Network names
It's a minor point but worth covering as
it's certainly not obvious. When you're messing around with networking the name
of the PC you're working on is set via the Computer Properties. Right-click
either the desktop icon or Start Menu Computer entry, select 'Properties' and
under the Computer name... section click the 'Change settings' link. Click the
'Change' button why you can't just click this back in the Properties is beyond
us and change the 'Computer name' to whatever you want to view within the
Network neighbourhood (as it used to be called).
Windows
network neighborhood
You might also be wondering about the
Workgroup name that can also be changed in here. Back in the day of Windows 3
and 95 this could be used to segregate PCs into groups, making it impossible
for different Workgroups to share files or services. Today the Workgroup
concept has been eliminated and it’s effectively unused. It's all a bit of a
blur now, but back in those days NetBIOS took the major lead in network file
sharing, with the additional Microsoft SMB protocol on top of this. From
Windows 2000 onwards the Microsoft SMB protocol did away with NetBIOS and so
the need for Workgroups.
Despite dumping NetBIOS to retain
compatibility the naming conventions for the computer and Workgroup remain.
That's a case-free name, without any spaces, no longer than IS characters long
with restrictions on special characters, which is to say almost no punctuation
apart from a dash.
Not that advanced
The most confusing aspect of Windows
network file sharing is how to switch it to the correct mode, so that the PC is
actually happy to accept password connections. This blazingly basic concept is
buried in the 'Change advanced sharing settings' section found off the side
panel of the Network and Sharing Center Control Panel. The best way to access
this is to right-click on the 'Notification Network' icon, select 'Open Network
and Sharing Center' and click 'Change advanced sharing settings'. There's a
list of very important options in here, many of which have to be set correctly
for file sharing to work. Be aware these options are duplicated over two
separate sections in here. One section covers the Home/Work Network Location
and the other below this, covers operating in a Public Network Location mode.
The first two options - Turn on network discovery, and Turn on file and printer
sharing - we hope are self-evident. Both need to be selected for this to work
well.
This
blazingly basic concept is buried in the 'Change advanced sharing settings'
section found off the side panel of the Network and Sharing Center Control
Panel.
The 'Public folder sharing 'option is an
interesting one. If you want a simple way to easily share files to everyone
then this is a great option. The folder already exists within the (system
drive):\Users\Public folder. Be aware, this enables anyone connected to the
same network as yourself to copy, move and delete any old files they wish
within those public folders. This isn't the only way of providing simple
password free guest sharing, but it's a one-shot option you might be interested
in.
The next two options we're going to skirt
around. Media sharing is something PC Format has covered extensively in the
past and media streaming is where you control the basic Windows Media Player
and generic DLNA servering features. The File sharing connections option can be
left at 128-bit encryption for better security. As far as we know this should
function correctly with almost everything.
The Turn off password protected sharing'
option is a prime one. If you're happy to have anyone access shared folders
marked with Guest access, then you can choose to turn this off. It's like
public folder sharing but across the board for any folders you mark for Guest
access. If you're happy to bare all to everyone on your home network, then this
by far makes for the easiest file-sharing method. You still retain complete
control over who can delete files on your server or computer by adjusting controls
accordingly or limit access completely by marking them only for registered
users.
Finally the Homegroup connections option
needs to be turned off here so that we can control and create our own user
permissions and shares. This part is a little confusing because, even when
switched to off, all of the Homegroup interface elements remain visible within
Windows. In fact, it's almost like Microsoft adds this stuff without thinking
about it.
The final element we'll mention here, as
it's not obvious, is if you want mixed-access of people with passwords for
secure items and people you'd like to have Guest access without prompts or
passwords. For example, we use a shared document folder that anyone can access
without the need for a password. While back-up folders require a password, so
files cannot be deleted or removed.
For this type of setup you need to enable
the Windows Guest account. There are two ways to do this: one is via the 'Start
Menu '> 'Control Panel' > 'User Accounts' > Add or remove user
accounts' > 'Enable Guest Account'. Technically, this can also be activated
via the Users section of the Management Computer Management Console. The Guest
User is already created but you need to double-click it and clear the Account
is disabled' tick box.
Once enabled, this in conjunction with the
Turn off password-protected' sharing, enables Guest access to folders marked
with Guest access privileges.
Share and share alike
With your system all setup you’re now ready
to create password protected users and enable open access guest shares,
alongside password protected folder shares. We'll go through doing just this in
the walkthroughs, but the password protected system requires the creation of a
suitable user account with password.
The confusing element here is that the user
account that you create has to match the same name as the remote system's user
account name. Otherwise you will find that the remote system will either be
limited to Guest access or be blocked entirely. This can create the odd
situation where if you use the same account name on multiple computers they
will all have to connect to the network using this same user account.
To add even more confusion to the
situation, once you've created the same user-named account, remote users don't
have to log on with the same credentials. Instead, you can create a more
memorable username and password and that will still work for logging on to a
remote share. This could, for example, be used when more than one person uses a
computer with the same account. The additional credentials enables people that
know it to access additional shares. We're sure that there are other usage
models that can be applied but that's the one that springs readily to mind.
Actually enabling the sharing of a folder
or drive is a case of selecting the folder in question and using the Homegroup
share system, which is the 'Share with' > 'Specific people...' menu option.
Here you can now add Guest and specific Users then assign read/write
permissions.
