the right Windows files are being shared, or if you only wish to share a printer, check to ensure a printer or printers are being shared by:

  1. Clicking Start.
  2. Clicking Printers and Faxes.
  3. Confirming a printer is being shared (look for the same blue hand icon indicating the printer is a shared resource).

 Before connecting the Mac units to the workgroup, you need to review the users/groups and permissions associated with the shared resources (to ensure you can properly configure the Macs to connect to the resources). For each shared resource:

  1. Right-click the shared resource and select Properties from the pop-up menu.
  2. Click the Security tab (Figure C).
  3. Note the group or user names receiving access to the resource.
  4. Note the specific permissions each group or user receives.
  5. Make any required adjustments to group and user permissions using the supplied Add and Remove buttons.
  6. Click OK (if you’ve made any changes or just close the window).

Figure C

Use the Permissions tab to configure specific permissions for users and groups.

If you don’t see permissions listed specifically for each user, your Windows XP system is likely set to Simple File Sharing. To turn Simply File Sharing off and enable more granular control of file and printer shares:

  1. Click Start.
  2. Select My Computer.
  3. Click Tools.
  4. Click Folder Options.
  5. Select the View tab.
  6. Within the Advanced settings window, scroll toward the bottom, find the Use Simple File Sharing (Recommended) check box, and ensure it’s deselected.
  7. Click OK.

Mac

Now you’re ready to move to the Mac. To connect the Mac to an existing Windows workgroup:

  1. Click on the Dock’s Finder icon.
  2. Click on Network in the Finder’s left sidebar (Figure D).
  3. Click on Workgroup.
  4. Select the system hosting the resources you wish to connect to.
  5. Click the Connect button.
  6. Enter the workgroup name and a user name and password possessing permissions to access the resource within the SMB window that appears and click OK (Figure E).
  7. Select the resource you wish to connect to, then click OK (Figure F).
  8. Once the Windows-based resources appear in the Finder, simply drag an item from the Finder to the Mac Desktop to begin using it (Figure G).

Figure D

Use Finder on the Mac to begin sharing resources.

Figure E

You’ll have to provide the workgroup name and a valid Windows user name and password to connect to Windows resources from the Mac.

Figure F

Specify the resources you wish to connect to on the Windows network.

Figure G

Windows resources will appear within Finder once the Mac completes its connection to the Windows system.

Often, workgroup names won’t match up perfectly. Many Windows XP systems are set to use “MShome” as their workgroup, while others use the standard “Workgroup” workgroup name. The Mac uses the default Workgroup name. However, if you wish to change the Mac’s default workgroup name, follow these steps:

  1. Click the Dock’s Finder icon.
  2. Click Applications.
  3. Scroll to the Utilities folder and select it.
  4. Double-click Directory Access (Figure H).
  5. Enable changes by clicking the padlock.
  6. Provide an Administrator account user name and password.
  7. Double-click SMB/CIFS.
  8. Enter the workgroup name you wish to use in the resulting window or select it from the provided drop-down menu.
  9. Click Apply.
  10. Close Directory Access.

Figure H

Use the Mac’s Directory Access utility to turn on Windows Sharing.

Sharing resources

To share Mac-based resources with the Windows systems within a workgroup, sit at the Mac and perform these steps:

  1. Click the Dock’s System Preferences icon.
  2. Click Sharing within the Internet & Network section.
  3. Ensure the checkbox for Windows Sharing is checked.
  4. Click the Accounts button.
  5. Check the boxes to specify which Mac accounts are authorized to use Windows Sharing.
  6. Ensure Windows Sharing is on; if it’s not, click the Start button.

Next, move to a Windows system from which you wish to access Mac resources and do the following:

  1. Click Start.
  2. Click My Network Places.
  3. Click View Workgroup Computers from the Network Tasks window; the Mac system may appear.
  4. If the Mac system didn’t appear within My Network Places, go to plan B; click Add a Network Place within the Task Pane.
  5. When the Add Network Place Wizard appears, click Next.
  6. Highlight Choose Another Network Location and click Next.
  7. Within the Internet or network address box, specify the Mac system’s IP address (which can typically be found by clicking the Dock’s System Preferences icon on the Mac, selecting Network, and choosing Built-in Ethernet from the Show drop-down menu), followed by the Mac user name, then click Next. Note this is an absolutely critical step: the network address must be entered as \\10.0.0.1\john if the Mac’s IP address is 10.0.0.1 and the user name is john (Figure I).
  8. Specify a name for the network place and click Next.
  9. Click Finish.
  10. The Mac resources will then appear within Windows.

Figure I

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Once configured, accessing Mac resources from a Windows system is just like accessing resources on another Windows box.

Finally, to print to a printer hosted by a Windows system using a Mac:

  1. Click the Dock’s System Preferences icon.
  2. Click the Print & Fax icon within the Hardware section.
  3. Click the Lock (if it’s closed) to enable changes (and provide an administrator user name and password).
  4. Click the Plus icon to add a printer.
  5. Click the More Printers button.
  6. Ensure Windows Printing is selected from within the first drop-down menu.
  7. Ensure Network Neighborhood is selected from within the second drop-down menu.
  8. Highlight the workgroup possessing the printer you wish to print to and click Choose.
  9. Highlight the Windows workstation hosting the printer and click Choose.
  10. Enter a Windows user name and password possessing permissions to print to the printer and click OK.
  11. Select the printer from the Printer Browser menu.
  12. Specify the printer model using the supplied drop-down menu (or select the Generic listing).
  13. Click the Add button.
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