Worksheet 5
Building Local Area Network (LAN)
1. Building a Peer-to-Peer Network
Objective
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Create a simple peer-to-peer network between two PCs.
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Identify the proper cable to connect the two PCs.
Configure workstation IP address information.
Test connectivity by using the ping command.
Step 1 Identify the proper Ethernet cable and connect two PCs
1.1 What kind of cable is required to connect from PC to PC?
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1.2 Plug the two ends of the cable into the NIC ports of two PCs.
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Step 2 Verify the physical connection
2.1 If the connection is detected by the NICs, the link light on NIC will be
lit. Are both link lights lit?
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2.2 To verify the connection, you can also read the status of NIC in
adapter settings. Press Start > Control Panel > Network and Sharing
Center > Change adapter settings.
Step 3 Configure TCP/IP settings
3.1 Press Start > Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center > Change
adapter settings. Right-click on the NIC icon which you want to
manually configure, choose Properties. The following figure shows the
NIC Properties.
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3.2 Double-click on Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4).
3.3 Choose Use the following IP address. In the space below input the IP
Address, Subnet Mask and Default Gateway for your computer. Also,
input the Preferred DNS Server if there’s any. The follow diagram
shows the TCP/IP Properties.
3.4 Set the IP address information for each PC according to the following.
Note that the default gateway IP address is NOT required, since these
computers are directly connected. The default gateway is ONLY
required on local area network that is connected to a router.
3.5 Click OK twice to finish your configurations.
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Step 4 Confirm the TCP/IP network settings
4.1 Open the Command Prompt.
4.2 What commands can be used to display the TCP/IP settings of the
PC?
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Step 5 Verify that the PCs can communicate
5.1 Test connectivity from one PC to the other by pinging the IP address
of the opposite computer. Use the following command at the
command prompt:
ping 192.168.1.1 (or 192.168.1.2)
5.2 Look for a successful result. If not, check the physical connection and
TCP/IP settings for both PCs.
Step 6 Configure IPv6 address
6.1 Repeat step 3.1, this time double-click on Internet Protocol Version 6
(TCP/IPv6).
6.2 Input a static IPv6 address:
Computer A: 2001:db8:acad:1::3
Computer B: 2001:db8:acad:1::4
For Subnet prefix length, input 64
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6.3 Click OK twice to finish your configurations.
6.4 Verify the TCP/IP settings by using ipconfig
6.5 Ping the computer from each other to verify the connectivity.
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2. Building a Switched-based Network
Objective
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Create a simple network with two or more PCs using a switch.
Identify the proper cables to connect the PCs to the switch.
Configure workstation IP address information.
Test connectivity by using the ping command.
Step 1 Identify the proper Ethernet cables and connect the devices
1.1 What kind of cable is required to connect from PC to switch?
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1.2 How many ports are there on a switch? What is the maximum
number of PCs you can connect with this switch?
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1.3 Get the cables needed (you may need more than one cable) and plug
the cables into the NIC ports and ports on a switch.
Step 2 Verify the physical connection
If the connection is detected by the NICs and switch, the link light on
NIC and LED light of the switch port will be lit. Are the lights lit?
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Step 3 Configure TCP/IP settings and test the connectivity
3.1 Set the IP address information for each PC.
Computer
IP Address
Subnet Mask
Default Gateway
PC-A
192.168.1.xx
255.255.255.0
Not Required
PC-B
192.168.1.yy
255.255.255.0
Not Required
PC-C
192.168.1.zz
255.255.255.0
Not Required
…
….
…
…
Note that each PC on the same LAN should have a unique IP
address. To connect multiple PCs together, a good IP addressing
scheme is required to ensure no IP will be duplicated. You can use
the port no. of your NIC as the last octet of the IP address.
3.2 Use the ping command to test connectivity from one PC to the other
PCs connecting through the switch. Use the following command at the
command prompt:
ping 192.168.1.xx (the IP address of another PC on the LAN)
3.3 Look for a successful result. If not, check the physical connection and
TCP/IP settings.
Step 4 Restore
4.1 Reset the IP to default setting “Obtain an IP address automatically”
4.2 Disconnect the equipment, and return the cables
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