Info

The most basic goal of any network is to create a connection between two points that is capable of an exchange of information.

The good news is, its easier than you think. The bad news is, I'm going to go in to great technical detail regarding TCP/IP and subnets. Fortunately you should be able to read the first part and get enough out of it to "Just Make The Damn Thing Work". But! I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's start with the basics. HARDWARE

Nuts & Bolts

If you are only connecting two systems together, all you need is a network card (NIC) for each system and a special network cable called a Crossover Cable. The NICs go in to the computers and the Crossover cable plugs directly in to each network card. This is even easier than hooking up the VCR to the TV!!!

If you want to network 3 or more computers, things get slightly, though not too much, more complicated. You will still need a NIC for each computer. Instead of a crossover cable, you will need to buy a regular ol' Category 5 patch cable for each computer in the network. In addition you will need to purchase a Hub or a Switch.

Hubs and Switches -- There are several things to consider when purchasing your hub or switch.

• Speed - The two most common speeds for networks right now are 10 M/bit (Prounounced MEG'UH-bit) and 100 M/bit. Ten megabit is satisfactory for most games particularly if you only have 3 or 4 systems. You will find that as you add more systems you will probably want to go to a one-hundred megabit network, which will also be noticeably snappier even with fewer systems.
• Ports - This refers to the number of computers that a Hub or a Switch can be attached to at a given time.
• Hub or Switch - While switches have other advantages over hubs, the most noticeable is the ability of the switch to allow more than one computer to "talk" at the same time. With a hub only one system on your network can be transmitting information at a time. While this might seems like a crippling factor to your network, the speeds at which computers operate tend to overcome most of this problem. However, a switch will again be noticeably faster particularly when more and more computers are involved in your network.
• Price - Obviously, based on performance alone, a 100 M/bit switch would be the best choice. As usual, though, you get what you pay for. A 10 M/bit hub with 5 ports is going to be substantially cheaper than a 100 M/bit switch with 24 ports. You will have to decide how you want to balance cost versus performance.