Preparing Your Network 3-1
Chapter 3Preparing Your Network
This chapterdescribes how to prepare your PC network to connect to the Internet through the
Model RP614 WebSafe Router and how to order broadband Internet service from an Internet
serviceprovider (ISP). .

Preparing Your Personal Computers for IP Networking

PersonalComputers access the Internet using a protocol called TCP/IP (Transmission Control
Protocol/InternetProtocol). Each PC on your network must have TCP/IP installed and selectedas
its networking protocol. If a Network Interface Card (NIC) is alr eady installed in your PC, then
TCP/IP is probablyalready installed as well.
Note: In this chapter, we use the term “PC” to refer to personal computers in general ,a ndn ot
necessarilyWindows computers.
Most PC operatingsystems include the software components you need for networking with TCP/
IP:
• Windows®95or later includes the software components for establishing a TCP/IP network.
• Windows3.1 does not include a TCP/IP component. You need to purchase a third-party TCP/
IP applicationpackage such as NetManage Chameleon.
Note: If an ISP technicianconfigured your PC during the installation of a broadband
modem,or if you configured it using instructions provided by your ISP,you may need to
copy thecurrent configuration information for use in the configuration of your router.
Writedown this information before reconfiguring your PCs. Refer to “Obtaining ISP
ConfigurationInformation (Windows)”onpage3-10 or “Obtaining ISP Configuration
Information(Macintosh)”onpage3-11 for further informat ion.