Description
Manage Network
Connections (Figure 7-15) is
actually a specialized folder that
lists and provides details about all
of your network connections, and
lets you configure and manage them.
Click any network connection and a
toolbar appears that lets you take a
variety of actions on the
connection, including connecting it,
disabling the network device,
renaming the connection, viewing the
status of the connection, changing
the connection's settings and
diagnosing problems with the
connection.
Manage Network Connections, a
specialized folder that lets you
configure and manage all your
network connections
You can also
right-click any connection to
perform several of those tasks, or
delete the connection, rename it,
and create a shortcut to it.
The folder is also
useful for bridging separate
networks. When you do this, you
allow data to be transferred between
two (or more) different networks. In
effect, a bridge turns your computer
into a hub of sorts, but with the
advantage of allowing you to combine
two otherwise incompatible networks.
Select at least two connection
icons, right-click, and select
Bridge Connections to create a
network bridge between the
connections.
Notes
-
You can't bridge
any network connection that
Internet Connection Sharing is
using to share an Internet
connection with several PCs.
-
You can create
only one network bridge on your
PC, but you can add multiple
networks to a single bridge.
Configure and manage
wireless networks.
To open
Control Panel → [Network
and Internet] → Network and Sharing
Center → Manage wireless networks
Description
Many people regularly
connect to more than one wireless
network—one at home, one at work,
and possibly more than one public
hotspot. When you create a wireless
connection, you have the option of
saving that network as a connection;
any networks that you've saved will
show up on the Manage Wireless
Networks screen (Figure 7-16).
Managing multiple wireless networks
Manage and configure
your networks using the toolbar.
Clicking Add will let you add a new
network—either within or outside
your wireless range. If it's inside
your wireless range, follow the
usual steps for adding a wireless
connection. (See "Connect to a
network," earlier in this chapter,
for details.) If it's outside your
wireless range, you can manually
create a network profile so that the
next time you're near that network,
you can automatically connect to it.
To do this, you'll need to know the
network name (SSID), and its
security key if it uses security.
You can also create an ad hoc
network, a temporary direct
connection with another nearby
wirelessly equipped PC, rather than
with an access-point-based network.
The network list
shows you the order in which Windows
Vista will attempt to connect. So if
you have two or more networks within
range of each other, move your
preferred network to the top of the
list, your least preferred network
to the bottom, and so on. To move a
network up and down the list,
highlight it and choose either "Move
up" or "Move down."
Click "Adapter properties" to launch
the Wireless Network Connection
Properties dialog box, which lists
all the services and protocols
associated with a network and lets
you add, configure or remove more
protocols and services. (See the
next section, "Network Connection
Properties (Includes Wired and
Wireless Connections)," for
details.)
Profile Types lets
you choose whether the networks can
be accessed by anyone using the PC,
or whether you want to allow each
user to create her own connections.
By default, all accounts can access
the networks. If you change that to
a per-user basis, the PC may lose
network connectivity when users log
off or when switching user accounts.
Network
Connection Properties (Includes
Wired and Wireless Connections)
Configure network
services associated with a network
connection.
To open
Control Panel → [Network
and Internet] → Network and Sharing
Center → View Status → Properties
Description
The Network Connection
Properties screen (Figure 7-17)
lists all the installed protocols
and services associated with a
network connection (both wired and
wireless). It provides you with
basic information about your
wireless connection to help with
troubleshooting, and it helps you
configure your network and its
connection. You can selectively
choose which protocols and services
are supported by any specific
connection by using the checkboxes
in the list.
The
Network Connection Properties
screen, which lists all the services
and protocols associated with a
network connection
If you need to add
support for a protocol or service
not shown on the list, click Install
to add it. If a protocol or service
is shown but you're certain it's not
used by any of your connections, you
can uninstall it by clicking
Uninstall. If you install or
uninstall a protocol or service, the
change will take effect for all
existing connections.
Probably the most
useful button, however, is
Properties. Depending on the service
or protocol currently selected,
Properties allows you to set many of
the advanced options for a
connection. The following list shows
common services and protocols
available in Windows Vista:
Client for
Microsoft Networks
This is an essential component
for connecting to a Microsoft
Network. This entry should
always be present and enabled,
unless you specifically need to
connect to a non-Microsoft
network (such as an older
NetWare network). Most users
will have no need to modify it
via its Properties window.
QoS Packet
Scheduler
This protocol allows network
traffic to be optimized and
controlled, including
prioritizing certain services
over others.
File and
Printer Sharing for Microsoft
Networks
This service is responsible for
sharing files and printers over
a Microsoft Network; see
"Sharing Resources and Files,"
later in this chapter, for more
information. The Properties
window is unavailable for this
entry.
Internet
Protocol (TCP/IPv4)
TCP/IP, introduced in the
beginning of this chapter, is
the protocol used by all
Internet connections, as well as
most LAN connections. Unless you
specifically don't want TCP/IP
support for some reason, the
Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) entry
should be enabled for all of
your connections.
