Each workstation must be loaded with an operating system that has a networking component.
These components enable you to configure the hardware and install communications protocols.
Once installed, the protocols must be “bound” to the adapter and other utilities. Most operating
systems including Windows, Linux and Unix have these components built into them (although
this was not always the case), and because the TCP/IP protocol suite is the de facto standard for
network connections, these operating systems come pre-configured with drivers for these
protocols. Our next step is to configure the components using software.
Step 2 Configuring the software
a. Turn on each computer, let it boot up and log in as necessary. Computers are
generally shipped so that they can be plugged into a network immediately. Let’s have a look at
each computer’s configuration and make some changes. The steps listed below assume that you
are using Windows 8.1 on both computers, but can be easily accomplished with Windows 7 or
Vista2
. Perform the following steps on both computers:
b. Let’s first look at the network adapter. Open the “Network and Sharing Center”
window. Click Start ►Control Panel ►Network and Internet ►Network and Sharing Center; or
right click the “Network” icon on the taskbar (notification area) and select “Open Network and
Sharing Center” from the popup menu. See Figure 2