[DM-MUG] Home Networking Annoyances Needed for New Book

[Bryan Baker]

I just want to mention that I re-directed that message to the list.
O'Reilly has been amazing to us in the short time we've been associated 
so far, and I think it's a great opportunity to be able to contribute 
to another title. Please, no one should flame her for posting this - if 
you want to complain, send it to me.

On May 7, 2004, at 5:39 PM, Marsee Henon wrote:

> Dear User Group Leader:
>
> Once again, I must say thanks for the great response to our previous
> calls for annoyances, gripes, and complaints about Excel, and the 
> Internet,
> and other topics. The email we received was useful and gave our
> Annoyances books a great head start.
>
> As you might guess, we have yet another book in the wings--this one
> focusing on home networking annoyances. Everything from cabling 
> hassles to
> setting up a router to wireless access points to fussing with TCP/IP
> settings to installing a shared printer. Whether you've set up a wired
> (Ethernet, phoneline, or powerline) or wireless (802.11a, b, or g)
> network, merely shared a DSL line, or networked a bunch of PCs and 
> Macs,
> feel free to share the annoyances you've encountered along the way.
>
> If you or any members of your group have home networking annoyances
> you'd like to see solved, email marsee@oreilly.com with "Home 
> Networking
> Annoyances" in the subject line. Please note what hardware, software,
> and/or service is giving you grief (e.g.: a LinkSys Cable/DSL Router 
> with
> 4-Port Switch, SMC's EtherPower II network cards, SBC DSL, Windows XP,
> etc.).
>
> As thanks for sharing, we'll make sure to get copies of "Home 
> Networking
> Annoyances" sent to your group shortly after publication.
>
>
> --Marsee
>
>
>
> ***
>
> An example:
>
> The Annoyance:
> I added a new computer to my network, but it doesn't appear in My 
> Network
> Places or Network Neighborhood on any of the other computers. The 
> Windows
> help files tell you to reboot all the other computers on the network in
> order to see the new computer, but there's got to be a better way!
>
> The Fix:
> There is. Assuming your hardware connections are working, and you've
> created at least one shared resource on the new computer, you don't 
> have
> to reboot the rest of the network to see the new computer.
>
> Wait twelve minutes. Honest. Could I make that up? Get a cup of coffee,
> empty the dishwasher, or change all the burned out light bulbs in the
> house. Then open the network folder again, or press F5 to refresh the
> display if you didn't close the folder. You should now see the new
> computer.
>
> Why does this happen? The icons in the network folders (My Network 
> Places
> and Network Neighborhood) are controlled by a service called the 
> Computer
> Browser Service, which browses the network, peers down the pipes
> (including the virtual pipes of wireless connections), and checks to 
> see
> who's on board. In a peer-to-peer network, the computers elect one of
> their own as a browser master using a complicated scheme that involves 
> a
> private conversation among the computers (held secretly so you aren't
> aware of it and can't control or interfere with it). The browser master
> runs the browser service every twelve minutes, and populates the 
> network
> folders of all computers on the network with icons representing the
> computers it finds.
>
> ***
>
>
>
>
>
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>
--
Bryan Baker
Technology Advocate
Iowa Legal Aid
Suite 230
1111 9th Street
Des Moines, Ia 50314-2527

(515) 243-2151 (x1635)

http://www.iowalegalaid.org
bbaker@iowalaw.org