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Designing A Home Network How to determine what you want, how to achieve it, and some of how to build it

Everyone in the Daynotes Gang has a home network; I'm no exception. My hosts file lists seven entries, one of which is the DSL router. Like most of the other members, my network changes configuration more often than the seasons; workstations change, servers change, disappear, or are added; services are upgraded or eliminated. OSes are updated and changed. Cables grow like weeds, spreading through the room and expanded out into other areas of the house.

Amazing as it may seem, this is all planned, at least at the time. <G> I don't claim that it's always planned well, but it is planned.

The first step is to decide what you want your network to do. For example, I expect my home network to provide internet connectivity, web, email, and DNS services, private file storage, printing, and backup. I expect it to provide all of those services for two local workstations, a limited number of external systems, and email access for me from work.

Those are not all of the possible services your home network you could offer; other possibilities are FTP, IRC (Internet Relay Chat), and database information storage. Similarly, my home network is based on 10/100 Mb wired networking; you might also select gigabit ethernet, wireless networking, or 2 Mb CAT3 networking. Our internet connectivity is provided by a DSL line and router; you may select a cable modem, dial-up, satellite, ISDN, leased line, or T1 (or even higher, if your "home" is owned by someone wealthy enough to afford it.)

Let's say you've decided on a cable modem. You want to provide a workstation for yourself and your husband, plus one for your (flip a coin... heads!) daughter. Your network will be wired to your machine and your husband's, with your daughter's workstation connected via a wireless link. You also want to provide file storage and printer access for everyone. Because of your daughter's age, you want to ability to restrict and even cut off her access to the internet. (We've all seen the MSN ads...) (NOTE: This list matches the most common configurations I hear from people. That does not mean it's the best, only, or easiest; it is none of the above.)

OK, now you have your list. Next, it's time to look at what you have available. You have your workstations, plus an old Packard Bell Pentium-90 in the garage that still boots. You have a network card for your machine and your husband's, but nothing in your daughter's or in the old Packard Bell. Your machine is overdo for an upgrade; it's a Pentium III 500, and some things just aren't running like they used to.

You decide that you'll start by wiring your workstations into the network, and using the old Packard Bell to provide security and internet sharing. You'll share printers from your workstation, and put file sharing on hold until you can add another system to the network to be a server. Since your daughter's room is across the house from your home office, you've decided on a wireless network link. Two wireless network cards cost you about $200.

After installing the first card in your daughter's machine, and testing it, you start on the old Packard Bell. You dust it off, add the wireless network card and two regular wired network cards, and check to make sure the system still boots. It has a Pentium-90, 32 MB of RAM, and a 1 GB hard drive, which all work, plus an old CD-ROM drive and floppy. You could install Linux, you suppose - but you're not really an expert in it, you've just used it a few times at work. On the other hand, you have a Windows license, and you know you can install that - but what about all the reports of security problems? It's now time to call a friend. You can set up the network between the workstations, you can share the printer connected to your machine, but you're not quite sure what to do next. It's time to call in some help.

You call a friend who's done this before, and he recommends a guy he knows who sets up home networks on the side; when you talk to him, you find that he's willing to finish the job for you in a few hours at a reasonable price. You tell him what you want, and he agrees with your planning, and suggests the next weekend as the project date; he'll even show you how to manage the basics of the system yourself or (for a monthly fee) maintain the system for you.

When he arrives, he installs RedHat Linux on the Packard Bell. He shows you the basic system settings, and explains what he's doing:

"I'm not installing any of the development packages, Ms. Smith, just the basics. The three network cards are labelled eth0, and that's the one that goes to the cable modem; if you look here, we've set that card up to get it's IP address from your cable modem, so you don't have to worry about that. Then this one, the wireless card, is for your daughter; it's set to use the address 10.0.0.1, with a netmask of 255.255.255.0. That means we could put 253 other machines on that network, but I've got it set so only the card in your daughter's computer can connect to it; that way no one else can steal 'Net access from you."

"The other network card is for you, your husband, and later on for the server. You're on a separate network for you daughter because you wanted to be able to block your daughter's network access. Well, here you go - just use your web browser to go to this page here, and click this button - and she can't get out to the outside world. You can also use this form here to set a time - after 10 PM, for example, her internet access disappears. And that's all there is to it."

So now you've got the network you wanted - it took some thought on your part, a little money, and in the end, a little bit of help. But now, everything's running just the way you want it.

That said, this was overly simple. There are always problems. Hardware conflicts, money issues, a network cable that won't quite reach where you want it to go. And, of course, after a few weeks you start thinking to yourself "but I could move this over there, and add that new system here, and then I could..." and the whole game starts over. Which is where "help" comes in.

I, like most of the Daynotes Gang, are more than willing to help answer questions, and even dispense advice. If you're trying to set up something on your home system - or trying to create a home network - and you're stuck, well don't bother to hesitate - just send an email. I'll promise an answer to the best of my ability to do so, and I won't charge you for it. Ever. Just like I won't charge for you to access this site. Ever. (For one thing, if I did, then you'd have the right to demand timely updates, decent content, and a nice layout - and I couldn't handle that...<G>)

But now you say you need some extra help. You know what you want, but you don't know how to get there - and as for setting it up, well, that's a whole 'nother story. OK. I can't help you out if you're in Bora Bora or in Peoria. But, if you're in the Seattle area - say, between Tacoma and Bellingham, west of the Cascades, including the Islands, Bainbridge, and Bremerton - well, then we can make a deal. Free, no. But I could use a little extra cash - couldn't we all? - and always reserving the right to refuse a job, or refer you to someone else, I'm willing to build systems and networks for individuals, families, and companies.

What's the price? I dunno. We'll start with hardware & travel costs and work from there. It depends on the job. If the job basically requires me to do a little thinking and reply - ie, "What's your opinion on the best way to achieve _______" - thenI'll probably just answer the question. If it's "design a network that will do ________", then we'll have to talk. If it requires me to go somewhere, then it'll definitely cost something. But not as much as the psychiatrist visits to get over your fear of cable crimpers. <G>