Windows XP Internet Connection Sharing
July 16, 2007 by Mark Marucot
Windows XP Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) allows the computer to share internet connection to other computers in the network. This feature is available since Windows 98 SE and improves better in Windows XP.
Internet Connection Sharing Capabilities are:
- Multiple users can gain access to the Internet through a single connection by using Dial-Up Networking and local networking.
- Connected devices receive transparent network configuration by using Domain Name System (DNS) and Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) to resolve Internet names.
- Any IP-attached device can connect, including older Windows-based clients, non-Windows-based clients, Microsoft Windows 98-based clients, and Microsoft Windows 2000-based clients, with no additional client software required.
- Connected devices and software have comprehensive protocol support. For example, you can play Internet games without additional configuration, or you can use Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP) and Virtual Private Networking (VPN) to gain access to your corporate network.
Windows XP Professional and Home Edition come with two great services, Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) and Internet Connection Firewall (ICF). ICS and ICF allow a home user to share an always-on connection with security and without buying a license for expensive firewall software. Even a dial-up link can benefit from ICS and ICF, providing network address translation, addressing, and name resolution services for all the computers on your network plus security.1
The key features are
- Easier setup. No software installation and no networking components addition
- More reliable
- Create a Network Bridge connecting two or more local area networks and share the Internet connection with the computers on all of them. This is especially useful if your XP computer is connected to both a wired and wireless network.
- ICS client computers can use XP’s Internet Gateway to monitor and control the server computer’s Internet connection. If you have a dial-up connection, you can connect and disconnect when deciding whether to enable ICS.
The hardware and software needed to set up a home network includes:
- A primary computer, called a gateway, that provides network connectivity to the Internet. This computer must be running Windows 98 Second Edition, Windows 2000, or Windows Me with Internet Connection Sharing enabled.
- One or more computers running Windows 95, Windows 98, Microsoft Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, or other TCP-IP enabled client software.
- Devices that are capable of connecting to the Internet.
- A network connection device for each computer.
- Cabling and hubs, depending on the type of connection devices you use.
- A single modem (or an ISDN or ADSL line) for the entire network.
- Internet browser software and TCP/IP drivers installed on each device that shares the connection.
[...] I was alarmed that the the network’s Internet Connection Sharing is not working and all of the computers in the network cannot connect to the internet. When I [...]