[pchelpers] Re: Networking - Calling on all computer gurus forhelp

Hi Scott

> EGlnl> When i bought my new XP (i still regret not buying a Mac! --
> EGlnl> but i'll be getting Linux soon), i thought i'd just try and see
> EGlnl> if the MS hype about XP and easy networking is true. Haha, a
> EGlnl> good example of M$ lies. They
> 
> It IS easy. Try it in DOS, Win 3.1, or original Win 95 and you'll
> understand in a hurry!  :)

Yes, you're right, but having the cheek to call something good or 
excellent when it is (or recently became) only better than bad is the 
basis of all M$ lies, and typical of all monopolies and lack of freedom 
in society in general too.

I've heard that networking was a cinch with Macs right from the start, 
entailing literally no more than plugging a wire into another one. Is 
that true?

> It's still available in XP Pro (I see later that you know this
> already). It'll probably also work if you have XP home and can get the
> two needed files from the XP Pro CD.

I find it incredible that MS doesn't offer NetBEUI on their Web site 
since it's not in laptops and these are apparently usually (always?) 
sold without a CD.

> Nowadays, it's only really good for home networks (see below), and I
> doubt that most people would bother to set up two protocols, when can
> use just one to share files AND get internet connectivity, even though
> it's safer that way.

If i've understood correctly the compatibility needs of older MS(!) 
computers and the security issues involved, NetBEUI should be 
automatically installed as the default home network protocol in all 
computers sold to normal consumers.

Although i'm no expert, i'm quite sure it would be possible to program 
computers in such a way that a normal consumer wouldn't have to do more 
than plug a cable into two computers to have them recognize each other 
and wouldn't have to do more than plug one of them into a phone jack and 
type in a phone number to get Internet connectivity.

That way, users wouldn't and shouldn't(!) have to even know that they're 
using two different protocols.

> You can also use IPX/SPX instead, although I don't like it as well as
> NetBEUI.

I'm curious to know what's not so good about it -- if you have the time.

> EGlnl> You probably know this, and probably also that the experts are
> EGlnl> furious that MS chose the same protocol (TCP/IP) for file
> EGlnl> sharing that is used in the Internet. This makes it quite easy
> EGlnl> for hackers to break into many computers, depending on the
> 
> Unfortunately true, although in single-computer environments, it's not
> really an issue. 

But aren't home networks becoming very common due to almost everybody 
having several MS machines standing around due to both forced 
"obsolescence" and increased need? I mean, no honest company would think 
of selling any other consumer article with that kind of a severe but 
hidden security risk, and the regulating government bodies would be up 
in arms, requiring public info campaigns, callbacks, and free repair 
jobs (that wouldn't be mislabeled "updates"!)

> EGlnl> Before you do anything else, make sure you always restart *all*
> EGlnl> computers *individually* even if you changed a setting on only
> 
> If getting ghost computers (names that no longer exist because you
> renamed then, or names that have the wrong IP address associated with
> them, due to network caches remembering the names), you should make
> sure that they're all off at the same time. Either that or be prepared
> to wait for an uncertain length of time for the problem to go away
> when the caches expire. I ran into a cacheing problem just Friday
> night.

Are you saying "all off at the same time" is enough, or is this in 
addition to the homenethelp advice "all off one at a time"?

> Most definitely shut down everything and then restart everything,
> before you assume that you're done.... it's not so bad with Win2K/XP,
> but with Win95/98, you could sometimes change something, and it would
> NOT ask you to reboot, but the change could kill something later on
> when you DID reboot.  Note that a change to a system may require that
> OTHER systems be rebooted; that's probably the problem that you had
> that you mention in the PracticallyNetworked thread.

Yes, that's what i explained there, and the "expert" didn't even say 
thank you for the heads up. I mean he's wasting his own time and that of 
many others by not telling them the two most important basic things 
about setting up a home network, and spending hours beating around the 
bush with long, obtuse, and complicated sidetracks, excuses, and silly 
accusations.

I experienced the problem exactly the other way around; my 98 always 
demanded a restart, but my XP never did. So my 98 "reminded" me to do 
the same with the XP, but i would never have thought that i need to also 
restart the other computer that i didn't change any settings on since 
the last reboot!

> EGlnl> even though, for example, my case of a combined ADSL modem +
> EGlnl> router is missing.
> 
> Should be basically the same as separate DSL/cable modem and router.

So is it as dangerous to use them with TCP for file sharing as my combo 
box? Why did the practicallynetworked forum's expert keep claiming i've 
got a rare case and that almost nobody else needs to use NetBEUI or 
anything else except the dangerous TCP?

> There are quite a few security-related things that are inadequately
> documented; you're supposed to change this or that to improve
> security, but the documentation is frequently less than clear what the
> side-effects of the changes are, so you're pretty much in the position
> of making the change just to see if it's workable or not, and if
> something fails, you don't really know if it's because of that change
> or because of something else.

Compared to this nightmare, "normal" computer problems are fun and games!

Ekhart

Regards, John Durham (list moderator) <http://modecideas.com/contact.html?sig>
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