1. Viewing a Network Map
The
new Network Map feature gives you a visual display of everything your
computer is connected to: network connections (wired and wireless), ad
hoc (computer-to-computer) connections, Internet connections, and the
devices associated with these connections. Network Map also gives you a
visual display of the connection status so that you can easily spot
problems.
The Network and Sharing Center displays your
local portion of the network map, and the layout depends on your current
connections. You always see an icon for your computer on the left. If
your computer is connected to a network ,
a green line joins the computer icon and the network icon. If the
network is connected to the Internet, another green line joins the
network icon and the Internet icon on the right. If there is no
connection, you see a red X through the connection line.
The Network and Sharing Center also comes with a
more detailed version of Network Map. To view it, click the View Full
Map link. Figure 1shows
an example of the full network map. If you have multiple network
connections, use the Network Map Of list to select a different
connection and see its map.
2. Managing Wireless Networks
It’s
not unusual to have multiple wireless networks configured on your
computer. For example, you might have two or more wireless gateways in
your home or office; you might have a wireless hotspot nearby; and as
you saw in the previous section, Vista also enables you to set up
computer-to-computer wireless connections to share files or an Internet
connection without going through a wireless access point. Vista comes
with a Manage Wireless Networks feature that lists your saved wireless
networks and enables you to add new wireless connections, remove
existing connections, and reorder wireless networks.
Why would you need to reorder the networks? By
default, Windows Vista configures a wireless network with an automatic
connection, so you get on the network as soon as Vista detects it. If
you have multiple wireless networks, Windows Vista maintains a priority
list, and a network higher in that list connects before a network lower
in that list. If you are not connecting to the wireless network you
want, it might be that the network is lower on the network priority
list. To work around this problem, you can move the network higher in
the list.
Here are the steps to follow to display the Manage Wireless Networks window and reorder the networks:
1. | Open the Network and Sharing Center, as described earlier.
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2. | Click the Manage Wireless Networks link. Vista displays the Manage Wireless Networks window, shown in Figure 2.
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3. | Select the network you want to move.
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4. | Click the Move Up and Move Down buttons to place the network in the position you prefer.
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Note
To remove a wireless network, select it and then click Remove.
Note
A wireless network might
change its security settings. For example, the administrator might
upgrade to a more robust encryption setting or change the security key
or password. To adjust the security settings for an existing network,
right-click the network in the Manage Wireless Networks window, and
click Properties to display the network’s properties sheet. Display the
Security tab and then edit the Security Type, Encryption Type, or
Network Security Key.
3. Working with Network Connections
Windows
Vista maintains a Network Connections window that lists all your
network connections, including wired, wireless, dial-up, and virtual
private network (VPN) connections. Each network interface card (NIC)
attached to your computer gets its own connection icon in the list, and
you can use those icons to work with your network connections. Follow
these steps to display the Network Connections window and work with a
connection:
1. | Open the Network and Sharing Center, as described earlier.
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2. | Click the Manage Network Connections link. Vista displays the Network Connections window, shown in Figure 3.
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3. | Select the network connection you want to work with.
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4. | Modify
your network settings using any of the following techniques (note that
in some cases you need to enter your UAC credentials to complete the
task):
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Renaming a connection— Windows Vista supplies each connection with a generic name such as Local Area Connection and Wireless Network Connection.
To assign a more descriptive name to the selected connection, press F2
(or click Rename this Connection in the taskbar), type the new name, and
press Enter.
Installing a networking client, service, or protocol—
You shouldn’t need extra networking components in a small peer-to-peer
network. Just in case you do, you can install them by right-clicking the
network connection, clicking Properties (or click Change Settings of
this Connection in the taskbar), and then clicking Install.
Checking the network status— To
see the network activity and details such as your current IP address,
right-click the connection and then click Status (or click View Status
of this Connection in the taskbar).
Diagnosing a network problem—
If you’re having network problems, Vista offers a network diagnostics
tool that can examine the connection and offer solutions. Right-click
the connection and then click Diagnose (or click Diagnose this
Connection in the taskbar).
Disabling a connection—
If you have multiple NICs and want to disable one that you don’t use,
right-click its connection and then click Disable (or click Disable This
Network Device in the taskbar). You can enable this connection in the
future by right-clicking it and then clicking Enable (or by clicking
Enable This Network Device in the taskbar).
