Home Networking Bible 2nd phần 6 pdf

Understanding Internet Connections Most home users connect to the Internet with a dial-up modem, and in some cases, the modem is perfect for the job.. Sharing Internet Connections Dial-u

Accessing

the Internet

The Internet might be the reason you bought a computer in the

first place The Internet opens a world of possibilities to your

family — research, shopping, libraries of information, and more You

can send e-mail to friends and meet new people from other states,

even other countries You can find out about the latest movie at the

theater or send greeting cards The potential is limitless If you have a

home network, you can unlock the Internet’s potential for your entire

family

Understanding Internet Access

Most homes with PCs have at least one Internet account Kids might

use the account to play games, to e-mail friends, and to gather

informa-tion for school Mom and Dad might use the Internet to e-mail family

and friends, look for prices on golf carts and digital cameras, read the

news, check the weather, make stock investments, bid on auctions, and

more Perhaps one or more family members want to create a Web page

or subscribe to e-zines (electronic magazines)

Figure 16-1 illustrates a home page on the Internet This site

adver-tises entertainment links to music, games, and movie clips You can

even design your own Web pages to put on the Web

Add to home and personal use the fact that many people work in

their homes instead of in a traditional office People working in home

offices need the Internet for a variety of reasons — checking

competi-tors, advertising with their own Web pages, e-mailing customers,

sending and receiving work-related files, and perhaps even running

an e-commerce site

Figure 16-2 illustrates a business Web site that offers online help with

your computer problems You can locate a variety of products and

services on the Web

16

In This Chapter

Understanding Internetaccess and connections

Understanding access equipmentSharing Internetconnections

Understanding Web browsersApplying protection for your connections

Figure 16-1: You can find anything on the Web.

Figure 16-2: Find businesses, products, and services on the Web.

Internet access is easier and cheaper than it’s been in years past Most computers come with

built-in modems; or you can easily add an external modem for less than $60 There are also

DSL and cable modems available in most areas of the country All Windows versions have

built-in Web browsers and e-mail programs Most Macs also have built-in browsers and e-mail

Local and national ISPs offer deals to attract more home users

Exploring advantages and disadvantages

of Internet access

The Internet affords the possibility for anyone with a connection to access data from any

other Internet connection in the world for a fraction of the cost of traditional data collection

methods Internet access and use are growing at an incredible rate Anything so nearly

infi-nite certainly has many disadvantages as well as advantages

Advantages

One of the biggest advantages of Internet connections, as previously mentioned, is the

avail-ability of the technology to nearly everyone Home users now can afford to attach to the

Internet by using a standard PC that comes with a modem and the Windows operating

sys-tem The only other thing that is needed is the Internet connection If you already have cable

TV, you can add a cable modem with a faster Internet connection than dial-up for around $45

a month

If you already have a network in your home, you have the built-in equipment for sharing an

Internet connection All you need to buy is an inexpensive piece of software or hardware that

enables you to share one connection and one Internet account You don’t have to purchase

additional cabling, modems, or other equipment to attach everyone in the home to the

Internet

If you have a small-business network and you’re not using TCP/IP, the Internet protocol,

con-sider changing over to IP addressing now Using TCP/IP has many advantages, including

net-work performance and speed and more available netnet-working products See Appendix B for

more information

Following are some of the advantages to using the Internet for the home user:

✦ Using the Internet promotes cooperative learning Your kids can e-mail and share files

with universities, libraries, research groups, and others Users send links to useful Web

pages to each other and sign up for informational newsletters and papers

✦ Internet users can read about, study, and e-mail people from all over the world to share

information and opinions The Internet also increases access to experts; you can locate

authors, scientists, doctors, and others easily through their Web pages or e-mail

✦ The Internet access increases motivation The Internet encourages exploration with a

wealth of video, music, animations, and more

Disadvantages

Naturally, having Internet access in your home also has disadvantages Many people worry

about the type of Web sites and information children access when they are not monitored

Sex, violence, and depraved individuals run rampant over the Internet community

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Also at risk is the security of your home Depending on the information you give out on theInternet, unstable or unscrupulous intruders can invade your home through the Internet oreven in person It’s a scary world, and you might be inviting it into your living room everytime you access the Internet.

Other disadvantages include the following:

✦ The Internet wastes a lot of time Surfing the Web, joining chat rooms, e-mailing listafter list of people and groups — they all take time Whether it’s a child or an adult who

is accessing the Internet, time and exposure should be reasonable and often limited

✦ The expense of attaching to the Internet can increase as you discover you need morepower, multimedia equipment, and other technologies that enhance the Internet experi-ence Upgrading hardware and software for Internet use can become addictive

✦ Depending on your e-mail and Web access for business or personal use is a risky ness ISP connections and services are always subject to failures; you must make surethat you have an alternative when connections break down and services fail

busi-✦ Viruses, worms, and Trojan horses attack almost constantly over the Web and throughe-mail Your computer, data, and even networked computers can be at risk from thesepests

Looking at Internet services

If you’ve ever surfed the Net, you know there’s a world of products and services at your gertips You also know that you can find information on just about anything, if you knowwhere to look After you locate the information, you can share it in many ways over the Net

fin-What’s available

You can find just about any type of information you want on the Internet Not only can youfind the popular sales and service Web sites, but also you can take advantage of years ofresearch, studies, reports, and surveys Following are a few of the things you can exploreover the Internet:

✦ Find out information about society and culture Learn about life in foreign countries or

in the United States Study geography, religion, politics, and the people of present tures or past ones Examine archaeology, economics, and languages Learn about biol-ogy, astronomy, and other sciences

cul-✦ Visit libraries all over the world Find definitions and dictionaries, quotes, and gies Study the biographies of famous and infamous people who are living today or whoare a part of history

antholo-✦ Read the news, check the sports, and keep an eye on the weather Learn where the nextwar will break out and who is testing nuclear weapons in the world Find out what yourgovernor or state legislature is doing right now

✦ Read famous works of literature, view prominent artwork, listen to a symphony See thelatest photography exhibit in Washington, DC, or visit a museum in Kansas

✦ Research the latest movies, as well as movies of the past Play games, read jokes, andconnect with others interested in the same hobbies as you

✦ Learn about the newest advances in medicine Read about the medications you’re ing Find out how to keep fit and eat well

tak-✦ Get government forms, tax information, grant applications, stamps, and information

about city, county, state, federal, and international government

✦ Find a job Post your resume Inquire about openings all over the country and the

world Figure 16-3 illustrates a resume posted online You can register your Web page

with various search engines so that anyone searching for a computer book author, for

example, can find your resume easily

Figure 16-3: Advertise yourself online.

The Internet has something for everyone, no matter what your question or interest

Acquiring the information

In addition to supplying enormous amounts of information, the Internet enables you to

trans-fer the information in various ways In addition to printing data so that you can read it at your

own pace, you can transfer the information electronically

E-mail

You can send the information you find to another user via e-mail Attach a file or a link so that

you can share any Web site with someone else Discuss topics, pool resources, and share

ideas — all with the click of a mouse For more information about e-mail, see Chapter 17

Figure 16-4 illustrates an e-mail message for a friend You can send messages to friends and

family all over the world with just the click of the mouse

E-mail is a great way to give your employees the means to collaborate and share information

with coworkers, vendors, manufacturers, customers, and others Be careful, though, it’s also

an easy way to pass around jokes, hoaxes, stories, and viruses

Chat programs

You also can exchange information over the Internet by using chat programs Whereas e-mail

sometimes must wait until the recipient receives and responds to your message, chat

pro-grams connect two or more people online at the same time The conversation is held in real

time For more information about chatting over the Internet, see Chapter 18

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Figure 16-4: Send messages to friends, family, and business

associates

Your employees can use chat programs to contact customers, for example, as they work onaccounts, projects, reports, and other tasks Chatting over the Internet is usually less expen-sive than long-distance phone calls and business trips to other states or countries

File transfer

Transferring files over the Internet is a quick and easy method of acquiring updates, tions, documents, and other files You can purchase and download a program, such as agame, a piece of shareware, accounting packages, utilities, and network management soft-ware Many vendors supply free demos of their applications so that you can try it before youbuy it You also can download updated drivers and software for your computer or network

applica-In addition to downloading files from the applica-Internet, you can upload files Many companies use

a special site for their remote employees to send files You might upload a file to a technicalsupport company, for example, or reports to universities, or documents to friends File trans-fers over the Internet are faster and cheaper than transporting a floppy disk or using snailmail to send files

Send presentations and reports to your customers, accounting information to a parent pany or business partner, or publication files to your commercial printer over the Internet

com-Conferences and meetings

Current technology enables people to hold meetings with colleagues and business associates.NetMeeting, a Windows application, is but one of these programs Although conferencing soft-ware is similar to chat rooms, it also offers features that chat programs do not

Some business meeting software, for example, enables the participants to engage in phone

conversations at the same time; sometimes videoconferencing is also built in Whiteboards

are often used to take notes and organize ideas during a meeting; everyone can see the

infor-mation on the whiteboard, add to it, and modify it

Although conference and meeting software generally is used for business contacts, you easily

could use it on your home network too

Scheduling and calendaring

In addition to using a scheduling program on your local area network, you can make use of a

Web-based calendar program that enables you to share your schedule with others over the

Internet You might want to schedule visits with your family and friends who are spread out

over the country, for example

You can share your calendar with colleagues to make business trips, meetings, deadlines,

and even golf games easier to schedule

Understanding Internet Connections

Most home users connect to the Internet with a dial-up modem, and in some cases, the

modem is perfect for the job You can use various speeds and types of modems to access the

Internet, but the most common speed at this time is 56 Kbps Instead of a modem, however,

you can use other equipment that provides a fast, permanent connection to the Internet,

such as DSL or cable modems, high-speed lines (T1, frame relay, fractional T1), and so on

The type of connection you get depends on how much you use the Internet If you and your

family connect to get e-mail and do some surfing every day, a dial-up modem connection might

be just fine If you use the Internet many hours a day every day for work from your home or if

your kids play online games, however, you may want to invest in a faster, more permanent

connection

Figure 16-5 shows a home network using one modem to attach to the Internet All users can

share the Internet connection, however, with the use of a piece of software See the section

“Sharing Internet Connections” later in this chapter

You can connect to Internet services by using an analog phone line or a digital cable line

Traditional modems use phone lines, and DSL or cable modems and other equipment use

high-speed digital lines

Dial-up modems use a service through an ISP, a government agency, or some other service

provider Your phone line is attached to the dial-up modem; you dial your ISP and access the

e-mail and/or Web server When you disconnect from the ISP, you no longer receive mail or

information from the Internet until you connect again

Cable or DSL modems are not really modems but are called that out of convenience and

famil-iarity with the word modem Cable and DSL are also called broadband Internet connections.

Broadband defines telecommunications that provide a variety of channels of data over a

sin-gle wire A dedicated line, such as a T1, is a special high-speed, or hard-wired, connection

that is permanent Any of these connections is always active, always ready You can be

work-ing in your word processwork-ing program and hear the “you’ve got mail” sound at any time,

because when mail is received at your ISP’s e-mail server, it is sent directly to you over your

permanent connection

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Figure 16-5: Whether you use a fast connection or a slower one, all network users can

take advantage of the Internet

Using phone lines

Modems use analog technology — transmission methods developed to transmit voice signalsinstead of digital signals The phone lines in your home are analog lines built to carry voicetransmissions, and perhaps other data, such as faxes They also might carry your networktransmissions on a phone line network

If you use a phone line for several services at the same time — such as home networking and

an Internet connection — you are likely to notice a performance degradation

Using phone lines for Internet access is more flexible than using cable modems or permanentlines You can move the dial-up or DSL modems to other computers or rooms: All you need is

a telephone line and a jack Also, using a dial-up modem and phone line is much cheaper thanusing a cable modem or a dedicated line

On the other side, however, a dial-up connection using a modem and a phone line is slowerthan a cable modem or dedicated connection Generally, speeds are between 28 Kbps and 56Kbps Also, noise or interference over the lines can cut off transmissions unexpectedly.Finally, using the phone line for the Internet ties up your phone line unless you use a dedi-cated line for your modem

Note

TheInternet

Cablemodem

Hub

Using cable and DSL modems

More and more homes are using cable or DSL modems For a small monthly price, you can

have high-speed connections to the Internet that enable you to download large files — like

music, video, white papers, even entire books — in minutes You also have a permanent

con-nection via these modems, meaning you can send and receive e-mail anytime without having

to dial up or connect to your ISP’s server In addition, both connection types leave you more

vulnerable to viruses and worms because of their “always-on” configuration

Local phone companies usually offer DSL connections, since DSL access is over standard

copper lines DSL connections receive up to 6.1 Mbps, so the technology is very fast indeed

However, not every area offers DSL, and you must be within a certain distance from your

phone company’s central office to use DSL DSL lines are secure and offer low interference too

DSL is perfect for the power user, small businesses, and so on The ordinary residential user

isn’t likely to need this much speed The problem with DSL is its availability and expense

Your local cable company can tell you more about a cable connection to the Internet

Connections are fast but not always consistent For example, in the morning you might

con-nect at 6 Mbps, and in the afternoon your concon-nection might be 1.6 Mbps Often, downstream

cable speeds are from 10 Mbps to 30 Mbps for a distance of up to 30 miles Upstream speeds

might be 128 Kbps to 10 Mbps for the same distance Cable television lines are usually coaxial

Speeds are measured in upstream and downstream Upstream, or upload, is the speed at

which information travels from your home to the destination; downstream, or download, is

the speed at which information travels from the destination server to you Download speeds

are often faster because users download more often than upload

Figure 16-6 illustrates upstream and downstream speeds from a home modem to an ISP

attached to the Internet Naturally, the speeds apply to the connection only as far as the

ISP’s Web or mail server is concerned Generally, ISPs use higher-speed cables — such as T1

lines — to connect their servers to the Internet

Figure 16-6: Upstream and downstream speeds are not the same for most

Speeds for cable lines are very fast, but you must remember that television signals also sharethe data path, plus everyone in your neighborhood shares the same cable You have to con-sider not only how fast the line is, but also how fast the PC can handle the data inflow, howfast the PC-to-cable interface is, how fast the data travels on the TV cable, and how much traf-fic there will be during primary usage hours For information, check with your cable TVprovider.

Using high-speed lines

Digital lines transmit data at high speeds so that a link to the Internet enables users to form multiple tasks simultaneously For example, you can transfer large data files, have avideoconference, and perform other tasks all at the same time

per-Generally, you lease a high-speed line from a local phone company, a long-distance service, orsome other specialized company Depending on the type of connection you get, you cantransfer data from 56 Kbps to 45 Mbps

Using dedicated lines, however, means that moving your computer isn’t easy You have tomove and reconnect the cables too Another problem with high-speed lines is that they areexpensive You must lease the lines and purchase the equipment for transferring data andoften other equipment to help route messages, and you pay installation charges as well

You may want to invest in a high-speed line for your small business if your employees spendenough time on the Internet to justify it Keep a log for one month of all employees’ time onthe Internet just to see if a high-speed line is reasonable for your company

Understanding Access Equipment

Whether you use a dial-up connection, attach to TV cables, or use other high-speed lines toaccess the Internet, you must have some sort of hardware attached to your computer.Modems generally come in two types: analog and digital The common modem you use onyour phone line is an analog modem DSL and cable modems are digital and used with high-speed connection lines

Using analog modems

Analog modems are becoming faster and faster with connections to the Internet and otheronline services The 28.8 and 33.6 analog modems have become antiques in dial-up technol-ogy A 28.8 modem transmits data at 28,800 bits per second (bps), and a 33.6 transmits at33,600 bps

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The only analog modem speed you can buy these days is the 56 kilobits per second (Kbps).

The speeds are not, however, truly 56 Kbps, because the FCC regulations prevent 56 Kbps

support in the United States Downloading speeds for a 56 Kbps modem are 53 Kbps, and

uploading speeds are only 33 Kbps Also, the actual speed depends on the phone line

condi-tions and the current connection A storm, for example, or interference from other sources,

can slow connections through a phone line

Using digital modems

A digital modem is a piece of hardware that transmits data in both directions, usually

simulta-neously, at high speeds You use certain types of digital modems for the connection types

you’ve got If you have a DSL, for example, you use a DSL modem, which is a modem built

specifically for use with that type of line

Sometimes a digital modem is called a terminal adapter (TA) or router, but the process is still

the same A piece of hardware located at the end of the line — DSL, TV cable, ISDN, and such —

transmits and translates the signal to and from the computer or server When there’s a digital

modem on one end of the line, there must be a digital modem on the other end of the line for

the two to communicate

Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) is a telecommunications network that enables

digital voice, video, and data transmission ISDN was quite popular among small businesses

until cable modems and DSL became more common and available ISDN only offers 128

Kbps speeds for data transfer

Figure 16-7 shows a cable modem connection between a home user, the ISP (in this case, the

cable company), and the Internet The cable modem in the home is connected, by coaxial

cable, to the cable modem at the cable company’s building Note that multiple lines feed from

the ISP to a larger Internet provider

Note

Modem Standards

The ITU (International Telecommunications Union) defines standards for telecommunications

that govern, in part, the definition of modem speeds and operations The ITU also governs fax

and digital modems

For example, V-standards define speed, wiring, and error correction in modems and other

telecommunications devices V.32 bis is an ITU standard for 14,400 bps modems V.33 is an ITU

standard for 12,000 and 14,400 bps modems used over four-wire, leased circuits V.34 defines a

28,800 bps modem over a dial-up line, with error correction and data compression techniques

included The V.90 standard used for 56 Kbps modems is now the most common standard

Figure 16-7: ISPs feed into larger ISPs, which feed into larger ISPs, and all together,

these servers form the Internet

Sharing Internet Connections

Dial-up modems are not shareable over a local area network under normal conditions Withthe use of a third-party application, however, you can surf the Net and send and receivee-mail at the same time others on the network use the Internet connection Various programs

exist, often called proxy servers, which enable you to turn one phone line into multiple

Internet connections

Many people use cable modems or DSL modems in their home or small business for Internetconnections instead of using dial-up modems You can also use a software program or a hard-

ware device, often called firewall routers, to share these modems.

Basically, these applications or devices enable all computers on a LAN to connect to theInternet, surf the Web, and send and receive e-mail simultaneously, using one Internetconnection

Some ISPs have policies against sharing an Internet connection Check with your ISP formore information

When using the proxy applications, you usually have to install TCP/IP to each computer onthe LAN Additionally, you install the proxy software on the host, or server, machine first; this

is the computer that’s attached directly to the dial-up or cable/DSL modem Then you installthe software on client or guest machines

Tip

Internet

Cable modem

Cablecompany

If you use a hardware device, all computers connect to the device, through a hub or switch

for example, so each computer is connected to the Internet all the time Among the hardware

devices previously mentioned for firewall use, many can be used for Internet sharing as well

A few more are described in this section

Using software to share a connection

One of the most popular programs on the market is WinGate WinGate has been in use for

many years as a low-cost standard for Internet connection sharing, and with each new

ver-sion, it improves WinGate now offers an antivirus program, content filtering, and e-mail

server, and a VPN solution for about $50

WinGate supports dial-up connections, cable modems, satellite, DSL, T1, and so on It also

supports many Internet applications WinGate includes a proxy server you can configure for

various protocols, and it’s also equipped with a firewall to protect your system from hackers

WinGate supports NAT WinGate, by Deerfield.com, costs around $50 for a three-user version,

$100 for six-user, and the more users you add, the higher the cost

Microsoft has included ICS (Internet Connection Sharing) with Windows 2000 and XP ICS

enables the computers on the LAN to share an Internet connection Any operating system can

connect through ICS as long as the computer uses TCP/IP

ICS may not work with some cable modems or other return network (telco) devices (Telcos

are connections that receive data through a NIC attached to a cable modem, and transmit

data through a telephone line attached to a dial-up modem.) Check Microsoft if you’re

unsure

Tip

Network Address Translation (NAT)

Network Address Translation (NAT) is an Internet standard that enables a LAN to use one set of

IP addresses for internal traffic and a second set of addresses for external traffic NATs are a type

of software application that lets multiple computers access the Internet NATs are available for

most Windows OSs and for many Mac OSs, although selection is limited for Macs

The advantages of using NAT-enabled applications are as follows:

✦ Computers with NATs handle multiplayer Web gaming well

✦ NATs are easier to set up than proxies

✦ They can be expanded to handle many computers

Disadvantages include the following:

✦ The computer running the NAT program must be running for other computers to access

the Internet

✦ Managing the access isn’t as flexible as proxies

✦ NATs don’t support all applications, so adding services can be difficult

ICS isn’t a full-feature program; other programs offer more For example, ICS doesn’t supportaccess controls or logging For more information about ICS, see www.microsoft.com orwww.practicallynetworked.com.

For the Macintosh, IPNetRouter by Sustainable Softworks is an easy way to share a dial-up,cable, or DSL modem Internet connection IPNetRouter is a router and firewall and uses NATand IP filtering The cost of IPNetRouter is around $90

WinProxy is another software program that enables you to share a high-speed Internet nection WinProxy also supports dial-up modems, cable/DSL modems, satellite, T1 and T3,wireless, and other connections WinProxy is also a firewall, enabling you to block access tosites, and it includes antivirus support WinProxy is made by Blue Coat/Ositis and costsaround $60 for a three-user version or $100 for a five-user version

con-You can buy many other software programs to share an Internet connection, many of whichare also firewalls or proxy servers Some other products include SolidShare, as well asezProxy from LavaSoftware

Using hardware to share a connection

As previously mentioned, you can often use firewall routers to share an Internet connection.Just as you would connect the router to use for a firewall, you would connect the device touse for Internet sharing You use the hardware router as a bridge between the modem (dial-

up, cable, DSL, and so on) and the hub or switch you use to network your computers.Some routers you use for sharing a connection are also Ethernet hubs or switches, whichmeans you combine two functions into a single device In this case, you connect the modem

to the Ethernet router/hub/switch, and the computers connect to the router/hub/switch aswell See Chapter 9 for more information

Linksys makes a cable/DSL modem four-port router you can use to connect your computers

to one Internet connection For about $50, you can get a 10/100 Ethernet router that also acts

as a rudimentary firewall NAT is also handled by the Linksys box

Zoom makes an Internet Gateway for around $60 All computers on the network share oneInternet connection through a DSL modem, a cable modem, or an analog (dial-up) modemusing NAT Computers share one Internet IP address while retaining their individual IPaddresses LAN connections are through 10/100 Ethernet You can plug another hub intothe gateway so that more computers are supported

NETGEAR also makes a similar product, as do Asante, Black Box, and Hawking You can alsouse wireless routers Additionally, you can connect various operating systems to theserouters with no problem in sharing the Internet connection

Contracting a Service Provider

In today’s market, you can find many providers of Internet services Commercial online services,such as Prodigy and America Online, offer Internet access plus online shopping, groups, games,and file libraries They even offer free browsers and e-mail programs for download

Working with Web Browsers and E-Mail

The Web browser and e-mail program you use on your computers in the network both should

be programs with which you’re comfortable A Web browser is a program that enables you to

view pages on the Internet in the special Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) format A

browser also enables you to control how the Web pages appear and how the graphic images

look, and it enables you to jump from link to link while surfing the Web An e-mail program

might be a separate application or be connected to your browser The e-mail program enables

you to send and receive messages over the Internet

You should use the same browser and e-mail programs on all computers on the network, if

possible Troubleshooting problems, upgrading versions, and maintaining the programs are

easier for you if all the applications are the same brand and version Also, compatibility

issues are easier to deal with when you keep all the Internet programs the same on your

computers

If you’re using Windows, Internet Explorer is built into the program You may prefer to use

Netscape or some other application The program you choose depends on your preferences

and will not affect sharing an Internet connection or account, as described earlier in this

chapter

Figure 16-8 illustrates Microsoft Internet Explorer The Web browser enables you to view Web

pages, navigate the Web easily, search for certain topics, and more

Internet service providers, however, may provide more services for less than the commercial

online services An ISP provides you with a connection to the Internet, mailboxes, space on the

server for a Web page or Web site, access to news servers, and more Before you sign up for

ser-vices with an ISP, however, you should consider a few things and understand that local ISPs are

not always the best solution

✦ Ask your friends which ISP they use and how satisfied they are with the service Ask if

the ISP is reliable, if the ISP has a lot of hardware problems, and if technical support is

helpful

✦ Find out prices Ask whether there’s a limit on connect time or if time and usage are

unlimited Ask if they include Web page space and any other perks

✦ You also should consider how long the ISP has been in business New ISPs pop up all

the time, but are not always prepared to handle the job Most new ISPs don’t start with

enough modems and connections, so they must upgrade within a few months Others

don’t have a business plan and the business sinks after only a few months Find an

established ISP for your Internet connection

✦ Local, regional, and national providers are available Find out if there’s a local access

number for dial-up, or at least an 800 number that will cost less than long-distance

con-nections Also, your cable company provides ISP services, as does a phone company from

whom you can get DSL services

Figure 16-8: Use the Internet Explorer to surf the Net.

Internet Explorer and Outlook Express

All Windows operating systems ship with a Web browser and e-mail program — InternetExplorer and Outlook Express Internet Explorer also includes a newsreader for viewing news-groups on the Internet and for reading messages

Use Internet Explorer to browse the Web, save a list of favorite Web pages, download andupload files, and more You can even browse pages offline with Internet Explorer

HTML and Internet Technologies

With the Internet came an entirely new set of technologies built for easy-to-use file and data fers and information exchange HTML, TCP/IP, and hypertext are just a few of these technologies

trans-✦ HTML is a set of codes that creates the page formatting you see in a Web page; HTML is

the standard for creating Web pages HTML files are stored on a server, and people canread those files via a browser Text, graphics, and links appear on screen as you see thembecause the Web browser interprets, or translates, the HTML codes for you

✦ Hypertext is the text on the page that supplies the links When you click on these links —

represented as underlined text and, often, graphics on a Web page — you “jump” toanother Web page Using links, you can view information or images related to the originaltopic

✦ TCP/IP is the protocol of the Internet TCP/IP is supported by many hardware and

soft-ware vendors, is compatible with many different computers, and is used worldwide onnetworks that are connected to the Internet

Internet Explorer offers various preferences that you can change to suit your way of working.

You can change home pages, security, connection information, and more Figure 16-9

illus-trates Internet Explorer’s Internet Options dialog box from Windows XP To open the dialog

box from within the Internet Explorer, choose Tools ➪ Internet Options Note that you also

can change colors, fonts, and the language you use in your browser

Figure 16-9: Internet Explorer enables you to

set your preferences for working in the browser

Outlook Express is an e-mail program you can use to send and receive mail, manage and sort

messages, check your spelling, attach files, and more You can read your messages while still

attached to the Internet, or you can read and answer them offline if you use a telephone line

and modem to connect to the Internet If you use a permanent connection, such as a cable

modem, your computer is always online With a permanent connection, you can choose to

have Outlook Express check your mail every 10 minutes, or every 30 minutes, and so on

Create folders to organize your messages, and keep an address book that makes addressing

your messages quick and easy Figure 16-10 shows the Outlook Express Inbox Note that there

are only two window panes: a folder list and a message list The message text pane is hidden

(choose View ➪ Layout and deselect Show Preview Pane)

The main reason to not show the message text in a preview pane is to protect your computer

from viruses When you select a message, the text it contains appears in your Show preview

pane If a worm or other virus has ridden the e-mail message to your computer, showing it in

the preview pane is the same as opening the message and letting the worm loose

Caution

Figure 16-10: Use Outlook Express for sending and receiving messages over the Internet.

For more information concerning using e-mail, see Chapter 17

Using Netscape Navigator and Netscape Mail

Netscape Navigator, a Web browser, performs the same tasks as Internet Explorer Netscapeenables high security and viewing of HTML formatting and provides context-sensitive help.Netscape Mail provides the tools for sending and receiving messages, organizing mail, sortingmessages, and more

Netscape 7.1 is compatible with Windows 98, Me, 2000, and XP; Mac OS X; and Red Hat Linux7.0 and greater In addition, the 7.1 browser suite of programs offers spam control, pop-upwindows controls, image zoom, mail views, Palm sync, and developer tools as new features

Cross-Reference

Configuring an Internet Browser and E-Mail Program

No matter what type of browser or e-mail program you use, you need to configure the program

to work with your service provider The ISP should provide you with the information you need to

set up your program in Windows Following is a description of the information you need

You use a general Internet account to gain access to the ISP’s server If you use a dial-up modem,

you need the ISP’s access phone number that your modem dials to get onto the Internet If you

use a cable or DSL modem, a technician will likely come to set up your hardware

No matter how you connect, you need an Internet Protocol (IP) address The IP address is an

identifier for the ISP’s server Often the IP address looks similar to this: 205.112.134.121 For

more information about IP addresses, see Appendix B

A subnet mask enables the computer in one segment of a network to see computers in another

segment The ISP uses a subnet mask — like 255.255.255.255 — to communicate with other

seg-ments on the Internet network The ISP assigns a subnet mask for you to use

Sometimes you need a default gateway address The gateway is a physical device that connects

two network segments The gateway address looks like an IP address and subnet mask An ISP

assigns the gateway number you use in your configuration

You also need at least one, and perhaps two, domain name system (DNS) names that describe

the ISP’s servers — such as iserver.net — or the IP address, such as 205.112.1.1 A name server on

the Internet translates IP addresses into names, and vice versa The ISP assigns the appropriate

DNS server names you use to configure your connection

When you use phone lines and a modem to connect, your ISP will tell you which interface type —

such as Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) or Serial Line Internet Protocol (SLIP) — it uses These

inter-face types are also protocols for communications used to run the IP protocol over telephone

con-nections via a modem

The ISP also assigns you a userid and a password The userid is the username you enter to gain

access to the ISP’s server You also need the password for access

For an e-mail account, you need an e-mail username and password These may be the same or

different from your account username and password Your ISP also assigns, or lets you choose,

an e-mail address consisting of a username, the @ symbol, and the domain name of the service

provider (splumley@onenetone.net, for example)

You also configure a point of presence (POP) e-mail host name, which is the server that holds

the e-mail messages for you until you log on and get your messages Similarly, you need a

Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) e-mail host name, which is the part of the system that

sends the mail out to other e-mail servers on the Internet Again, your ISP will give you the

infor-mation and help you set up the account

Using Mac Web browsers

You can purchase Mac Web browsers similar to Windows Web browsers Microsoft InternetExplorer for the Mac is very similar to the IE for PC Figure 16-11 illustrates the MicrosoftInternet Explorer on the iMac, using Mac OS X

In addition, you can purchase Netscape for the Mac Netscape for the Mac is similar toNetscape for a PC The tools, features, and controls are similar too Netscape version 7.1, asdescribed previously in this chapter, also works with the Mac OS X 10.1 or later For moreinformation about Netscape for the Mac, visit www.netscape.com

Other browsers, such as Mozilla, exist for the Mac too Mozilla is one of the early browsersthat has continued to grow with the industry For more information about Mozilla, go towww.mozilla.org

Using Linux browsers

You can use Netscape Communicator for your browser in most Linux distributions Netscape

is a software suite that contains tools for Web browsing and e-mailing The release for Linuxincludes a proprietary source code, so it’s not covered under an open source, free license.Mozilla for Linux uses the standard browsing tools You can also download new looks for thesoftware Mozilla also lets you disable pop-up windows and display multiple Web pages at thesame time, and it features spam controls

Legal Issues, Ethics, and Netiquette

Whenever you use an Internet service, you should consider issues relating to doing business andcommunicating with others You and your family want to treat the information and contacts youmake over the Internet with respect and care

Legally, you want to remember that copyright and patent laws still exist, even over the Internet.Copying, sending, and otherwise transporting literature, book excerpts, music, video, and so on isprotected by law You want to be careful, too, in sending any such writings, music, or video toanother country

If you’re selling goods over the Internet, be careful about exporting goods to other countries.Some items are restricted and you cannot export them; exporting other items requires that youhave a license It is, for example, illegal to send Phil Zimmerman’s Pretty Good Privacy encryptionprogram (that scrambles access codes so as to prevent unauthorized access to computerizedinformation) to other countries

You should honor the same good ethics over the Net as you would in any other personal or ness dealings Don’t harass people with your e-mail Don’t behave immorally or dishonestly.Don’t send obscenities through the system

busi-Netiquette, or Internet etiquette, is simply behaving politely and sensibly while online Mostoften, good netiquette applies to e-mail and newsgroups, but sometimes it can pertain to Websites Don’t send unsolicited e-mail to a list of users — known as spamming Be careful whenmaking statements that could be misconstrued in an e-mail Remember, you can’t read emo-tions, and so something said in jest may be taken seriously

Figure 16-11: Macs can use Microsoft Internet Explorer.

HotJava is another Web browser for Linux HotJava has a highly customizable user interface

You can download and execute applets from behind corporate firewalls You can install new

content and protocol handlers HotJava includes proprietary source code that is not covered

under an open source, free license

Other browsers for Linux exist; plus, you can create your own code for browsers

Applying Protection to Your Connections

You need protection against viruses and hackers if you plan to attach to the Internet Viruses

usually come in with e-mail messages, attachments to your e-mail, and so on Read more

about virus protection in Chapter 17

Hackers, on the other hand, are the main threat from an Internet connection A hacker is a

person who attempts to access your computer from across the Internet Hackers don’t know

who you are or what you’re running on your computer Hackers are not out to get you, in

par-ticular; they’re usually just hacking away at systems to deface Web pages, forward spam or

chat messages, remotely play with you to cause fear and paranoia, and so on These days,

most hacks are coming from worms

A worm is a destructive software program that gains access to a computer or network via

e-mail, the Web, or other method Worms contain code that can damage data by deleting,

modifying, or distributing the data in various ways

Some software programs and hardware devices can limit the access hackers and worms have

to your computer and therefore your network Firewalls and proxies are two methods you canuse to help prevent unauthorized access to your network

✦ Firewalls block traffic on the network A firewall can be either a software program or a

hardware device You must tell the firewall what traffic you want to block; in addition, afirewall cannot stop attacks in the traffic you allow into your network

✦ A proxy (or proxy server) is software or hardware that separates a local network from

outside networks A proxy server usually caches all the pages accessed through thenetwork When a page is accessed that is not in the cache, the proxy server forwards acopy of that page using its own IP address, so as to protect the private network

To make sure your network is protected, you should have either a firewall or proxy serverand antivirus software installed on all computers on your network

For more information about antivirus software, see Chapter 17

Make sure when you’re looking at firewalls and proxy servers, you note two things:

✦ Can the program or device support various operating systems (if that’s applicable toyour situation)?

✦ Is the product for single use or for a network and all of the computers that are nected to the network?

con-If you have an Internet connection in your business, you should distribute a list of rulesregarding the use of the Internet and your employees For example, users should not giveout company passwords You should maintain limits to sites they may visit, personal e-mailsand chats, and so on Protect yourself and your business first; worry about employees’ feel-ings last

Understanding and using firewalls

A firewall enforces control between two networks, for example, your private network and theInternet Thus, a firewall blocks certain traffic and allows other traffic to pass The emphasiswith which the firewall blocks traffic depends on how you configure it You use a firewall tokeep sensitive or proprietary data on your network safe from hackers who have nothing bet-ter to do than try to hack into computers all day

You can configure your firewall to protect against unauthenticated logins from the Internet,which prevents hackers from getting into your system You might configure your firewall toblock all traffic from the outside (including cookies, e-mails, and so on) but to let your net-work users communicate freely on the Internet

Most firewalls enable you to audit access attempts and keep logs of those attempts Forexample, if someone is continuously trying to access your system, the firewall can act like aphone tap and tracing tool

Firewalls don’t protect against viruses and worms Viruses are encoded binary files thattransfer over a large variety of networks and firewalls are not designed to protect againstdata-driven attacks — those that are mailed or copied and then executed, such as viruses,worms, and Trojan horses See Chapter 17 for more information about virus protection

Small

Business

Tip Cross-

Reference

For more information about firewalls, check out Firewalls For Dummies by Brian Komar,

Ronald Beekelaar, and Joern Wettern (Wiley Publishing, Inc 2003) This book is good for

learning how to set up a firewall on your home or small-business network

Choosing firewall products

Many firewall products exist, some software and others hardware You need protection of

some sort if you plan to use the Internet; but you especially need protection if you’re using an

always-on connection, such as a cable or DSL modem

Generally, you’ll find that firewall software products are personal firewalls, meaning they

pro-tect only the computer to which they’re installed Hardware products more often propro-tect all

of the computers connected to the device

Software

One of the best firewall products is Norton Internet Security for Windows This product

pro-tects your network from hackers, viruses, and many other privacy threats For around $70,

you get a suite of packages that include Norton AntiVirus, Norton Person Firewall, Norton

Privacy Control, Norton Spam Alert, Ad Blocking, and Norton Parental Control

Norton Internet Security for Windows protects your PC and network from viruses and

hack-ers, keeps your personal information private, filters unwanted e-mail, protects your children

from sites you do not want them to view, and blocks spam and pop-up ads when you’re

surf-ing the Web The program works with Windows 98, Me, 2000, and XP

For around $50, Broderbund’s ZoneAlarm shields your system from viruses, hackers, cookies,

and unwanted Internet ads The program lets you track hackers, as well as perform other

security checks and configurations ZoneAlarm is available for Windows 98, Me, 2000, and XP

BlackICE PC Protection is an easy-to-use software product that protects against hackers,

Trojan horses, worms, and viruses Internet Security Systems (ISS) manufactures BlackICE,

and you can get it for around $40

Hardware

Every major networking manufacturer makes some sort of hardware firewall device Try to

choose a brand with which you are familiar and perhaps even a brand that you already use

with your network Most hardware firewalls also provide you with multiple connections to

your Internet provider

Linksys, for example, makes the Instant Broadband EtherFast Cable/DSL Firewall Router The

router has a four-port switch that not only protects your connection to the Internet but also

provides up to three other computers access to your Internet connection as well You can

configure the router to limit your network users’ Internet access, such as time periods or

cer-tain URLs More importantly, the router is also a firewall that protects your network from the

Internet The cost is about $75

For around $130, NETGEAR has the FVS318, which is a cable/DSL firewall router that provides

similar features as the previous router The NETGEAR router, however, has eight switched

ports NETGEAR’s router also allows other computers on the network to use one IP address

assigned by the ISP Also, the router provides virtual private network encrypting and

decrypt-ing technology, which enables you to connect to another private network via the Internet

Tip

NETGEAR provides other firewall hardware, such as the 11 Mbps cable/DSL ProSafe 802.11bWireless-Ready Firewall For around $110, you can use this firewall for the same type of secu-rity and protection of other similar devices Using encryption, the four-port switched LANport firewall enables multiple computers to attach to one IP address.

Understanding and using proxy servers

A proxy server is an application that is often used instead of router-based traffic controls,such as hardware firewalls A proxy server separates a LAN from an Internet connection.When someone on the LAN requests a page from the Internet, the proxy server uses its own

IP address to retrieve the page, thus protecting the computer on the LAN from hackers orother prying eyes

Windows XP’s Internet Connection Firewall

If you’re using Windows XP, the operating system contains a built-in firewall that is disabled bydefault Before you enable the Internet Connection Firewall (ICF), you should understand thatsometimes the ICF works well, but at other times, it can cause problems For example, the ICFcan prevent browsing through the Network Neighborhood and/or through the command NETVIEW This is by design; the ICF closes ports by default for file sharing See www.microsoft.comfor information about opening ports Other problems you might run into include the following:You might have trouble with remote administration, Internet programs might not work the waythey’re supposed to, playing games online might not work, and so on In all fairness, any soft-ware firewall program might present these same problems

The ICF is useful to protect a dial-up connection and for a LAN connection to a DSL or cablemodem

You can enable ICF for usage by following these steps:

1 Click Start ➪ Control Panel The Control Panel window appears.

2 Double-click Network and Internet Connections.

3 Click Setup or change your home or small office network.

4 Choose the Your Computer Is Connected Directly to the Internet option.

To configure Internet Connection Firewall for a connection:

1 In the Control Panel, double-click Networking and Internet Connections.

2 Click Network Connections.

3 Right-click the connection on which you would like to enable ICF, and then click

An application proxy server must handle requests in some communication protocol, such as

HTTP, FTP, Socks, and so on For each protocol that is used, the appropriate proxy service

must be enabled Many proxies contain extra logging or support for user authentication

Proxy servers are application-specific For each new protocol that the proxy must support, a

new proxy must be developed

You can develop or write your own proxy servers, or you can purchase proxy server

soft-ware Following are some of the more common and popular proxy servers Often you’ll see

proxy servers that also contain firewalls, for extra protection

Proxy servers can cause some difficulties in your network For example, if your proxy server is

down, you cannot establish a link to the Internet For most home networks, a firewall will

protect you and be easier to deal with

✦ WinProxy 5, made by Blue Coat/Ositis, supports all Internet connections It’s easy to

install and set up WinProxy provides proxy service plus a firewall, spam blocker, and

antivirus protection WinProxy costs around $85

✦ SpoonProxy enables a home network or small business to connect the entire LAN to

the Internet on one connection SpoonProxy works with analog modems, cable

modems, and even T1 connections The program costs around $20

✦ You can purchase many other proxy servers as client/server software For many you

must purchase a license and software per machine, such as iPlanet Web Proxy Server It

filters Web content, distributes data like a router, and caches pages on demand Plus

this software boosts network performance This type of proxy server is not what you

need for a home network, even if you are using client/server These proxy servers are

more for large corporate networks

For more information about basic security for home Internet users, see Internet Privacy For

Dummies by John R Levine, Ray Everett-Church, and Greg Stebben (Wiley Publishing, Inc

2002)

Tip

Tip

Advanced Proxy Information

If you’re knowledgeable about computers, networking, and proxy servers, you might be

inter-ested in some of the following programs and scripts you can use in addition to a firewall or to

create a proxy server You might be interested in the following, for instance, if you’re running a

Web server on your network

Tcpr is a set of Perl scripts you can use in conjunction with a firewall If you’re running a Web

server, for example, you can use Tcpr to forward FTP and TELNET commands across the firewall

(see ftp.alantec.com — you must use an FTP client) Another similar package is Socks

Socks allows Gopher, FTP, and Telnet to be used through a firewall (see ftp.nec.com for more

information)

You can use IPFILTERD, an IP address filtering daemon, to help build or strengthen your firewall

You can find out more through anonymous FTP at coombs.anu.edu.au When you go to the FTP

site, look through the list of commands for the IPFILTERD command Click on the IPFILTERD

command to learn more

Protecting various operating systems

If your network is made up of various operating systems, be sure to check any firewall orproxy product you buy to see that it will operate for multiple systems You might need to pur-chase a separate, personal firewall, for example, for your Macintosh Alternatively, you canbuy an 8-port firewall router into which you can connect all of your computers and protectthem whether they are Mac, PCs, or Linux boxes This section explains a bit about protectingthe Macs and/or Linux computers on your network

Macintosh

Norton Personal Firewall for Macintosh is similar to Norton Personal Firewall for the PC.The software keeps hackers out of your system, making your computer invisible on theInternet You can control inbound and outbound connections, configure the software forusers, intruder alerts, and view logs to see what has been occurring on your Macintoshwhen it’s on the Internet Norton Personal Firewall for Macintosh costs around $70

Intego NetBarrier for Macs is another personal firewall for the Macintosh The cost is around

$60 NetBarrier protects all incoming and outgoing data, blocks hackers, detects wrong words, and keeps a log for all attempt that threaten security

pass-Linux

In Linux, you can acquire various firewalls over the Internet Some work well for beginners,and others are more complicated to configure and therefore more difficult to use All firewallsprotect your computer; the one you choose depends on the Linux distribution and the fea-tures you want from the firewall

Check online to find out more about the firewall you’re most interested in Following are somenames of firewalls you can use with Linux distributions: Firestarter, Limeware, and giFT.Many Linux experts suggest creating your own iptables to make your own firewall You canalso get information online about this procedure Creating iptables gives you experience inLinux, but if you’re not the adventurous type, you might want to use a dedicated firewall dis-tribution of Linux

Using Linux as a firewall

A Linux computer is often configured as a firewall between your PC/Macintosh network andthe Internet You can download programs from the Internet that enable you to transform even

an older, less powerful computer into a firewall Check out www.linux-firewall-tools.com/linuxfor some ideas As a firewall, the Linux computer doesn’t need to perform any othertasks You can use a 100 MHz, Pentium computer with 16MB of RAM and still have the bestfirewall protection, as long as you configure it correctly

One Internet firewall/router for Linux is called SmoothWall You can run SmoothWall on anyIntel PC Since the program was built using open source, it is free software and distributedunder the GNU Public License

The designer of SmoothWall created the program to be easy to manage with a Web browser;

to support many existing network cards, modems, and other hardware plus many differentconnection methods; and to be installed by anyone, whether a home user or an IT technician.All you need on the SmoothWall computer is the box, an Internet connection, network inter-face cards (NICs), and cabling, and you’re ready to connect your private network to theInternet safely

Another software package called ClarkConnect enables you to transform a standard PC to a

dedicated broadband gateway and server A ClarkConnect system provides DNS services,

antivirus protection, antispam tools, daily security audits, intrusion detection, and more

A computer used solely as a proxy server or a firewall is often called a gateway A gateway is

an entry point into another network A gateway computer has two network cards One card

is configured for the Internet, and the other is configured for the LAN Computers and data

on the LAN are completely safe from the Internet because the Internet connection and the

LAN connection never cross or meet Routers are also used as gateways

Summary

In this chapter, you’ve learned about accessing the Internet from a network Specifically, you

have learned the following:

✦ Understanding Internet access and connections

✦ Understanding access equipment

✦ Sharing Internet connections

✦ Understanding Web browsers and e-mail programs

✦ Applying protection for your connections

In the next chapter, you learn more about using e-mail on the network

Note

Using E-Mail

E-mail is not only all the rage, but it is also impossible to live and

especially do business these days without e-mail Nearly

every-one has an e-mail address — friends, business associates, vendors,

charities, even your kids’ friends probably have e-mail accounts Most

often, you use e-mail over the Internet to contact people in other states

or countries, as well as in your own hometown With fast Internet

con-nections in most homes today and with various software and

hard-ware connection devices, every member of your household can have

his or her own connection to the Internet and to an e-mail account

Understanding E-Mail

Electronic mail (e-mail) is a perfect way to stay in touch with family,

friends, and business associates, among others You can send a

mes-sage electronically, and the recipient can respond at any time that’s

convenient You can send or receive e-mail in the middle of the night,

middle of the day — anytime that’s favorable for you

E-mail can consist of memos, notes, letters, reports, or any other type

of correspondence You also can attach files to e-mail messages, in

case you want to send a picture, story, spreadsheet, or other file

type Send a message to one person or to a hundred people Forward

a message you receive from your brother, for example, to your mom

and to your sister, if you want

Using e-mail at work promotes collaboration among your

employ-ees Users can share ideas, solutions, files, and more when they

can e-mail each other in the office

You can save, print, reply to, or delete messages Sort your messages

to find one in particular Change the layout and font of a message

Format messages to make them look nice You can even add the look

of stationery to your e-mail messages

Using Internet e-mail

If you have an Internet account with an Internet service provider or if

you have access to the Web, you can send and receive Internet e-mail

E-mail messages you send over the Internet can go anywhere around

the world — to another country, another state, or across the street

Naturally, you must have the e-mail address of the person to whom

you’re e-mailing, although you might be able to find an e-mail address

in the white or yellow pages in an online search engine

E-mail programs — such as Outlook Express, Netscape Messenger, or Eudora — provide theinterface you need to send Internet e-mail through your ISP or other service provider.Programs such as Hotmail and Juno provide a free e-mail service on the Web; you do have toview the “commercials,” however, to get your mail service.

You’ll need to configure your Internet e-mail Each computer operating system is different,including each e-mail Windows configuration Generally, you need a name, an e-mail address,

a password, an incoming mail server, an outgoing mail server, and your mail server type (such

as POP or IMAP) Your ISP will give you all of the information you need to set up your ing system for e-mail; plus, your ISP should offer free technical assistance if you should need

operat-it If you have trouble, check with your program’s documentation and with your ISP for nical support

tech-Using Web-based e-mail

Hotmail, Juno, and other Web-based e-mail enable you to check on your e-mail messageswherever you are For example, if you visit your sister in another city, you can use her com-puter, go to the Web site, and retrieve your e-mail, answer it, and send a response Many peo-ple have Web-based e-mail accounts because of this convenience

Make sure that on any day you want to check your Web-based e-mail away from home, youclose your Outlook Express or other e-mail program at home or at work Otherwise, youwon’t receive copies of the messages later, at home

Most ISPs enable you to receive your e-mail via a Web-based site All you need to know is thename of the site, your username, and your password for e-mail For example, say your ISP is

HomeLinkRUs You go to your Web browser and type www HomeLinkRUs.net Press Enter.

Figure 17-1 illustrates the HomeLinkRUs site On some sites, such as HomeLinkRUs, you seethe Web mail link

Figure 17-1: Web-based e-mail makes it easy to get mail anywhere, anytime.

Web Mail

Tip

Next, click the Web mail link and you see a login screen similar to the one shown in Figure

17-2

Many ISPs do not have a Web mail link on their site or do not advertise that you can get your

mail on their site; however, you might be able to retrieve your mail Go to your computer’s

Web browser and type mail.ISPname.net (or org, or com) Do not type www or html:\\ For

example, if you type mail.homelinkrus.net, you see the resulting screen in Figure 17-3.

Figure 17-2: Log in to your ISP’s mail server.

When you enter your username and password, you get a screen similar to the one shown in

Figure 17-4, from which you can send and receive mail, change configuration, and perform

other tasks

If you cannot access your e-mail in either of the described ways, call your Internet provider

and ask how you can obtain Web-based e-mail

If the members of your network are connected to the Internet and you each have a separate

mailbox, you can e-mail the others on your network Usually, an ISP provides multiple

mail-boxes with one Internet account This way, everyone in the family can have their own e-mail

address Some ISPs provide one or two extra mailboxes for no additional charge; other ISPs

charge for multiple mailboxes

Figure 17-5 illustrates an Internet e-mail message from two separate e-mail servers The reply

is written above the original message

Note

Figure 17-3: Get your mail from your ISP’s mail server.

Figure 17-4: Send and receive e-mail from anywhere on the Web.

Figure 17-5: Internet e-mail keeps you in touch with the

world

Examining E-Mail Programs

Most e-mail programs operate in the same way — you have an inbox and an outbox, and you

can delete items, create mail, send mail, and store addresses for easier access to your e-mail

addresses — it’s just the interface that changes This section describes various available

e-mail products for the Windows, Mac, and Linux programs

Each person on your network can use a different e-mail program, if you like It is a good idea

to keep your e-mail applications (and your Web browsers) up-to-date with the latest versions

Requirements, recommendations, and information change so quickly on the Internet, you

could wake up one day with an older e-mail program that cannot access the Internet So no

matter what type of program you use, keep it updated as much as possible

Using Windows e-mail programs

Windows 98, Me, 2000, and XP all come with an e-mail program — Outlook Express — built

into the operating system Alternatively, you can use a third-party application, such as

Netscape Mail or Mozilla The one you choose depends on what you’re used to and your

preferences

Outlook Express

Outlook Express is easily the most popular Windows e-mail program One reason for its

popu-larity, of course, is that it is built into every Windows operating system Outlook Express is

easy to use and easy to upgrade You upgrade the program by going to www.microsoft.com

and downloading the installation program

Outlook is another e-mail program that is part of the Microsoft Office suite of products Youcan use Outlook for e-mail on the Internet and for internal e-mail in your home or business.Outlook is a more comprehensive program than Outlook Express Outlook contains morefeatures, such as calendars and to-do lists.

The following information describes the Outlook Express program in some detail Realize thatall of the other applications discussed in the following pages are very similar to form andfunction; therefore, not all programs are described in such detail

Using the Inbox

You can send and receive messages from the Inbox on any computer on the network You can open messages you receive, and then print, reply, save, delete, and sort messages in theInbox

You can create folders, delete folders and messages, move and copy messages from folder tofolder, and otherwise manipulate folders in the Inbox The Inbox features and tools help youorganize and manage your messages

To open Outlook Express, double-click the icon on the desktop, or choose Start ➪ (All)Programs ➪ Outlook Express

Figure 17-6 illustrates the Inbox in Outlook Express Note that the Inbox comes with severalLocal folders: Inbox, Outbox, Sent Items, Deleted Items, and Drafts Depending on your ver-sion of Windows, your folders may appear in a different order There is also a folder in the fig-ure called SueMail that was created by the user Following is a description of the folders inthe Outlook Express left window pane:

✦ Local Folders — This folder contains all folders, including those created by the user

and by the program

✦ Inbox — The Inbox stores all messages you receive You can open and read, reply,

print, and delete messages from this folder

✦ Outbox — This folder contains all messages you write and send To deliver messages,

you can click Send/Recv (Send/Receive) on the toolbar or select Tools ➪ Send andReceive

✦ Sent Items — Sent Items contains a copy of all messages you send.

✦ Deleted Items — This folder holds all messages you delete until you empty the folder.

To delete a message, select it in the right pane and then press the Delete key To emptythe Delete Items folder, right-click the folder and choose Empty ‘Deleted Items’ Folderfrom the quick menu

✦ Drafts — This is a folder to which you can save mail that you’re composing before

you’re ready to send it

Changing views

You can change elements on the Inbox window to better view your messages and folders Youcan change the way you view messages; you can hide or show the toolbar and status bar; andyou can change layout, fonts, and various other options using the View menu

Note

Figure 17-6: Use Outlook Express to send and receive e-mail on the network.

Adding new folders

You can create new folders at any time To create a new folder, follow these steps:

1 Select File ➪ New ➪ Folder The Create Folder dialog box appears.

2 Choose the folder you want as the parent folder, as shown in Figure 17-7.

3 Enter a name for the new folder and press Enter The new folder appears in your list.

Figure 17-7: Add folders to help yourself

organize your messages

Renaming and deleting

You also can rename any folder, or delete it if you no longer need it To rename a folder, selectthe folder, right-click it, and then choose Rename from the quick menu Enter the new nameand click OK

To delete a folder, select the folder and then right-click it Choose Delete from the quickmenu The folder is deleted without confirmation Naturally, any file or folder you delete

is still in the Deleted Items folder; to completely delete an item from your computer, youmust empty the Deleted Items folder

Setting options

In Outlook Express you can set various options, such a sound that plays when new mailarrives, the font to send messages in, various priorities for outgoing messages, and so on

To set options, choose Tools ➪ Options Figure 17-8 shows the Options dialog box

Figure 17-8: Set your mail preferences in the

Options dialog box

Following is a brief description of some options you can set:

✦ General tab — Use this tab to set options for new mail notification, deletion warnings

and confirmations, profile default, and so on

✦ Read tab — Options include the action the program should take when you delete an

item, whether to use original text in a reply, and which font to use for replies

✦ Send tab — Here you set options for items such as which font to use for new messages,

requests for notification of delivery, priority of messages, and so on

✦ Spelling tab — Options here include whether to check spelling before sending a

mes-sage, as well as some items to ignore when checking spelling

✦ Security tab — Options discuss virus protection as provided by Outlook Express,

encryption, and digitally signing messages

Sending and Receiving

When you open Outlook Express, you can immediately check to see if you have received any

messages You then can reply to those messages, if you want You also can send new

mes-sages to anyone on the network

To check for mail, click Send/Recv (Send/Receive) on the toolbar Any new messages appear

in the right pane of the Inbox

To read a message, double-click it Alternatively, you can choose File ➪ Open After you read a

message, you can close it, delete it, reply to it, and even forward the message to someone

else, if you want Use either the menu or the toolbar buttons in the open message to perform

these tasks Toolbar buttons and menus are similar to the toolbar buttons and menus in

other Windows products

When you receive a message, you can reply to or forward that message immediately or later,

whichever you want All you do is click the Reply or Forward button, as appropriate Replying

to a message automatically addresses a message to the person who sent the original It also

includes the original message text in the reply, as shown in Figure 17-9

Figure 17-9: Reply to a message.

When you forward a message, you send a copy of the original text, along with any comments

you want to add, to a third party When you forward a message, you must type the address of

the person to whom the message will be sent

Sending new mail

You can send a new mail message at any time Open Outlook Express, then click the Create

Mail button or click Message ➪ New Message The New Message box appears The dialog box

displays toolbars for cutting, pasting, copying, and formatting messages You can learn what

each tool does by holding the mouse pointer over the tool, because a short ToolTip appears

to indicate its purpose

When you compose a new message, you type a name in the To box to designate the recipient.You also might send a Cc (carbon copy) to someone else on the network by entering a secondname in the Cc box You can send multiple copies by entering multiple names or addresses inthe Cc text box; separate the names with semicolons Optionally, you can add text to definethe subject of the e-mail Enter the message of the e-mail in the message text box.

If you want help with the recipient’s name, click the To box The Address Book appears, asshown in Figure 17-10 Note that the names of users on the network appear in the list box

Figure 17-10: Use the Address Book for quick naming

Using Mac e-mail programs

In addition to using Microsoft Internet Explorer on the Macintosh, you can use various othere-mail programs, including Netscape 7.1, Eudora, Mozilla, and more The type of program youuse depends on your preferences

Naturally, you must configure your e-mail, as with any e-mail program Figure 17-11 shows theMail Configuration dialog box on the Mac OS X This mail program came with the Mac OS X as

a default mail program