1. Staff people- this is one of the most important "equipment" items on the list. You can't have a network without having someone administer it. With small LANs (less than 20 machines) you can get away with someone doing network administration at a part-time level. Be sure that this person wants to learn the skills, and has the time available to do this.
   
   
2. What kind of cable will you be running? By looking at how much you have to spend, and how much you might need to rearrange your computers, you can decide whether you want coaxial or RJ45 cables. Measure out how much cable you will need, and decide if you have enough in-house technical skill to cut the cable and make the connectors yourselves, or have the store you are buying it from do that for you.
   
   
3. Every computer that you want to put on the LAN will need an ethernet card - make sure it can connect to the cable you are using. Some cards will have both RJ45 and coaxial connections available; these are always a safe bet. Also, sometimes it's not worth putting really old computers on LANs, because you need to buy special equipment for them, or the networking software takes up too much disk space and memory. Double-check that the machines you have don't already have ethernet cards (the newer Macs, and many of the newer PCs have ethernet cards in them already). Sometimes it's difficult to tell, because the slot of a modem phone line is very similar to the slot for a 10-Base T cable.
   
   
4. If you are running a 10-Base T network, you will also need at least one hub. It's usually a good idea to buy a hub with 2-4 more "ports" than machines you actually have, in case you buy new machines in the future (i.e. if you have 4 computers, get a 6 or 8 port hub, so you have room for growth). NOTE: You do not need what's called an "SMTP manageable" hubs- the price jumps considerably, and are not needed.
   
   
5. Software: unless you have Macintosh system 7 or higher, or Windows 95, you will need a network software.
   
   

Purchasing Guidelines:

Hardware: Networking hardware is made by many companies. Cost definitely translates into quality on network hardware. 3-Com sells a useful package called Office Connect which includes everything you need to connect three PC clones together. However, you can also buy everything piece by piece. You need cables (to connect the machines to the hub and or each other), network cards (these go into the computers and have to have connectors for you type of cable), and (if you are using 10-Base T cables) a hub (the box that tells that traffic for the different machines where to go).

Software: You need to have software on each machine to allow them to be able to speak the same language to each other. If all you machines use the same operating system this is pretty easy. If you are trying to connect Macs and PCs it is a little more complex.

The cheapest way to buy the equipment is often through mail order places. They usually deliver in 1 or 2 days and have very good prices. The staff on the phone can usually help you figure out if all the things you are ordering are compatible. They don't always volunteer the information so don't be afraid to say -will those cables work with that card? Am I buying cables that will work with the hub?

This document was prepared with the help of Mentor Jen Engst, Jen.Engst@sun.com