HOWTO: Set Up a TCP/IP Peer-to-Peer Network Connection

• Microsoft Visual C++ version 4.0 Cross-Development Edition for Macintosh and Windows

SUMMARY

The process for setting up a TCP/IP peer-to-peer network connection between two computers is not intuitively obvious, especially if you have never set up networks before. This article describes how to put together a TCP/IP peer-to-peer network connection between your PC and your Macintosh quickly and easily.

MORE INFORMATION

General Physical Network Connection Issues

There are three common types of network cabling: Twisted Pair, ThinNet, and ThickNet.

If you are using twisted-pair, which is thin wire with wide phone connectors (RJ-45), both your PC and Macintosh need to be plugged into a network hub so power is flowing through the network cable to carry data. Depending on the manufacturer and model, hubs usually allow between four and 20 machines to network.

Typically no extra hardware is required if you are using either ThinNet, which looks like Cable TV wiring with a round plug, or ThickNet, which is heavy, 1/4 inch cable with D-shell 15-pin connectors. The network cards can be connected to each other directly.

Several newer Macintosh models have a built-in network connector called FriendlyNet. You are required to obtain a network transceiver, such as Asante's 10T Adapter, to use one of the cables mentioned above.

Choosing IP Addresses for Your Machines

For simplicity, use class B IP addresses for your peer-to-peer network. The specifications for class B IP addresses are as follows:

• The first digit of the IP address must be between 128 to 191 inclusively.
• The subnet mask is: 255.255.0.0
• The first two digits of the IP address must match on both machines. For example:

  machine1: 150.100.100.10 machine2: 150.100.250.20

Here's a good example of a set of IP address to use:

   Macintosh:                            150.100.100.10
   PC Running Windows NT or Windows 95:  150.100.100.20

Configuring TCP/IP on the Macintosh

If you see MacTCP on your Macintosh control panel, you are running MacTCP. If you see TCP/IP instead, you are running Apple's Open Transport.

The new PCI-based PowerMacs only come with Open Transport. Older models of the Macintosh come with MacTCP on the System 7.x installation media. Check Apple's documentation for installation details.

To configure your system using MacTCP:

1. From the MacTCP control panel, select Ethernet or Ethernet Built-In and enter the following:

      IP Address:     150.100.100.10
   
   

2. Click More, and enter the following:

   Obtain Address: Manually

      Class:          B
      Net:            38500
      Subnet:         0
      Node:           25610
      Gateway:        0.0.0.0
      Name Server:    <blank>
   
   

3. Click OK, and close the control panel. Restart your Macintosh to ensure that the settings take place.

To configure your system using Open Transport TCP/IP:

1. Go to the TCP/IP control panel, and enter the following settings:

      Connect Via:    ethernet
      Configure:      manually
      IP Address:     150.100.100.10
      Domain Name:    <blank>
      Subnet Mask:    255.255.0.0
      Router Address: <blank>
      Name Server:    <blank>
   
   

2. Close the control panel, and restart your Macintosh to ensure the settings take place.

Configuring TCP/IP on Windows NT

1. Go to the Network control panel.

2. From the Installed Network Software list box, select TCP/IP Protocol, and click Configure.

3. Make sure the Enable Automatic DHCP Configuration is deselected, and enter the following:

      IP Address:   150.100.100.20
      Subnet Mask:  255.255.0.0
   
   

4. Make sure the Default Gateway and the Primary/Secondary WINS Server entries are blank.

5. Click DNS, and ensure everything is blank except for the Host Name, which contains the name of your Windows NT machine. Click OK.

6. Click Advanced, and ensure that Enable LMHOSTS Lookup is selected. Everything else should be either blank or deselected. Click OK.

7. Close the Network control panel, and restart Windows NT.

8. Find the file named Hosts.sam in the \Winnt\System32\Drivers directory. Make a copy and name it Hosts, leaving it in the same directory.

9. Edit the Hosts file, and add the following line at the bottom:

   150.100.100.10 mymac

10. From the File menu, choose Save. You are now ready to test the

        connection.
    

Configuring TCP/IP on Windows 95

1. From the Network control panel, select TCP/IP, and click Properties.

2. Go to WINS Configuration, and select Disable WINS resolution.

3. Go to the IP Address, select Specify an IP Address, and enter:

      IP Address:   150.100.100.20
      Subnet Mask:  255.255.0.0
   
   

4. Go to Gateway, and make sure it is empty.

5. Go to DNS cofiguration, and select Disable DNS.

6. Click OK, and close out the Network control panel. Restart Windows 95.

7. In the main Windows directory, usually C:\Windows, find the file named Hosts.sam. Copy the file, and name it Hosts. Place the file in the main Windows directory.

8. Edit the Hosts file, and add the following line at the bottom:

   150.100.100.10 mymac

9. From the File menu, choose Save. You are now ready to test the connection.

Testing the TCP/IP Connection

To test the network connection, use the Ping command line utility on the PC. Open an MS-DOS/Command window and type one of the following:

   C:\>ping mymac

   -or-

   C:\>ping 150.100.100.10

   C:\>ping 150.100.100.10

   Pinging 150.100.100.10 with 32 bytes of data:

   Reply from 150.100.100.10: bytes=32 time=10ms TTL=254
   Reply from 150.100.100.10: bytes=32 time<10ms TTL=254
   Reply from 150.100.100.10: bytes=32 time<10ms TTL=254
   Reply from 150.100.100.10: bytes=32 time<10ms TTL=254

If you receive a Request timed out error, you need to check the physical network connection and ensure that the IP address in the Hosts file matches what is set on the Macintosh. If you are running MacTCP, you can run MacPing to initialize the TCP/IP network.