Configuration

IN THIS SECTION:

A Nice Diagram
Plugging in the First Computer
Configuring the Computer
Configuring the Router
Testing the Connection to the Outside World
Adding Additional Computers

A Nice Diagram

Plugging in the First Computer

Hopefully, you have an ethernet (network) card in your computer. If you do, and it works, the following step should be pretty easy:

Plug one end of a standard, straight-through ethernet cable into port 1 on the DSL router (if the router only has one port and not four or more, this port may simply be labeled "local."

Plug the other end of that cable into the network card on your computer. If everything is connected correctly, you should get a solid green light (that occasionally blinks" on the front of the router under "local" or, if the router has multiple ports, under "port 1." Additionally, you should get a solid green light on the back of the network card in your computer. Network cards have more than one green light sometimes. The best way to make sure that a solid green light comes on when you connect the cable is to plug the cable into the router first, and then watch the back of the card as you snap the other end of the cable into the network card.

Configuring the Computer

Now, you have to get this first computer talking to the router. The following steps are standard across Windows 95 to Windows XP, though the windows may look slightly different.

You forst need to get to the networking properties panel in Windows. In all versions of windows, this can be accessed through the Control Panel under Networking.

In Windows 2000/XP, you want to right click on the connection named "local area connection" and left click on "properties"

In Windows 95/98, the above window will come up when you open the Networking program in the control panel. Additionally, TCP/IP will be coupled with the name of your network card. It may also appear in other instances, coupled with the name of your modem, perhaps. Make sure you click on the TCP/IP associated with your network card, and hit "Properties"

In Windows 2000/XP, simply select Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) as above, and hit properties.

In either platform, there are two things you need to either change, or make sure they are set correctly.

Obtain an IP address automatically, AND Obtain DNS server automatically. In Windows 95/98, these two settings will be on different tabs, but they will have the same options as above.

On both platforms, hit "OK" twice, so that you are completely out of the networking configuration windows.

On both platforms, you should restart the computer, whether you are asked to or not.

Once you have rebooted and are back into windows, do the following:

Click on the Start Menu
Click on Run
Type in "command"

When the black window appears, type in "ipconfig"
With any luck, something like the following should come up:

Most importantly, make sure that the default gateway is 192.168.0.1

Configuring the Router

Fire up your favorite web browser and type in http://192.168.0.1

Type in admin as username and either password or 1234 as the password.

Now, the next step will vary depending on the model of router you get, but you generally need to enter in only three pieces of information--the rest is correct, by default.

Make sure that Encapsulation is set to PPPoE
Enter in your username, generally including the @sbcglobal.net suffix (or whatever service you are using)
Enter in your assigned password.

Also, you should now change the default password for the router to something obscure. Use a combination of numbers and letters, and make it rather obscure.

This password is different than the one you just entered for your username and password. the old password should be 1234 or password, whichever worked in that initial username/password window that popped up.

Now, close the browser window, and try to type in an address in a new browser window, http://www.giip.org, for example.

Plugging in Additional Computers

Follow the steps above for configuring the first computer. If you have a router that has more than one port, simply use the next open port on the router. If there is only one port on the router, connect a switch to that one port on the router, and then connect multiple computers to that switch.