Click Protocol and click the Add button. 4. Click the protocol and click OK.

Part II ✦ Planning and Setting Up Networking — Hardware and Software You also might be able to find other client software with the network operating system or in third-party packages. Both NT Server and NetWare include client software for Macintosh com- puters. NT Server is an older operating system, but many people still use it; because of its age, you might not find a way to connect with newer clients, such as Macintosh OS X. If you’re using something other than Windows 2000 Server as a network operating system NOS, see the specific NOS documentation for more information about installing and configuring the client computers. If you run a small business and you’re using a workgroup or a clientserver network, you should upgrade all computers to run compatible operating systems on the client computers. Using various operating systems on your network takes more time to administer, manage, and troubleshoot. Adding a Windows-based computer versus a non-Windows-based computer Naturally, adding Windows computers to a Windows network is easier than using a different operating system. Windows operating systems are similar in networking software, configura- tion, operation, and other processes. However, Windows operating systems can still cause problems on a network of all Windows computers. You will find times when one Windows computer won’t see another on the network, times when they won’t share, and times when the computers won’t print to each other’s printers. And you will also have those problems when you add a different non-Windows operating sys- tem to your network. That’s just the way networking is. Sometimes it works very well for months; then everything falls apart for seemingly no reason. When that happens, and it will, take a look at Appendix A in this book for some tips and help on troubleshooting your network connections. But don’t let the fact that all your computers are not Windows 98 or Windows XP Professional keep you from trying to network them. Usually, you can connect various computers and oper- ating systems, and being able to share files and printers makes it worthwhile. Using Various Windows Operating Systems Most operating systems you’ll want to add to your workgroup network probably will be Windows. Computers running Windows 98, Me, 2000, and XP are all capable of existing and sharing on a network together. Configuration is similar for all Windows operating systems, with just a different look to a dialog box or different terminology. However, some Windows operating systems don’t work well with clientserver networks or with workgroups contain- ing more than five users. Each Windows operating system is covered in this section. Cross- Reference Small Business Tip Chapter 11 ✦ Accessing the Network with Various Operating Systems Apple has made it easy to add Mac to Windows networks and to share files and printers with them. Older Mac operating systems, such as System 7 or 8, need help connecting by use of a third-party program. However, Mac OS X is easy to connect to the network and enables you to view other Windows computers and use their files and printers. Linux is another matter altogether. Linux has so many different distributions that it is difficult to discuss in a book like this. If you know Linux and you understand its features, you can eas- ily add it to a Windows network, however. Adding Windows XP Windows XP comes in two editions: Home and Professional. The Home Edition is not as full of features as the Professional Edition of Windows XP. As for networking, Windows XP Home Edition has built-in support for workgroup networking, but to include only five computers. In addition, you cannot connect to a server with a true NOS or a domain. A domain is a way to divide large networks into smaller segments; you won’t need a domain in your home or small- business office. Microsoft also has an edition of Windows XP for the tablet PC. Windows XP for the tablet is very much the same as Windows XP for a desktop or notebook, especially in networking. The few differences with the operating system have to do with inputting information. For more about the tablet PC, see the section, “Considering tablets” later in this chapter. You might not need a domain in your small-business office, but many small businesses use domains. You can use a domain to learn more about Windows 2000 Server, or you can use a domain in case you plan to expand your business, merge your business, or extend the business to remote sites in the future. If you do plan to use domains in your network, make sure you use Windows XP Professional instead of Windows XP Home Edition. Setting Up the Network With either the Home Edition or the Professional Edition, Windows XP detects the presence of a network card and automatically creates a connection named Local Area Connection. The network card can be of any type: wireless, Ethernet, phone line, or power line. The Local Area Connection is located in the Network Connections folder, as shown in Figure 11-2. Open the Network Connections dialog box by right-clicking the My Network Places and choosing Properties. You open the Local Area Connection by right-clicking it and choosing Properties. The connec- tion shows the type of card that Windows XP detected, as shown in Figure 11-3. Chapter 10 explains how to configure the card and to install the network software necessary to complete the network. See that chapter for more information. Small Business Tip Note