Windows 9X Networking

Internet Connection Sharing

Windows 98SE provides users the ability to share one Internet connection with multiple computers on a network. One computer, the Connection Sharing computer, communicates with the Internet. Requests from other computers on your home network are routed to the Internet through the Connection Sharing computer. You can also configure Internet Connection Sharing to allow users on the Internet to reach Web, e-mail, and game servers that are on your home network.

Overview

With Internet Connection Sharing, one computer on your home network, called the Connection Sharing computer, has an Internet connection and provides private IP addresses and name resolution services for the other computers on the home network. Then, the other computers on your network can access the Internet through the Connection Sharing computer using private IP Network Addressing Translation (NAT).

When a computer on your network sends a request to the Internet, its private IP address is transmitted to the Connection Sharing computer, which translates it to the Internet IP address of the Connection Sharing computer, and then sends it on to the Internet. When the results are returned, the Connection Sharing computer translates the IP address back again and routes it to the correct computer on your network. The only computer on your home network visible to the Internet is the Connection Sharing computer. None of the other computers on your home network has a direct connection to the Internet. When automatic addressing is enabled, Internet Connection Sharing uses the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) to dynamically assign private IP addresses to all computers on the home network. You can also disable the automatic addressing service and statically assign an IP address to each computer on the network.

Before you can use Internet Connection Sharing, all computers on the network must have network adapters installed. Then, choose the computer that will be the Connection Sharing computer and use it to establish the connection to the Internet using your preferred method. This can be with a modem, two-way cable modem, ISDN, ADSL, or a dial-up adapter.

NOTE: If you are using a Cable Modem or ADSL, you will have TWO (2) network cards in this system; one for the local network and one for the Internet connection share. Please verify the network card names or numbers for the local network. This will be required in the following steps.

Run the Internet Connection wizard to help you establish your connection. Once your Internet connection is established and known to be working, install Internet Connection Sharing, and then configure the Connection Sharing computer and all other computers on the network. You can also configure computers on your network to use file and print sharing, so that they can access these resources from each other. Internet Connection Sharing prevents access to the shared resources from the Internet.

The Internet Connection Sharing wizard will set the IP address of the Connection Sharing computer to 192.168.0.1. Other computers on your home network can be set statically to any IP address in the range from 192.168.0.2 to 192.168.0.253; however, it is best to allow them to use DHCP.

Installation of ICS

NOTE: The Main system CANNOT be connected to a DHCP server in a single NIC config. Since ICS assigns a static IP to the NIC in a single NIC configuration, this causes the "Cannot connect to Network Error"

If you are connecting to the Internet using a modem Insure Dialup Networking is installed. If you connect using a cable modem this will not be necessary but there will need to be two network cards installed the connection-sharing computer.

1. Go to Control Panel - Add Remove Programs- Windows Setup- Internet Tools. Then, put a Check mark in Internet Connection Sharing then click ok. If you do not have your CD in the drive it will ask for it. Files are copied.
   

2. The Internet Connection Wizard starts. Click next
   
   

3. Next screen asks "What type of Connection to the INTERNET?" Make your choice and click NEXT.
   

4. Next screen asks "What type of Connection to LOCAL network (your second system or hub)?" Make your choice from the NICs that are shown.
   

5. Next screen informs you that you must make a Client Configuration disk. Insert disk in Floppy drive and click next
   

6. After the disk is made the system must reboot.
   

7. When the system reboots, go back to Control Panel-Internet Options-Connections-LAN Settings-Sharing

Internet Properties in Control Panel

Dial Up Connection View

High Speed Connection View

ICS Sharing button brings this screen up.

Make sure Enable Internet Connection Sharing is checked.

NOTE: At this point, ICS still is not functional. You will need to install the Internet connection-sharing client on the computers attached to the home network to have a functional ICS connection. It is not necessary for File and Print sharing to be installed on all computers for ICS to work. To be able to share resources between all the computers on the home network when using ICS File and Print sharing on all computers on the home network, and files or directories will need to be shared

To edit Internet Sharing settings, click Sharing under LAN and Internet Sharing Settings.

The next screen informs you that you must make a Client Configuration disk. Insert disk in Floppy drive and click next.

Networking Properties - ICS additions

Dial Up Connection View

High Speed Connection View

ICS Sharing button brings this screen up.

Networking Properties - ICS TCP/IP Assignments

Automatic TCP/IP settings on Server NIC

To configure other computers on your home network

1. Ensure that a network adapter is installed on each computer on your home network. If not, see the documentation that came with the adapter to install the hardware.
2. Make sure that TCP/IP is installed and configured to assign IP addresses automatically on each computer on the home network.
3. Configure applications that can connect to the Internet, such as Internet Explorer or Outlook Express, to use your home network instead of connecting directly to the Internet. For more information, see the documentation that came with these applications.
4. Install the internet connection sharing client on all computers connected to the home network Note The client should not be installed on the internet connection sharing computer
5. Run WINIPCFG to verify TCP/IP address

   Note: It is recommended that the Connection Sharing computer dynamically assign IP addresses to all other computers on your home network.

6. Next screen informs you that you must make a Client Configuration disk. Insert disk in Floppy drive and click next.

Installing the Internet connection sharing client

1. Insert the Client in the Floppy drive Click start go to run typeA:\icsclset.exe and click ok
2. Click Next
   

3. If the Internet connection-sharing computer is connected to the Internet, check the box to immediately connect you the Internet though your network then Click Finish
   

4. You can check to see if the Internet connection-sharing computer is delegating the computers on the home network an IP address by clicking start run and type winipcfg

   Note: It is recommended that the Connection Sharing computer dynamically assign IP addresses to all other computers on your home network