Advice on LAN

Unfortunately in my country there are no LAN parties...so i have this great idea...why dont i organise one!!!
So apart from the PC's and LAn cards, do i need a router?
i think we are going to be like 8 people.
Also how od i set-up the PC's i think we are going to do RTCW or UNREAL..if that helps..

A router isn't necessary if you don't need an outside internet connection. If a LAN only connection is all you'll be using then you could use a hub or a switch. A switch would be you're first choice as it will provide much better bandwidth allocation between all the players.

Yup yup, well said Jon, go with a switch. Linksys, Netgear, and D-Link all make decent 8 port switches that are not too hard on the pocket book.

Don't go crazy with the nic cards either. If you see a deal on any of the above mentioned nic's, use those. I have $80 3-Com cards on some of the machine's at work and $15 D-Links on others. Doesn't seem to be a bottle-neck in the transfer rate.

You also have to enable File and Print sharing: My Network Places/Properties/LAN connection (add this if it's not there)/properties/Install the File and Print Sharing for Micro$oft Networks. You might need your original OS disk.

Have fun

Wedo

Wish the people i go to LAN parties with would play RTCW every once in a while

so a switch is better than a router ??
and most of us will be using a mix of Os's, Win2k, win 98se win ME ( ) and Xp. Would this make a difference?? Also would one Pc need to be a server? not for the game but for the network?

no snatcher i dont think anyone has to be the server for your network, although someone (preferably the fastest machine with most RAM) will have to "host" all the games, by creating them, then all the others will join in.. have fun i wish some people in boring northern iowa would lan with me oh well

well i am the only one from malta who is a member in these boards, and i have grown tired with the way people in my country lie about their computers...one said: cause i have put pc in my fridge...and then i told him what was the temp of the cpu?...he told me - 30 degrees celcius can u believe that ..... if nitrogen cooled maybe but fridge!!!
anyways this is just a taste of the kind of people i have here, but i want to do an LAN maybe they cn get together more and pass over the phase that computers are for geeks, most of them call me a geek....and when i proposed the LAN thingy they went like oh man i have to diss-amble my case and get everything..well for everyone's information Malta is small u can go anywhere in less than 50 minutes
But now things are shaping well all we need is somewhere nice to play
Thanks guys
btw my pc has 512 RAM i think it can hold on to be the game server right?
Also one told me he has 768 RAM (i doubt it) maybe i can check with him...
regards,
Snatcher.
From the most boring piece of land on Planet Earth!!!!

Remember the difference between a switch and a hub is that a hub does broadcasts over the entire hub, where a switch sends it directly to the computer the signal is intended for....


Now. If you are all playing the same game, at the same time then a switch is a total waste of money (as they are usually more expensive than hubs) because you are broadcasting to every console anyways. Everyone in the game gets the signal from your computer.

Save yourself the money and get the hub.

Switches have their place, and low population LAN parties aren't it because, like I said, your going to broadcast to everyone on the connection whether you have a switch or not.

yes in fact i checked some prices and hubs are way cheaper

cheers mate

also if i connect just 2 pc's for some training, can we just use 1 cable of RJ-45 and connect the pc's directly ??

I want to do this to my room. I just need a couple of more computers

yeah i want some extra babies as well
but to my question again do i need a hub or not for to connect just 2 computers??

If you want to use a hub, you can use normal cat5 network cable. If you want to connect two pc's directly, you are going to have to use a cross over cable. Have fun!

cheers mate i will try

Don't forget that if you want to share files ect. over the LAN and a win 98 user wants to copy from someone with win 2k, the win 2k user has to make a specific password for the 98 user to actually access files for copying, etc.

wow man thanks for the advice, well we will only be playin games over the network..we are planning to start a 48 hour tournament with some minor breaks in between the games...takin a nap, eat drink adn other natural instincts

That is the coolest thing in the world! I would love to do something like that. What game(s)?