Configuring Windows for the Internet

To configure TCP/IP on a Windows based computer, first make sure TCP/IP is actually installed on your client. Do this by opening the Control Panel folder, then select Network. The Network dialog box appears:

In the Network dialog box, scroll down to TCP/IP then click the Properties button. The table below lists the options that appear. A subnet mask, gateway, and DNS must be entered before your client can use TCP/IP. Contact your system administrator or your ISP for the information you need.

Setting	Description
WINS Configuration	Disable or enable WINS resolution, or choose DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) or WINS resolution Specific to networks
IP Address	Identifies your computer to the network Allows you to assign an address or accept automatic assignment
DNS Configuration	Allows you to configure a DNS (domain name server)
Gateway	Gateway address for each machine on the network Primary address or router (gateway)
Net Bios	Allows you to run NetBios applications over the TCP/IP Protocol
Bindings	Checklist of network components that will communicate using TCP/IP
Advanced Settings	Allows you to add settings and values to TCP/IP

In the next lesson, you will learn how to configure hosts files.

Configuring Windows for TCP/IP

1. Select Start>Control Panel>Network. Scroll down the list to find TCP/IP. If it is listed, you are ready to enter configuration information. If TCP/IP is not listed, then click the Add button. Do that now.
2. The Select Network Component Type dialog box appears. Protocol has been selected for you. Click the Add button to move to the next step.
3. The Select Network Protocol dialog box appears. Microsoft has been selected from the Manufacturers list. TCP/IP has been selected from the Network Protocols list on the right. This completes the Simulation.

• Communication Proces
  A computer interacts with the world through one or more applications that perform specific tasks and manage the communication process. On modern systems, this network communication is so effortless that the user hardly even notices it. For instance, when you surf to a website, your web browser is communicating with the web server specified in the URL. When you view a list of neighboring computers in Windows Explorer or the Mac OS Finder, the computers on your local network are communicating to announce their presence. In every case, if your computer is part of a network, an application on the computer must be capable of communicating with applications on other network computers. A network protocol is a system of common rules that helps define the complex process of network communication. Protocols guide the process of sending data from an application on one computer, through the networking components of the operating system, to the network hardware, across the transmission medium, and up through the destination computer’s network hardware and operating system to a receiving application (see Figure 2.5).