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Connecting to Your Local Area Network
Chapter 4
Connecting to Your Local Area Network
This chapter describes how to physically connect the Netopia 4541/4542 to your local area network (LAN). Before you proceed, make sure the Netopia 4541/4542 is properly configured. You can customize the router’s configuration for your particular LAN requirements using
This section covers the following topics:
■“Readying computers on your local network” on page
■“Connecting to an Ethernet network” on page
Readying computers on your local network
PC and Macintosh computers must have certain components installed before they can communicate through the Netopia 4541/4542. 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
Application software: This is the software you use to send
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 4541/4542. There are a number of TCP/IP stacks available for PC computers. Windows 95 includes a
Ethernet: Ethernet hardware and software drivers enable your PC or Macintosh computer to communicate on the LAN.