Set up a small computer network
Networking a Small Office
A local network is a connection between two or more computers that allows the computers to share files or printing services. The equipment needed is now so inexpensive that a network usually makes sense even for a small grassroots organization with two or three computers. Wireless networks are also becoming affordable -- although at the present time there are still unaddressed concerns about the security of these networks.
Inexpensive networks come in two speeds: 10Mb and 100Mb. Networks that can handle the faster speed are used to be more expensive, but that is no longer the case. You won't need the faster of these speeds for browsing the Internet, as the "broadband" connections now available are far slower than 10b (Mb stands for megabits per second, and one MB per second is about 25,000 words of text per second). But it will come in handy if you ever use your network to back up or transfer the contents of one computer to the other (an extremely handy capability).
The steps in creating a network are as follows:
1) See if any of your computers or printers have a network card. This is usually indicated by a double-wide phone jack on the back of your computer (also called an "RJ45" connector).
2) If your network is only going to have two computers, you can purchase a $15 "crossover cable" to complete your network and skip steps 3 and 4.
3) Purchase a "network hub" plus a card for each computer that lacks a network card. You can purchase an "kit" for under $100 that will hook up two or three computers. But actually it will be less expensive to obtain a basic hub (or switch) for under $25 (see this link) and then buy generic-brand network cards at a cost of under $10 a piece, as of Aug. 2002. DealNews is a great place to find a good deal; click on the networking link in the archive. For hooking up more than 4 computers (and/or printers), you should purchase an "8-port" hub. Note: if you have an older "486" Windows computer or a "68040" Macintosh computer, you computer will probably not be compatible modern "PCI" network cards, so you will have to obtain used parts. Computers that are even older than that may not be networkable./FONT>
4) Purchase one cable for each computer, long enough to go from that computer to a central location where you will place the hub.
5) Physically connect all the computers to the hub.
6) With help from a consultant or technically savvy person, set up file sharing or print sharing. This can be done a variety of ways, depending on what version of Windows or Macintosh system software you use, and what kind of printer you have; consult a knowledgeable person about this step. (For Windows XP computers on networks with older Windows machines, you may run into some difficulties because NetBEUI software is not installed by default with XP; the installation files are available on the Windows XP CD, in the "Valuadd\MSFT\Net\NetBeUI" folder.)
My network is working; now what?
Having a network means that you will probably want to make adjustments in how you work. One of the first thing you can do is create a "Shared Folder" which can be accessed by everyone in your office. The shared folder might have subfolders like Administration, Fundraising, Program, Promotion, Media, Events, etc. The idea is to get everyone in the office to copy documents they complete to this folder, and then back it up on a weekly basis.
It also means that in a larger office, you might decide to keep one computer -- the one containing the "Shared Folder", which is attached to your printer -- on all the time. (But you can still turn the monitor off to save energy when the computer is not in use!)
Finally, your network can be used to set up fast Internet service for your entire office at a fairly low cost. See the article on this topic written by the Organizers' Collaborative.
Last Updated 8/2002.