VPN connections (virtual private networks) are wonderful. I use one to connect to work several times per week. I can do all sorts of handy things: surf the network, grab files, print to my office. But one annoyance has been bugging me for a good while now, and I’ve just been putting up with it. Seemingly at random moments, the VPN connection box would just pop up for no reason.

I finally got tired of clicking the cancel button, and decided to figure out just what was causing this problem. Turns, out that Internet Explorer was the culprit, even though I only use Firefox.

VPN Popping up and Internet Explorer

Like I said, even though I don’t use Internet Explorer, it was still causing the VPN connection box to pop up. Internet Explorer was considering the VPN connection as a default connection. It’s no wonder that this was giving me trouble since IE is also so tightly weaved into the operating system. It also explains why I was seeing this even though I only use Firefox.

To keep the vpn connection box from popping up, all you have to do is open up Internet Explorer, click Tool > Options and then click on the Connections tab.

On the Connections tab, select the VPN connection listed under “Dial-up and VPN Connections” and click the remove button. Yeah, that screen is from Internet Explorer 6. If you’re using IE7 (you poor thing!) I imagine the process would be similar. Just find the Options window and look for connections setting.

OpenDNS simply provides free, open DNS servers to anyone, whether it’s for personal use, small business, university, etc. There’s no need to install any software, you’ll simply just need to configure your Internet settings so that you’re using their servers:

• 208.67.222.222
• 208.67.220.220

You can even sign up for an account with OpenDNS.com and have access to web stats, content filtering, phishing protection, customized pages (complete with logo and instructions) in case someone tries to access a page that you have blocked, and zero downtime network.

So, whether you’re having Internet connection problems like I was, or if you’re just wanting a way to monitor and manage some of the traffic happening at your home or office, OpenDNS.com offers a solid service at a great price. Free!

As wireless devices continue to become more prevalent in our way of life, you may find the need to either upgrade your existing wireless router for more speed, add on a new wireless router to extend the coverage area of your network, or simply incorporate wireless connectivity into your existing wired network.

You can easily add a wireless access point without making any changes to your existing network. All you need is a wireless router and a patch cable. (Some routers may require a crossover cable in order to be properly connected to your network. This might require some experimentation on your part, so if you’re not getting a connection with the patch cable you’re using, try switching to a crossover cable to see if that helps.)

1. Connect to the wireless router
We don’t want to connect the router to the network yet, we just need to connect it directly to your computer. Power on the wireless router and connect a network cable to one of the router’s LAN ports, then connect the other end to your computer’s ethernet port.

2. Login and Change IP
Since you already have a router on your network, you’ll need to make sure that this new wireless access point has a different internal IP address than your master router. So, open a browser and login to the wireless router that your computer is directly connected to (refer to your router’s documentation for login instructions).

Once you’re logged in, change the wireless router’s IP address so that it’s compatible with your network. If your master router is 192.168.1.1, then set the new wireless router to something like 192.168.1.2. This is so that once you finally plugin the wireless router to your network, there isn’t an IP conflict between the two routers.

After changing the wireless’s IP address, your browser may not be automatically transferred to the new IP. If you happen to get disconnected from the wireless, simply check the IP number in your browser’s address bar and make sure you’re trying to access the correct IP.

3. Turn Off DHCP
There should only be one DHCP server on your network, and it should be your master router. So, we need to make sure the new wireless router has DHCP turned off. You may need to refer to your router’s document if you aren’t sure how to do this.

4. Change from Gateway to Router
Some routers have two modes of operation: Gateway and Router. The main router on your network should be the gateway so we need to make sure this wireless router is setup to operate in Router mode.

5. Security
As with any router, you want to be sure that you have the security features in place. A good place to start is to change the administrator password used to login to the router. You’ll also want to implement security over your wireless network.

6. Connect!
After you’ve made these settings, you’re now ready to connect the wireless router to your network. Do this by simply connecting a network cable from the LAN port of your master router (or anywhere on the network) to a LAN port on your new wireless access point. The actual Internet port of your wireless router will not be used.

Now you’re all set. Ready to buy a new wireless router? Check out the links below for some suggestions.

• Linksys Wireless-G Router
• Linksys Wireless-N Gigabit Router
• NETGEAR RangeMax Wireless-N Gigabit Router

A lot of people would stop there, but I like to have several copies of all my important files. So, before turning in for the night, I would open up my favorite FTP program, connect to the FTP server running on my computer at home (600 miles away!), and transfer all of the precious photos I had taken that day. Indeed, FTP is a great tool that anyone with a broadband connection should use.

FTP Software: Clients and Severs

There are two sides to FTP: a FTP Client and a FTP Server. One isn’t much use without the other, so let’s take a closer look at each.

FTP Client
The FTP Client is the software that you would use to connect to the server. For example, when I was in Florida, I was using the FTP client software to connect to my home computer.

Before you can connect to a FTP server, you must have a few critical pieces of information:

• Server Hostname or IP address – You have to tell the FTP client software which computer to connect to. This can be a hostname (such as ftp.yourwebsite.com) or an IP address (such as 123.456.78.90).
• Username and Password (sometimes this is optional) – You will need a username and password if the server you’re trying to connect is private… and this is most likely to be the case. Sometimes, though, you might come across a public FTP server. If you’re setting up your own FTP, always, always password protect it!

Most FTP clients will let you store the information needed to connect to many different FTP servers. For example, I have several web servers that I connect to one a daily basis, in addition to my personal FTP server, and a few of my friends’ servers as well.

FTP Server
The FTP Server is the software that allows incoming connections from a client. Often times, people confuse the term “server” with hardware, but a server is really just specialized software that manages a certain function. In this case, the FTP server runs on a computer waiting (listening) for a client to connect. When a client attempts a connect, the server will verify that the person trying to connect is authorized. If the username and password checks out, the server allows the connection and waits for instructions from the client.

If you think you would like to set up your own FTP server, there are a few things you need to consider. First, you’re going to need a broadband connection and, hopefully, your service provider assigns you an IP address that is somewhat static (that is, it doesn’t change very often… my IP address hasn’t changed in years!). Second, if the computer you’re installing the server onto is behind a router, you’ll need to need log into the router and forward port 21 to your server’s internal IP address. Third, if you have Windows Firewall running, you’ll probably have to configure it to allow FTP connections.

I hope you’re not discouraged by that last paragraph. If you wonder what your public IP address is, go to WhatIsMYIP.com to find it (if you don’t know if your address is static, just check it a few times a day and see if it changes.. if you’re a DSL subscriber, your address probably isn’t static. Sorry.) To learn about forwarding ports in your router, read the documentation for your particular model. Windows help and support can help you out if you need assistance with Windows Firewall.

Uploading and Downloading with FTP

Two terms that I often hear getting mixed up are “upload” and “download.” If you’re confused with when which term should be applied to which action, just think about the destination. If a file’s destination is a server, it is typically said that the file was uploaded. If the file’s destination is a client, then it is said that the file is being downloaded.

Also, don’t substitute the term “download” for “install,” or the other way around. Indeed, programs can be downloaded from the web (or via FTP!), but they must be installed before they can be used. And while I’m being nit picky: programs, files, and folders aren’t “downloaded” onto a CD or Flash Drive, they are moved or copied. Thanks for letting me get that off my chest.

Useful FTP Applications

You might be wondering if setting up an FTP connection is worth the hassle. Well, if you’ve ever been in one place and wished you had a file that was in another, I’d say it is well worth the hassle.

As I mentioned earlier, I’ve used FTP to send family photos across several states, but FTP has its place in the working world to. Just about every webmaster uses FTP to transfer web pages, web application files, and images to their web server. Corporations use FTP servers to provide common files to their clients and branch offices. Friends use a collection of FTP servers to share photos, programs, and (Gasp!) the occasional mp3. I like to keep my favorite freeware accessible on my FTP so that I can use them no matter which computer I’m on (as long as there is an internet connection). This is really handy when a friend or family member asks me to troubleshoot their computer.

One huge advantage to using FTP is that file sizes simply do not matter. In my opening example, I was uploading gigabytes of photos to my home computer. Try doing that with email… go on, I dare you.

One small drawback of FTP, however, is that a FTP connection is not secure (information being sent to and from the server is unencrypted). That means a dirty hacker could potentially see the username and password being passed to the server as well as take a peek at the files you’re transferring. However, this is nothing new and in spite of this vulnerability, FTP is still the Internet standard for transferring files.

Conclusion
I hope you have a better understanding of what FTP is and how it can be used. If you’re looking for quality client or server software to download, check out Filezilla. It’s totally free and works great. I’ve been running both the client and server for a few years now and really like it!

Network connections are made possible by two main types of hardware: network media and network connectivity devices. This article is going to cover the later in enough detail to have you picking up the network-speak in no time. Network connection devices include:

• Network interface cards (NIC)
• Hubs
• Switches
• Bridges
• Routers
• Gateways
• Modems

A NIC (network interface card) is a piece of hardware that allows you to plug in–or, interface with– a network cable. NIC’s are usually installed as an expansion card or is already built into your motherboard.

Hubs are devices that connect all of the segments of a network together. That is, every device on the network (computers, printers) has a cable that is also connected to the hub. Hubs work in such a way that every signal that is received on one port is rebroadcast to every other device. So, if one device sends a signal, all the other devices receive the signal, but only one particular device listens for it.

A switch is like a hub in that every device on the network is connected to it. However, a switch does not rebroadcast signals to all other devices. A switch makes a direct link between the device that is transmitting and the device that is receiving. All other devices are totally unaware of the communication taking place. For this reason, switches realize greater performance because bandwidth is not being wasted on needless rebroadcasting.

A bridge is used to to keep network traffic separated between network segments. Traffic is not allowed to pass through the bridge unless its destination is on the other side. Bridges are used to join to network segments or to divide a busy network into two segments.

Routers are devices that can connect several network segments (even segments that are not alike in type). The router has the ability to make decisions about the best way to send network traffic to its destination.

A Gateway is any device that connects network environments that are not alike. For example, a gateway is used to connect LAN (local area network) environments to mainframe environments.

Modems (modulator/demodulator) are devices that change digital data into analog for transmission over analog network medium and then back to digital at the receiving end. There are several types of modems; some losing popularity and others gaining more and more use. These are:

• Telephone (POTS – Plain Old Telephone Service)
• DSL (Digital Subscriber Line)
• Cable

I hope this has shed some light on the various network connection devices. Of course, there’s an enormous amount on information on this subject out on the web. If you’re really serious about getting into networking, grab a study guide for getting certified in the subject (Network +). These books have zero fluff and do a great job presenting the material. They are invaluable and can be very helpful… even if you’re not looking to get certified.