Do networked PCs require the Internet?

Please excuse me for this dumb question but I need to know if I must be connected to the Internet to share files and folders on the following types of networks. I have a desktop (connected to DSL modem) and laptop, both using WinXP Home:

  1. File and printer sharing using DSL modem and wireless router

  1. VPN

  2. VNC (I think this one needs to be)

Any help appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Reply to
M.L.
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Hi

Home Network consists on two or more computers that are connected together and able to communicate one with the other in order to exchange information.

You do not need Internet connection to have Network.

You do not need VPN to connect between your two computers. VNC program is used to remotely control one computer from an other, it is not necessary to use VNC in order to share files, and printers.

Look at the picture in the link bellow, you would see three wired computers connected to a box (Wireless Cable/DSL Router) and one computer connected Wireless. The box is also connected to a DSL Modem. You can disconnect the DSL modem from this box and the four computers still would be able to communicate between themselves.

Connection Diagram:

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May be this can help a little more.

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Hubs, routers, switches, DSL, LANs, WANs...? -
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The page above was written by me ages ago. You might ignore the prices and Brand recommendations. The principles however are still the same.

Jack (MVP-Networking).

Reply to
Jack

M.L. wrote in news:i5q641hpg9ildlor20c12ch57gejghnuqv@

4ax.com:

The router is the gateway device for the (Wide Area Network (WAN)/Internet and LAN (Local Area Network) your machines connected to the router. The gateway router provides the plumbing for the machines to do resource sharing on the LAN. However, the O/S on each machine must be configured to do resource sharing. So, the router allows the machine to share resources without the machines accessing the Internet/WAN. And you DON NOT want to share resources like that and the router is protecting the LAN from outside attacks but allowing the machines on the LAN to do RS. The link has other *home* networking topics.

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There are two types of VPN(s) and they both must have valid VPN end-points. Hardware to hardware like two routers using VPN or software to software like AT&T Extranet or O/S to O/S like Win2K Pro Workstation and Server edition in a VPN connection.

No if you're talking about Remote Desktop Sharning (RDS), which can be done with two machines on the LAN or one machine over the Internet/WAN and the other one on the LAN.

Duane :)

Reply to
Duane Arnold

You don't need to be connected to the internet to share files at all. You /can/ share files getween these two via the internet but its a very dangerous game as it also exposes your files to 3rd parties.

if you want to share files between these, you need to network them. Simplest method: buy cheap switch & 2 lengths of CAT5 cable, plug network sockets of PCs to switch. Cost around £20.

sure, you can put in a router & wireless cards in each Pc, and connect them together via the router. However the internet is not necessasry

- in fact all you're doing is using the router as a switch.

Again, the net is not needed for a VPN, but this is overkill anyway for home networks. You /could/ use a VPN to share files between PCs via the internet, but its generally used for doing so between home and the office, and requires quite a bit of admin.

VNC is simply remote control software. You don't need the internet for it to work - I used it to remotely administer a mixed bunch of W98, MacOS9 and XP machines.

Reply to
Mark McIntyre

The computers are already networked, one wired, one wirelessly. I'm interested in knowing if my networking configuration is safe.

I want to thank everyone who replied. I'll be checking the previously mentioned links for more info.

However, I do have two last questions:

  1. When an Internet connection is "always on" how do I check its properties to ensure that File and Printer Sharing is turned off? Fortunately, my Internet connection is launched from a shortcut and I can set the properties appropriately, but I know others who have always-on connections with no specific launching shortcut.

  1. The workgroup name is MSHOME. If the laptop is taken to a public wireless network, would people using the MSHOME workgroup name be able to access the shared folders on my computer?

Best regards and thanks again to everyone who offered their assistance.

Reply to
M.L.

Would XPHome to XPHome work for VPN?

Thank you for your helpful replies and links. For VNC I was thinking more along the lines of RealVNC with Putty for SSH tunneling, not XP RDS. IIRC, the RDS needs at least one WinXP Pro computer to function as the server. Would two non-networked computers need to use the Internet for VNC?

Reply to
M.L.

M.L. wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

Well there is MS Netmeeting that has RDS that's on the O/S as well but I understand that you must configure it on the XP machine for it to work. On Win 2K and down O/S(s) one doesn't need to do this special configuration of NM's RDS. You can search Google or dogpile.com for more info on the how to.

If you're talking about can one machine on the LAN VNC with another machine not on the LAN for a VNC connection, then yes, since the Internet (Wide Area Network) WAN is just a bigger network than your LAN.

However, to do VNC over the Internet, the router must have the inbound port open to the public Internet for it to work. That is called port forwarding on the router, which you should be able to go to the router's Tech Support Knowledge Base link to find out how to do it or call them on the phone on the how to. Port forwarding is talked about in the link above too. Keep the machine out of the DMZ.

Duane :)

Reply to
Duane Arnold

Thanks, I'll look into using NetMeeting RDS. It might be the most convenient route to take.

Reply to
M.L.

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