Customer Network Support Page

Customer Network Support Page as posted on Ezine articles dot com...

Computer Networks have become a way of life as of late. We have them at work, often at home too, and certainly every place we visit any more. How is it that linking computers together became such an important tool in our society?

Networks

To begin with, we have to remember that we're in the 'Information Age.' Computers create, control, and disseminate information much faster than we can with paper and a pen. So what happens, when you have files on your computer that I need to see or change in mine? The only options are to either save the file from your machine to removable meda (CD Rom, USB Drive, or Floppy) then transport it to the other computer, or else have them in a Network to share the files. The latter is so much less time consuming in a busy office!

What happens when the Network goes down though? Of course this never happens at a good time. It happens when the work is (over)due or the customer is waiting for a printout. Yes, fortunately there are things that you can do before calling San Diego PC.

Without getting too technical however, you need to know a few things: Each computer on the Network has an IP address. This address is simply a number that identifies it on the Network, just as your house's address identifies your home on the street.

The next thing is the infrastructure of the Network itself. The most common cabling between the computers will be 'Cat5' cabling, which plugs in to the back of the PC just the same way that a telephone cord plugs into a phone. This cable may simply go between a pair of computers, or more commonly it will be plugged in to a router at the other end. This is the device that links all of the computers together, using the Cat5 cable. It will be plugged into the wall for power, and a a cable will be stretched between it and each computer that it provides signal to.

When the Network fails, the first thing to do is think if anything in the office has been moved that would have disrupted the cables or the power to the router. Make sure that all of the lights on the front of the router are lit, that are usually on.

If all of the cables are connected and the router is indeed, plugged in, then we need to dig deeper. You can try unplugging the router for 15 to 30 seconds, then retry the Network at the computers. If that's not convenient to so, you can tell the computer that you are using to get another IP address from the router.

This is done by opening a DOS window: Click on your START menu, then RUN. Type the word 'CMD' without the quotes and press ENTER. In the DOS box that appears, type 'IPCONFIG /RELEASE.' The computer should confirm at this point, that the address that was in use has been released. What follows is the same IPCONFIG command, followed this time, by the word 'RENEW.' At this time you will see the new address that has been assigned by the router for the computer to use.

If these steps fail, then the problem is not one that is presenting itself too easily, and you should call San Diego PC for your next step.

http://www.sandiegopcexperts.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_Brustas