Set up and Use Internet Connection Sharing

With Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) in Windows XP, you can connect
one computer to the Internet, then share the Internet service with
several computers on your home or small office network. The Network
Setup Wizard in Windows XP Professional will automatically provide all
of the network settings you need to share one Internet connection with
all the computers in your network. Each computer can use programs such
as Internet Explorer and Outlook Express as if they were directly
connected to the Internet.

You should not use this feature in an existing network with Windows
2000 Server domain controllers, DNS servers, gateways, DHCP servers, or
systems configured for static IP addresses.







Enabling ICS





The ICS host computer needs two network connections. The local area
network connection, automatically created by installing a network
adapter, connects to the computers on your home or small office
network. The other connection, using a 56k modem, ISDN, DSL, or cable
modem, connects the home or small office network to the Internet. You
need to ensure that ICS is enabled on the connection that has the
Internet connection. By doing this, the shared connection can connect
your home or small office network to the Internet, and users outside
your network are not at risk of receiving inappropriate addresses from
your network.

When you enable ICS, the local area network connection to the home or
small office network is given a new static IP address and
configuration. Consequently, TCP/IP connections established between any
home or small office computer and the ICS host computer at the time of
enabling ICS are lost and need to be reestablished. For example, if
Internet Explorer is connecting to a Web site when Internet Connection
Sharing is enabled, refresh the browser to reestablish the connection.
You must configure client machines on your home or small office network
so TCP/IP on the local area connection obtains an IP address
automatically. Home or small office network users must also configure
Internet options for Internet Connection Sharing. To enable Internet
Connection Sharing (ICS) Discovery and Control on Windows 98, Windows
98 Second Edition, and Windows Millennium Edition computers, run the
Network Setup Wizard from the CD or floppy disk on these computers. For
ICS Discovery and Control to work on Windows 98, Windows 98 Second
Edition, and Windows Millennium Edition computers, Internet Explorer
version 5.0 or later must be installed.




To enable Internet Connection Sharing on a network connection





You must be logged on to your computer with an owner account in order to complete this procedure.


Open Network Connections. (Click Start, click Control Panel, and then double-click Network Connections.)





Click the dial-up, local area network, PPPoE, or VPN connection you
want to share, and then, under Network Tasks, click Change settings of
this connection.




On the Advanced tab, select the Allow other network users to connect through this computer's Internet connection check box.


If you want this connection to dial automatically when another computer
on your home or small office network attempts to access external
resources, select the Establish a dial-up connection whenever a
computer on my network attempts to access the Internet check box.




If you want other network users to enable or disable the shared
Internet connection, select the Allow other network users to control or
disable the shared Internet connection check box.




Under Internet Connection Sharing, in Home networking connection,
select any adapter that connects the computer sharing its Internet
connection to the other computers on your network. The Home networking
connection is only present when two or more network adapters are
installed on the computer.







To configure Internet options on your client computers for Internet Connection Sharing





Open Internet Explorer. Click Start, point to All Programs, and then click Internet Explorer.)





On the Tools menu, click Internet Options.





On the Connections tab, click Never dial a connection, and then click LAN Settings.





In Automatic configuration, clear the Automatically detect settings and Use automatic configuration script check boxes.





In Proxy Server, clear the Use a proxy server check box.




Set up and Use Internet Connection Sharing