Iam attempting to create a three desktop computer home network
I may also wish to tie in a laptop here and there
All the computers have an N.I.C.
Can they be daisey chained on one bus,or do they have to be star configured through a Hub or a switch
I have the longest wire run at Fifty feet,can I use UTP
If I want to open a Word file located on one of the other computers,will I use plain old Windows Explorer or do I use Internet explorer
Will I have to assign an IP address to each node or is the MAC address enough
Internet access :
I have plain old dial up,is it possible for the other computers to also access the internet through one computer
I gather it is not possible for all three to be on line at once if there is only one phone line,
Swiches, Hubs, Routers
They appear all the same to me yet I realize each one must have a separate function
Thank you