Sharing Considerations
Sharing is a very cool feature and it is definitely one of the best reasons to setup a LAN. However, make sure that you take a few precautions when sharing files and directories:
You definitely need to put passwords on your shared drives. Why? There are several ways to connect to shared drives on ANYONE's computer as long as they're on the Internet and they've got TCP/IP installed. I don't want to encourage people to do this, but rather encourage people to protect their systems... therefore I will describe how this works and why it's considered insecure (and put bluntly: stupid).
Programs like ScanIP can be used to scan a huge series of IP addresses on the Internet. In addition to scanning addresses, it will show you if the users have drive sharing enabled. If they do have drive sharing enabled, it will let you connect to their drives! Luckily, a password will stop them in their tracks. And yes, it works. I have tried it on my other PC and it lets me connect to as long as I turn off the sharing password on the PC. Once you're connected, you can do whatever is specified by the sharing (read, write, etc.). You can delete, copy, rename, edit, and even upload. So please, for your own sake, put passwords on your system!
Want to make sure your system is secure? Go here and test it out!
What Else?
Even though you gave each computer an IP, you won't be sharing your Internet connection across the network. To do this, it is highly recommended that you download and install SyGate. This program is one of the most simple and effective programs for splitting your Internet connection. Provided you followed the steps above, you will most likely not need to configure anything. If you do have problems getting Sygate to work, install it in server mode on the PC with the Internet connection and install it in client mode on the other PC(s). Choose auto configuration and everything should work great.
If you're using 10BaseT, you might look into a hub-card. This is a type of network card that also functions as a hub - it has 4 or 5 ports on the back of it. This could reduce the price by $15 or so, and you'll have one less cable, but there's an important consideration: your network will go down when the machine with the hubcard is off, since hubs need power. These cards function exactly like normal network cards, though, so there's no compatibility problem.
Conclusion
Home networks are a huge convenience if you have computers scattered around your house. You can play games from the CD-ROM downstairs, or let your parents check their e-mail without kicking you off of the only computer with Internet access. After some hassle to begin with, your network should run smoothly, and you'll have something new to brag about, too.
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