Netopia 4652 manual Chapter Connecting to Your Local Area Network

Connecting to Your Local Area Network 3-13

Chapter 3

Connecting to Your Local Area Network

This chapter describes how to physically connect the Netopia 4652 to your local area network (LAN). Before you proceed, make sure the Netopia 4652 is properly configured. You can customize the router’s configuration for your particular LAN requirements using console-based management (see “Console-Based Management” on page 5-25).

This section covers the following topics:

■“Readying Computers on Your Local Network” on page 3-13

■“Connecting to an Ethernet Network” on page 3-14

Readying Computers on Your Local Network

PC and Macintosh computers must have certain components installed before they can communicate through the Netopia 4652. The following illustration shows the minimal requirements for a typical PC or Macintosh computer.

Application software

TCP/IP stack

Ethernet Driver

Your PC

or Macintosh computer

To the Netopia 4652

Application software: This is the software you use to send e-mail, browse the World Wide Web, read newsgroups, etc. These applications may require some configuration. Examples include the Eudora e-mail client and the Web browsers Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator.

TCP/IP stack: This is the software that lets your PC or Macintosh computer communicate using Internet protocols. TCP/IP stacks must be configured with some of the same information you used to configure the Netopia 4652. There are a number of TCP/IP stacks available for PC computers. Windows 95 includes a built-in TCP/IP stack. Macintosh computers use either MacTCP or Open Transport. See “Configuring TCP/IP on Windows-based Computers” on page 4-17. Macintosh computers use either MacTCP or Open Transport. See “Configuring TCP/IP on Macintosh Computers” on page 4-21.

Ethernet: Ethernet hardware and software drivers enable your PC or Macintosh computer to communicate on the LAN.