1. The most popular office networking technology 2. There are a great variety of parts available and it's less expensive to set up

3. The fastest data transfer rates:

standard Ethernet runs at 10 mbps, and the newer Fast Ethernet runs at a speedy 100 mbps.

4. Compatibility: Windows and Unix PCs and notebooks, Macs, G3s, iMacs

Some hubs and NICs will run only standard Ethernet, others will run only Fast Ethernet, and still others are compatible with both standards. Some will automatically sense whether other components on the network are standard Ethernet or Fast Ethernet and will switch to a compatible mode; others won't. So read the product literature carefully to make sure all the equipment you buy is compatible.

5. The Price:

The most network interface cards (NICs) for PCs cost less than $20-$50

: Best data transfer rates; inexpensive Cons: Visible wiring; more difficult to set up

6. The Righ t Equipment

The essential components for an Ethernet network are an Ethernet hub, Ethernet cables, and NICs (if your computers don't have Ethernet adapters preinstalled).

The hub is the center of an Ethernet network; all data transfers go through it. Your first step in setting up the network is to choose the right hub. Hubs come in many different sizes, but for a home LAN, a small, four-port model should suffice. Other select is 8-port, 16-port, etc.

The Ethernet cables look like jumbo telephone wires. Each end of an Ethernet cable has an RJ-45 connector that works just like the plastic connectors on the ends of telephone wires. One end of the Ethernet cable plugs into the hub, and the other plugs into the computer's Ethernet port or NIC.

7. Installing a NIC

If your computer doesn't have a preinstalled NIC, you'll need to add one. Most NICs are PCI cards, so you'll have to open up your PC and plug the NIC into an open PCI slot. Just pick an open slot (consult your user manual for a di agram) and unscrew the narrow metal plate on the back of your computer that corresponds to the empty PCI slot. Push the card into place until it is securely seated in the slot. Screw the back plate of the card to the back of the computer in the same way the narrow plate you removed was attached.

If you have a notebook with a PCMCIA slot, you can use a PC Card NIC. The PC Card will slide directly into the PCMCIA slot on your notebook, leaving a socket for the Ethernet cable exposed. Once you've installed either a PCI NIC or a PC Card NIC, you will have to turn on your computer and see if Windows recognizes the new hardware. If it doesn't, go into the Control Panel and launch the Add New Hardware Wizard. Make sure you have the card's drivers handy for this.

Once your computers have NICs installed, use Ethernet cables to connect them to the hub. Now you're ready to configure your systems to share the contents of their hard drives.

8. System Sharing

Once you have adapters installed on your computers and they're all threaded together through some kind of networking scheme, you still have to teach your operating systems how to share.

Most of the available networking kits include software to set this up for you. If your kit doesn't, or if you've built your own Ethernet network, it's very easy to set up file sharing yourself.

To allow network access to a computer running Windows 95 or 98:

a. Double-click the Network icon in the Control Panel, then click the File And Print Sharing button on the Configuration tab.

b. Select the two check boxes to give others access to your files and/or printer. Close the two dialog boxes.

c. In Windows Explorer, right-click the name of the disk (or folder, or printer) that you want to share, then select Sharing from the menu. That brings up the Sharing tab in the disk's (or printer's) Properties dialog box, where you can specify what access you want others to have.

d. When you're done, other computers on the network running Windows can access the files by double-clicking the Network Neighborhood icon or by using Windows Explorer or File Manager.

e. To add printers, users should open the Printers file in the Control Panel, double-click Add Printer, and follow the wizard instructions for adding the new printer.

9. Adding Macs to the Network

If you want to mix Macs and PCs on your network, you will need some extra software. The easiest solution, and the industry standard, is Miramar's PC MacLAN. Unfortunately, at around $200, it is also expensive.

To allow access to a Macintosh:

a. Open Chooser from the Apple menu and click the Active button next to AppleTalk.

b. Once all the computers on the network have AppleTalk activated, you will see the computer names in the Chooser window. Double-click any of the other computers you want to access, then close the Chooser.