STEPS ON CREATING WEBSITE USING ADOBE PHOTOSHOP AND DREAMWEAVER

 

Creating an HTML/CSS Web Page using Adobe Photoshop and Dreamweaver

Part 1

Many people have told me that they wish that they could design web sites. So I thought I'd create this tutorial, since there doesn't seem to be too many free courses online that teach both the graphic design skills and HTML and CSS necessary for creating web pages.

I would like to outline (not a good word for right brained people like me) a workflow (?) for creating a web page using my home page as an example and Windows as the operating system (Mac users will have to find alternate keyboard shortcuts). Since I am a self taught designer, I'm not sure how unconventional my methods will seem, but hope this will be helpful. As you know, technology quickly becomes obsolete, so may the expiration date on this project live long and prosper...

Adobe® Photoshop® is the industry standard for digital imaging. Since the web is a low res (72 dpi) graphics experience, the images that you create will not not need the kind of quality as print media. With photoshop, you can create RGB raster images, which basically means they're quick and easy to work with. The tiny file sizes are perfect for the web. If you ever want to use them for anything else, like a magazine ad, you'll find that the quality is not good enough (You may want to use Adobe InDesign® or Illustrator® for print media).

The types of files we will use are jpgs and gifs. Png files are the best, but we'll have to wait until everyone stops using old web browsers. I use png files all the time with Flash projects (See my Flash Tutorial) because of the transparent effect in animations.

I don't know which version of Photoshop you have, so you'll have to at least play around with it for a few hours to find out how the layers link together and other basics.

First, I'll start off with a blank canvas. Because computer screen resolutions are becoming increasingly wide, very few people still have their displays set to 800x600 to surf the web. I'll start with 1000x800 pixels, because that is a comfortable size for me to work within Photoshop and it will allow me to create a site that is a good size.



Select black (#000000) in your foreground color and then hold down Alt>Delete to fill the canvas with black as your background color. You can create gradient and textured backgrounds that tile, but here we're just using solid black.

Create a new layer. Make sure that your rulers are set (View menu>Rulers). With your selection tool create a rectangle that is 880x190 pixels. You can tell the height and width by looking at the Info palette in the windows menu as you're creating the rectangle. Select a color in your foreground color picker and then hold down Alt>Delete to fill the rectangle with color. I used orange for visibility. Drag and drop vertical guide lines from the ruler area to the dotted lines of the selection rectangle. Hold Down Control>Delete to deselect the rectangle.



I double click on the current layer to open the Layer Style box and check the Gradient Overlay checkbox and click on the words 'Gradient Overlay' to toggle to the gradient options. I click once on the color strip to open the Gradient Editor. Double click on the bottom left color stop and choose #a6d0ff. I double click on the bottom right color stop and choose #7588ff and click okay on all open dialogue boxes. Remember to save as often as possible.



I create a new layer. We're going to create a series of radiating triangles that I like to call a 'burst'. First, hold down the rectangle tool in the tool bar until you see a menu appear. Select the 'custom shape tool'. In the tool options click on shape and select a triangle. If you don't see a triangle, click on the small arrow in a circle toward the right of the box and choose 'shapes' from the drop down menu.



Choose white (#ffffff) as with your foreground color picker. Turn off layer 2 (the one that has the rectangle) by clicking on the eye. Make sure that layer 3 is selected and draw a white rectangle about 100x100 pixels. Hold down Control>T to transform the triangle. Grab the top anchor and stretch it. Then hold the shift key and the lower right anchor to scale it down to about 70x350 pixels.



Then hold the shift key and the lower right anchor to stretch it to about 70x350 pixels. Duplicate the layer and transform this triangle also. This time move the center point to the anchor at the tip of the arrow and rotate the entire triangle so that the second triangle tip stays in the same place and the base of the triangle begins to form a circle of triangles. Remember, the center point has to be moved to the anchor at the tip for this to work. When you are rotating you'll see the rotation symbol when you mouse is just off an anchor.



Repeat this until you have formed a complete circle of triangles. Merge all the layers of triangles together (select layers and hold Control>E) to form one layer. Turn on the rectangle layer to see it. Make sure you are on the 'burst' layer and transform (Control>T) the burst and move it until it covers the rectangle and the center point is about 2 thirds of the way up on the rectangle. Then select the rectangle layer and Select the negative space (black) by selecting the magic wand tool and clicking on the black.



Press the delete key to cut off the burst that 'bleeds' over the rectangle. Deselect the rectangle (Hold Control>D). Select the rectangle layer again and adjust the opacity to 11%.



It is now fun time with brushes. Since this is a personal site, there are many free brush downloads available. Just Google 'photoshop brushes' and find something you like. Download the file and add it to the brushes folder (C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe photoshop-version\Presets\Brushes). I found some stars and swirley borders on http://psbrushes.net/.

Create a new layer. Using the brush tool, and selecting a new brush, adjust the master diameter and click once over the rectangle. I added some stars on one layer and adjusted the opacity of the layer to 40%. On another layer, I added the swirley borders at 74%. The intention is to have very subtle effects that activates the plane with 'energy'. Be sensitive and find what is pleasing to the eye.



I applied some tree silhouette brushes that I also found on the web on a new layer. I didn't want these to be solid black so I double clicked on the layer to open the Layer style box. I checked the color layer checkbox and toggled to 'color overlay'. I selected #3e2613 with the color picker, clicked okay and made the opacity 17% on the color overlay color option.



I continued to add more tree brushes on different layers with the foreground color set to black. On the leaf brushes, I adjusted the layer style to have a green color overlay even though the actual brush color is black.



Fun time with type. If this were a company logo, then we would have to make a big deal out of this by carefully creating vector graphics that could be used in all applications and possibly spending a gazillion dollars on a font. However, since this is just my personal web site, all I need is Photoshop and Google to find a nice free font to download. I went to 1001Fonts.com and found this interesting font by Chris Hansen called "Got Heroin?". Not crazy about the name, but I love the grunge look and feel.



Type is a powerful graphic element. There is about as much to learn about positioning type as there is in creating representational art. Quick tip: Click in between letters and use the (Hold down Alt key/arrow left or right) arrow keys to make sure that the closest space between letters is a small gap. This is an extreme oversimplification of typography, but nice to practice.



I took the 'Carlos Aleman' text and rotated it (Hold Ctr>T) slightly. Then I rasterized it (Layer>Rasterize>Type) so that I would be able to cut off some of the shapes (under the m and n) with the polygon lasso tool (select a region and use the delete button). Then I double clicked on the layer and added some layer styles (Gradient overlay and outer glow). I wanted a dark outer glow so that the text would be readable against a light background. The outer glow blend mode must be 'normal' for this to work.




The next image shows a still from a video teaching series I had up on the web. I did a screen capture/shot of it and pasted it on a new layer. I needed to remove the background (yes, that's a mural of some killer whales). There are many techniques to removing the background such as the background eraser tool, magic wand, extract filter and countless of other complex techniques. Sometimes you need to use a combination of techniques on different layers to take advantage of the effectiveness of each method on different edges.



One of the easiest methods is using the polygon lasso tool with anti-alias checked in the options. Since I don't have much hair this will be an simple step. I just select areas around my head and press the delete button.



Here, I pick a color from the rectangle with the eye dropper tool and open my Hue/Saturation box (Hold Ctr>U). First I check the 'Colorize' check box. Make sure that the Preview is also checked. I slide the Hue a little into the bluer range and click okay.



Duplicate this layer by dragging the layer to the New Layer icon. I want more of a high contrast 'graphic novel' effect to compliment the trees, so on the new layer I select filter>artistic>poster edges and slide the settings until I'm happy with the posterazation.





Click Okay and turn the opacity on that layer to 60% so that the filter effect 'blends' with the previous layer. Select both layers (link of shift key -depending on your version of Photoshop) and transform (Hold Ctr>T) to scale down and move over the rectangle.

COAXIAL CABLE

Coaxial cable is used as a electrical transmission line for radio frequency signals. Applications include feed lines connecting radio transmitters and receivers with their antennas, computer network (Internet) connections, and distributing cable television signals. An advantage of coax over other types of radio transmission line is that in an ideal coaxial cable the electromagnetic field carrying the signal exists only in the space between the inner and outer conductors. This allows coaxial cable runs to be installed next to ferrous metal objects without the power losses that occur in other types of transmission lines. Coaxial cable also provides protection of the signal from external electromagnetic interference sources.

Coaxial cable differs from other shielded cable used for carrying lower-frequency signals, such as audio signals, in that the dimensions of the cable are controlled to give a precise, constant conductor spacing, which is needed for it to function efficiently as a radio frequency transmission line. Coaxial cable, or coax, is constructed with an inner conductor surrounded by a flexible, tubular insulating layer, surrounded by a tubular conducting shield.
Coaxial cable conducts electrical signal using an inner conductor (usually a flexible solid or stranded copper wire) surrounded by an insulating layer and all enclosed by a shield layer, typically a woven metallic braid; the cable is often protected by an outer insulating jacket. Normally, the shield is kept at ground potential and a voltage is applied to the center conductor to carry electrical signals. The advantage of coaxial design is that the electric and magnetic fields are confined to the dielectric with little leakage outside the shield. On the converse, electric and magnetic fields outside the cable are largely kept from causing interference to signals inside the cable. This property makes coaxial cable a good choice for carrying weak signals that cannot tolerate interference from the environment or for higher electrical signals that must not be allowed to radiate or couple into adjacent structures or circuits.



Air-Dielectric Coax

Air-Dielectric Coax is a special type of coaxial cable designed to have minimum loss. The space between inner and outer conductors is mostly empty (i.e., air-filled). Some such cables are sealed and filled with an inert gas.

The inner conductor is held away from the inner wall of the outer conductor by beads, washers, or a spiralwound filament of high-grade dielectric material, such as polyethylene.

Common applications of coaxial cable: Video and CATV distribution, RF and microwave transmission, and computer and instrumentation data connections.

The characteristic impedance of the cable (Z0) is determined by the dielectric constant of the inner insulator and the radii of the inner and outer conductors. A controlled cable characteristic impedance is important because the source and load impedance should be matched to ensure maximum power transfer and minimum Standing Wave Ratio. Other important properties of coaxial cable include attenuation as a function of frequency, voltage handling capability, and shield quality.

Construction:

Coaxial cable design choices affect physical size, frequency performance, attenuation, power handling capabilities, flexibility, strength, and cost. The inner conductor might be solid or stranded; stranded is more flexible. To get better high-frequency performance, the inner conductor may be silver-plated. Sometimes copper-plated iron wire is used as an inner conductor.

The insulator surrounding the inner conductor may be solid plastic, a foam plastic, or air with spacers supporting the inner wire. The properties of dielectric control some electrical properties of the cable. A common choice is a solid polyethylene (PE) insulator, used in lower-loss cables. Solid Teflon (PTFE) is also used as an insulator. Some coaxial lines use air (or some other gas) and have spacers to keep the inner conductor from touching the shield.

Many conventional coaxial cables use braided copper wire forming the shield. This allows the cable to be flexible, but it also means there are gaps in the shield layer, and the inner dimension of the shield varies slightly because the braid cannot be flat. Sometimes the braid is silver-plated. For better shield performance, some cables have a double-layer shield. [4] The shield might be just two braids, but it is more common now to have a thin foil shield covered by a wire braid. Some cables may invest in more than two shield layers, such as "quad-shield," which uses four alternating layers of foil and braid. Other shield designs sacrifice flexibility for better performance; some shields are a solid metal tube. Those cables cannot take sharp bends, as the shield will kink, causing losses in the cable.

For high-power radio-frequency transmission up to about 1 GHz, coaxial cable with a solid copper outer conductor is available in sizes of 0.25 inch upward. The outer conductor is rippled like a bellows to permit flexibility and the inner conductor is held in position by a plastic spiral to approximate an air dielectric.

Coaxial cables require an internal structure of an insulating (dielectric) material to maintain the spacing between the center conductor and shield. The dielectric losses increase in this order: Ideal dielectric (no loss), vacuum, air, Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyethylene foam, and solid polyethylene. A low relative permittivity allows for higher-frequency usage. An inhomogeneous dielectric needs to be compensated by a non-circular conductor to avoid current hot-spots.

Most cables have a solid dielectric; others have a foam dielectric that contains as much air as possible to reduce the losses. Foam coax will have about 15% less attenuation but can absorb moisture�especially at its many surfaces in humid environments, increasing the loss. Supports shaped like stars or spokes are even better but more expensive. In some low-loss coaxial cables such as an RG-62 type, the inner conductor is supported by a spiral strand of polyethylene, so that an air space exists between most of the conductor and the inside of the jacket. The lower dielectric constant of air allows for a greater inner diameter at the same impedance and a greater outer diameter at the same cutoff frequency, lowering ohmic losses. Inner conductors are sometimes silver-plated to smooth the surface and reduce losses due to skin effect. A rough surface prolongs the path for the current and concentrates the current at peaks and, thus, increases ohmic losses.

The insulating jacket can be made from many materials. A common choice is PVC, but some applications may require fire-resistant materials. Outdoor applications may require the jacket to resist ultraviolet light and oxidation. For internal chassis connections the insulating jacket may be omitted.

Open-wire transmission lines have the property that the electromagnetic wave propagating down the line extends into the space surrounding the parallel wires. These lines have low loss, but also have undesirable characteristics. They cannot be bent, twisted, or otherwise shaped without changing their characteristic impedance, causing reflection of the signal back toward the source. They also cannot be run along or attached to anything conductive, as the extended fields will induce currents in the nearby conductors causing unwanted radiation and detuning of the line. Coaxial lines solve this problem by confining virtually all of the electromagnetic wave to the area inside the cable. Coaxial lines can therefore be bent and moderately twisted without negative effects, and they can be strapped to conductive supports without inducing unwanted currents in them.

In radio-frequency applications up to a few gigahertz, the wave propagates primarily in the transverse electric magnetic (TEM) mode, which means that the electric and magnetic fields are both perpendicular to the direction of propagation. However, above a certain cutoff frequency, transverse electric (TE) and/or transverse magnetic (TM) modes can also propagate, as they do in a waveguide. It is usually undesirable to transmit signals above the cutoff frequency, since it may cause multiple modes with different phase velocities to propagate, interfering with each other. The outer diameter is roughly inversely proportional to the cutoff frequency. A propagating surface-wave mode that does not involve or require the outer shield but only a single central conductor also exists in coax but this mode is effectively suppressed in coax of conventional geometry and common impedance. Electric field lines for this [TM] mode have a longitudinal component and require line lengths of a half-wavelength or longer.

Coaxial cable may be viewed as a type of waveguide. Power is transmitted through the radial electric field and the circumferential magnetic field in the TEM00 transverse mode. This is the dominant mode from zero frequency (DC) to an upper limit determined by the electrical dimensions of the cable.
Connectors:

A coaxial connector (male N-type).Main article: RF connector
The ends of coaxial cables usually terminate with connectors. Coaxial connectors are designed to maintain a coaxial form across the connection and have the same well-defined impedance as the attached cable. Connectors are often plated with high-conductivity metals such as silver or gold. Due to the skin effect, the RF signal is only carried by the plating and does not penetrate to the connector body. Although silver oxidizes quickly, the silver oxide that is produced is still conductive. While this may pose a cosmetic issue, it does not degrade performance.

Standards:

Most coaxial cables have a characteristic impedance of either 50, 52, 75, or 93 ohms. The RF industry uses standard type-names for coaxial cables. Thanks to television, RG-6 is the most commonly-used coaxial cable for home use, and the majority of connections outside Europe are by F connectors.
A series of standard types of coaxial cable were specified for military uses, in the form "RG-#" or "RG-#/U". They date from World War II and were listed in MIL-HDBK-216 published in 1962. These designations are now obsolete. The RG designation stands for Radio Guide; the U designation stands for Universal. The current military standard is MIL-SPEC MIL-C-17. MIL-C-17 numbers, such as "M17/75-RG214," are given for military cables and manufacturer's catalog numbers for civilian applications. However, the RG-series designations were so common for generations that they are still used, although critical users should be aware that since the handbook is withdrawn there is no standard to guarantee the electrical and physical characteristics of a cable described as "RG-# type". The RG designators are mostly used to identify compatible connectors that fit the inner conductor, dielectric, and jacket dimensions of the old RG-series cables.


coaxial cable
(From left to right: insulating jacket,
woven outer conductor, low-loss insulating
sleeve, inner conductor.)


Characteristics of prefabricated coaxial tranmission lines.

WIRELESS DEVICES

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Wireless LAN

WLA Series Wireless LAN Access Points WLA Series Wireless LAN access points provide complete access point, spectrum analysis, mesh and bridging services. They provide high-performance, reliable mobility indoors and outdoors for any Wi-Fi device, enabling scalable deployment of wireless VOIP, video and location services. Learn more

WLC Series Wireless LAN Controllers WLC Series Wireless LAN Controllers enable seamless integration of reliable, scalable and secure, wireless LANs with existing wired infrastructures. A broad range of controllers will serve installations of any size delivering seamless mobility and nonstop wireless availability. Learn more

WLM Series Wireless LAN Management The WLM Series Wireless LAN Management suite unifies infrastructure, security, and services management, enabling network administrators to plan, configure, deploy, monitor, and optimize wireless networks of any size and geography, from one console. Learn more

Wireless Office

AX Series Wireless Access Point AX411 is a high-performance dual-band, dual-radio 802.11n wireless LAN access point, with integrated management and category-leading security performance that is ideal for branch office deployments. Learn more

Wireless WAN

CX Series Cellular Broadband Data Bridge CX111 Cellular Broadband Data Bridge is the industry’s most reliable, simple, and flexible wireless WAN connectivity options for branch office, short-term, and kiosk applications. Learn more

WIRELESS DEVICES

inShare5

Wireless LAN

WLA Series Wireless LAN Access Points WLA Series Wireless LAN access points provide complete access point, spectrum analysis, mesh and bridging services. They provide high-performance, reliable mobility indoors and outdoors for any Wi-Fi device, enabling scalable deployment of wireless VOIP, video and location services. Learn more

WLC Series Wireless LAN Controllers WLC Series Wireless LAN Controllers enable seamless integration of reliable, scalable and secure, wireless LANs with existing wired infrastructures. A broad range of controllers will serve installations of any size delivering seamless mobility and nonstop wireless availability. Learn more

WLM Series Wireless LAN Management The WLM Series Wireless LAN Management suite unifies infrastructure, security, and services management, enabling network administrators to plan, configure, deploy, monitor, and optimize wireless networks of any size and geography, from one console. Learn more

Wireless Office

AX Series Wireless Access Point AX411 is a high-performance dual-band, dual-radio 802.11n wireless LAN access point, with integrated management and category-leading security performance that is ideal for branch office deployments. Learn more

Wireless WAN

CX Series Cellular Broadband Data Bridge CX111 Cellular Broadband Data Bridge is the industry’s most reliable, simple, and flexible wireless WAN connectivity options for branch office, short-term, and kiosk applications. Learn more

Setting up a Local Area Network

Using Red Hat Linux to connect two or more computers

Darrick Addison (dtadd95@bellatlantic.net), Senior Software Engineer/Consultant, ASC Technologies

Darrick Addison works as a Senior Software Engineer/Consultant for his company, ASC Technologies. He has been designing and developing custom software applications since 1993. He has worked on the design and development of software ranging from database applications, network applications (TCP/IP client/server), GUI applications, and embedded systems applications in various commercial and government environments. He currently holds a BS degree in Computer Science and is getting his Master's degree in Computer Science/Telecommunications at Johns Hopkins University. You can contact Darrick at dtadd95@bellatlantic.net. He welcomes your comments and questions.

Summary: This article describes how to build a Local Area Network (LAN) consisting of two or more computers running the Red Hat Linux operating system. The article begins with the basics: an overview of the TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet protocol) suite, and an explanation of assigning IP addresses in a LAN. Then the article covers the LAN hardware and configuration using a tool called LinuxConf in the Red Hat Linux operating system environment. Lastly, the article walks you through the critical steps of testing and troubleshooting your LAN.

Linux is increasingly popular in the computer networking/telecommunications industry. Acquiring the Linux operating system is a relatively simple and inexpensive task since virtually all of the source code can be downloaded from several different FTP or HTTP sites on the Internet. In addition, the most recent version of Red Hat Linux can be purchased from computer retail stores for between $25 and $50, depending on whether you purchase the standard or full version. The retail brand is indeed a worthwhile investment (vs. the free FTP or HTTP versions) since valuable technical support is included directly from the Red Hat Linux engineers for at least a year. This can be very helpful if, for instance, you can not resolve an installation/configuration problem after consulting the Red Hat Linux manuals.
This article describes how to put together a Local Area Network (LAN) consisting of two or more computers using the Red Hat Linux 6.2 operating system. A LAN is a communications network that interconnects a variety of devices and provides a means for exchanging information among those devices. The size and scope of a LAN is usually small, covering a single building or group of buildings. In a LAN, modems and phone lines are not required, and the computers should be close enough to run a network cable between them.
For each computer that will participate in the LAN, you'll need a network interface card (NIC) to which the network cable will be attached. You will also need to assign a unique hostname and IP address to each computer in the LAN (described later in this article), but this requires a basic understanding of TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol).
Introduction to TCP/IP
TCP/IP is the suite of protocols used by the Internet and most LANs throughout the world. In TCP/IP, every host (computer or other communications device) that is connected to the network has a unique IP address. An IP address is composed of four octets (numbers in the range of 0 to 255) separated by decimal points. The IP address is used to uniquely identify a host or computer on the LAN. For example, a computer with the hostname Morpheus could have an IP address of 192.168.7.127. You should avoid giving two or more computers the same IP address by using the range of IP addresses that are reserved for private, local area networks; this range of IP addresses usually begins with the octets 192.168.
LAN network address The first three octets of an IP address should be the same for all computers in the LAN. For example, if a total of 128 hosts exist in a single LAN, the IP addresses could be assigned starting with 192.168.1.x, where x represents a number in the range of 1 to 128. You could create consecutive LANs within the same company in a similar manner consisting of up to another 128 computers. Of course, you are not limited to 128 computers, as there are other ranges of IP addresses that allow you to build even larger networks.
There are different classes of networks that determine the size and total possible unique IP addresses of any given LAN. For example, a class A LAN can have over 16 million unique IP addresses. A class B LAN can have over 65,000 unique IP addresses. The size of your LAN depends on which reserved address range you use and the subnet mask (explained later in the article) associated with that range (see Table 1.).

Table 1. Address ranges and LAN sizes

Address range	Subnet mask	Provides	Addresses per LAN
10.0.0.0 - 10.255.255.255.255	255.0.0.0	1 class A LAN	16,777,216
172.16.0.0 - 172.31.255.255	255.255.0.0	16 class B LANs	65,536
192.168.0.0 - 192.168.255.255	25.255.255.0	256 class C LANs	256

Network and broadcast addresses
Another important aspect of building a LAN is that the addresses at the two extreme ends of the address range are reserved for use as the LAN's network address and broadcast address. The network address is used by an application to represent the overall network. The broadcast address is used by an application to send the same message to all other hosts in the network simultaneously.
For example, if you use addresses in the range of 192.168.1.0 to 192.168.1.128, the first address (192.168.1.0) is reserved as the network address, and the last address (192.168.1.128) is reserved as the broadcast address. Therefore, you only assign individual computers on the LAN IP addresses in the range of 192.168.1.1 to 192.168.1.127:

Network address:	192.168.1.0
Individual hosts:	192.168.1.1 to 192.168.1.127
Broadcast address:	192.168.1.128

Subnet masks
Each host in a LAN has a subnet mask. The subnet mask is an octet that uses the number 255 to represent the network address portion of the IP address and a zero to identify the host portion of the address. For example, the subnet mask 255.255.255.0 is used by each host to determine which LAN or class it belongs to. The zero at the end of the subnet mask represents a unique host within that network.
Domain name
The domain name, or network name, is a unique name followed by a standard Internet suffixes such as .com, .org, .mil, .net, etc. You can pretty much name your LAN anything if it has a simple dial-up connection and your LAN is not a server providing some type of service to other hosts directly. In addition, our sample network is considered private since it uses IP addresses in the range of 192.168.1.x. Most importantly, the domain name of choice should not be accessible from the Internet if the above constraints are strictly enforced. Lastly, to obtain an "official" domain name you could register through InterNIC, Network Solutions or Register.com. See the Resources section later in this article for the Web sites with detailed instructions for obtaining official domain names.
Hostnames
Another important step in setting up a LAN is assigning a unique hostname to each computer in the LAN. A hostname is simply a unique name that can be made up and is used to identify a unique computer in the LAN. Also, the name should not contain any blank spaces or punctuation. For example, the following are valid hostnames that could be assigned to each computer in a LAN consisting of 5 hosts: hostname 1 - Morpheus; hostname 2 - Trinity; hostname 3 - Tank; hostname 4 - Oracle; and hostname 5 - Dozer. Each of these hostnames conforms to the requirement that no blank spaces or punctuation marks are present. Use short hostnames to eliminate excessive typing, and choose a name that is easy to remember.
Table 2 summarizes what we have covered so far in this article. Every host in the LAN will have the same network address, broadcast address, subnet mask, and domain name because those addresses identify the network in its entirety. Each computer in the LAN will have a hostname and IP address that uniquely identifies that particular host. The network address is 192.168.1.0, and the broadcast address is 192.168.1.128. Therefore, each host in the LAN must have an IP address between 192.168.1.1 to 192.168.127.

Table 2. Sample IP addresses for a LAN with 127 or fewer interconnected computers

IP address	Example	Same/unique
Network address	192.168.1.0	Same for all hosts
Domain name	www.yourcompanyname.com	Same for all hosts
Broadcast address	192.168.1.128	Same for all hosts
Subnet mask	255.255.255.0	Same for all hosts
Hostname	Any valid name	Unique to each host
Host addresses	192.168.1.x	x must be unique to each host

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Assigning IP addresses in a LAN
There are two ways to assign IP addresses in a LAN. You can manually assign a static IP address to each computer in the LAN, or you can use a special type of server that automatically assigns a dynamic IP address to each computer as it logs into the network.
Static IP addressing
Static IP addressing means manually assigning a unique IP address to each computer in the LAN. The first three octets must be the same for each host, and the last digit must be a unique number for each host. In addition, a unique hostname will need to be assigned to each computer. Each host in the LAN will have the same network address (192.168.1.0), broadcast address (192.168.1.128), subnet mask (255.255.255.0), and domain name (yourcompanyname.com). It's a good idea to start by visiting each computer in the LAN and jotting down the hostname and IP address for future reference.
Dynamic IP addressing
Dynamic IP addressing is accomplished via a server or host called DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Program) that automatically assigns a unique IP address to each computer as it connects to the LAN. A similar service called BootP can also automatically assign unique IP addresses to each host in the network. The DHCP/ BootP service is a program or device that will act as a host with a unique IP address. An example of a DHCP device is a router that acts as an Ethernet hub (a communications device that allows multiple host to be connected via an Ethernet jack and a specific port) on one end and allows a connection to the Internet on the opposite end. Furthermore, the DHCP server will also assign the network and broadcast addresses. You will not be required to manually assign hostnames and domain names in a dynamic IP addressing scheme.

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The LAN hardware
Assigning hostname and IP addresses will be useless if there is no hardware available to connect all the computers together. There are several different types of hardware schemes such as Ethernet, Token Ring, FDDI, Token Bus, etc. Since Ethernet is the most widely used hardware scheme, we will focus our attention on it. Ethernet is available from several different computer vendors, and it is relatively inexpensive. Ethernet is a 10-Mbps baseband LAN specification developed by Xerox, Intel, and Digital Equipment. In order to build an Ethernet hub you need the following: an Ethernet Network Interface Card (NIC) for each computer, an Ethernet compatible hub with at least the same number of ports as there will be computers in the LAN, and Ethernet cables (or 10BaseT cables) to connect each computer's NIC to the Ethernet hub.
Also make sure that the hardware of choice is compatible with the Red Hat Linux operating system. This hardware/software compatibility information is usually found in the Requirements section on the back of the box of each product. Alternatively, you could ask a computer sales person about hardware/software requirements. You can usually save money by purchasing LAN cards as a package vs. purchasing them individually.
When choosing an Ethernet hub ensure that it contains at least as many ports as there are computers that will participate in the LAN. It is always best to choose a hub with additional ports to allow for expansion.
If you plan to use all of the computers in the LAN to access the Internet via a local Internet Service Provider (ISP), the router/Ethernet combo is an ideal choice. The router/Ethernet unit is normally configured using any computer that is connected to the LAN. Assuming that all computers in the LAN will be running the Red Hat Linux operating system, a router will be required that can be configured using a Linux configuration program such as LinuxConf.
Finally, choose network cables to allow for expansion. Typically, most Ethernet networks use 10BaseT cables with RJ45 jacks at each end. It's always a good idea to purchase cables that are 1 or 2 times longer than the required length in case the structure (topology) of the LAN changes in the future.
Installing the hardware
Assuming that all LAN hardware is available, the next step is to install it. First turn off all the computers that will participate in the LAN. Next, open the case on each computer and install each NIC in the appropriate slot on the motherboard, being careful to follow the manufacturer's instructions.
Find a convenient but safe location for the Ethernet hub, preferably a centralized location in the same building or room along with the computers. Next, run the cable from the NIC in each computer to the Ethernet hub ensuring all cables are out of the way of users who will need physical access to each computer in the LAN. Moreover, make sure you follow all instructions provided with the LAN hardware before starting up any of the computers that will participate in the LAN.
If you are using a router to connect the LAN to the Internet or using a DHCP server, you will need to do some configuration as required by the user's manual. Lastly, assuming all computers are attached to the Ethernet hub via the NIC and a specific port on the hub, you can now begin the software configuration process using the Red Hat operating system.

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Configuring the LAN
How you configure the computers on the LAN will depend on whether the Red Hat OS was installed before or after the LAN hardware. If you installed the LAN hardware before installing Red Hat you will be prompted for network configuration during the Red Hat installation process. However, if you installed the Red Hat OS after the LAN hardware, a program called "Kudzu" will detect the newly installed Ethernet card and initiate the configuration process automatically. Follow these steps when configuring each Ethernet card using the "Kudzu" program:

1. During the bootup process look for a dialog box titled "Welcome to Kudzu." Press Enter to begin the configuration process.
2. Next, you should see another dialog box that displays the brand name for the installed Ethernet card. Press Enter again to continue.
3. After a brief delay you should see "Would You Like to Set up Networking".
4. Select the NO option using the Tab key and then press Enter. I will describe setting up networking using a utility called LinuxConf later in this article.

At this point, the bootup process should continue normally and you will be required to log on to the computer as the root user. You should have been given the opportunity to create a root account during the initial installation of Red Hat.
Using LinuxConf to configure your Ethernet card
You can use an application program called LinuxConf to configure or reconfigure the NIC of each computer in the LAN. You can launch the LinuxConf utility by typing linuxconf at the command prompt of any terminal window in the KDE or GNOME desktop environment. Another way to start the LinuxConf utility is to click the Main menu button, select System, then LinuxConf. When the LinuxConf application is displayed, follow the steps below to configure the Ethernet card:

1. From the LinuxConf tree structure, select Config, Networking, Client Tasks, Basic Host Information.
2. Type the fully qualified hostname that you assigned to this computer on the Host name tab.
3. Next, click the Adaptor 1 tab, which displays your Ethernet card settings.
4. Verify that the Enabled button is selected to ensure that the Ethernet card will be accessible.
5. Choose the Manual option if you will not be using a DHCP or BootP server on your LAN and continue to step 6. Otherwise, if you will be using a DHCP or BootP server, choose either DHCP or BootP accordingly and continue to step 12.
6. Enter this computer's hostname followed by a period and the domain name of the LAN for the Primary name + domain option.
7. Enter the computer's hostname in addition to any aliases separated by a blank space under the Aliases option.
8. Enter the IP address assigned to this computer next to IP Address (such as 192.168.1.1).
9. Type in 255.255.255.0 for the Netmask.
10. For net device, type eth0, which represents the first Ethernet card located inside the computer.
11. The driver or Kernel Module option for the Ethernet card should automatically be filled in upon exiting LinuxConf.
12. Click the Accept button to activate all changes.
13. Repeat steps 1-12 for each computer in the LAN, verifying that you've entered the correct hostname and the corresponding IP address.

Nameserver specification
Another important step in setting up LAN is to configure the Nameserver specification, which is used by Linux to look up IP addresses when only the computer's hostname is given. There are two methods that are used by Red Hat Linux to resolve hostnames into IP addresses. One method is via Domain Name Services (DNS), and the other is by means of a local file at /etc/hosts. Locate the hosts file by typing cd /etc to change to the /etc directory. The /etc directory is where most system configuration files are found for each computer. Next, follow the steps below to resolve hostnames into IP address using the /etc/hosts file:

1. In the left column of LinuxConf, open the Nameserver specification (DNS) category.
2. Left-click the DNS Usage option. (The button should be pushed in.)
3. Enter localdomain next to the Search Domain 1 category.
4. If you know the primary and secondary IP addresses for the nameserver, which should be available for this Ethernet card, enter those in the IP of nameserver 1 and IP of nameserver 2 categories. Otherwise, you can leave those categories blank.
5. Left-click the Accept button to activate all changes.

Hostname search path
The hostname search path is used by Red Hat Linux to search for IP addresses assigned to hostnames. To configure the hostname search path so that the local host (/etc/hosts) file is used to resolve local hostnames, and the ISP domain services to resolve Internet domain services, follow these steps:

1. In the left column of LinuxConf, open the Routing and Gateways category.
2. Select the Host Name Search path option.
3. In the right column of LinuxConf, select the Multiple IPs for One Host option.
4. Select the hosts, dns option in the right portion of LinuxConf.
5. Left-click the Accept button to activate all changes.

Setting up /etc/hosts
The Red Hat Linux OS needs some way to find IP addresses within the LAN based on the each computer's hostname. I described earlier in the article that the Domain Name Service (DNS) is one method of resolving hostnames into IP addresses. In a DNS configuration the hostnames and IP addresses should already be listed in a pre-existing nameserver. Consult your local ISP to obtain those IP addresses. On the other hand, if there is a centralized nameserver, as with small LANs, a host file will need to be configured on each computer that was assigned a hostname, IP address, and any aliases. This configuration process involves editing a text file located at /etc/host. You will need to go to one of the computers in the LAN and follow the below steps in order to create and configure the /etc/hosts file:

1. In the left column of LinuxConf, open the Misc category.
2. Open the Information about hosts category. You should see an entry for this computer that includes the IP address, hostname, and any aliases.
3. Left-click the Add button once to add an entry for another host in the LAN.
4. Type the Primary + Domain Name for another host in the LAN in the dialog box that appears (such as trinity.yourcompanyname.com).
5. Type one or more aliases for this computer next to the Alias option (such as tank).
6. Enter the IP address for the hostname that you've assigned for this computer next to IP number.
7. Left-click the Accept button to activate all changes.
8. Repeat steps 1-7 for each computer in your LAN.

After you have done steps 1-7 for all computers, the /etc/hosts tab of LinuxConf should list one entry for every computer in your LAN, in addition to the local host's loopback interface. The local host name should appear as localhost. Finally, you can save all changes and exit the LinuxConf application by following the steps below:

1. Left-click the Quit button in the /etc/host screen after all hostnames and IP addresses have been entered.
2. To exit the LinuxConf application, left-click the Quit button at the bottom-left corner.
3. Left-click the Activate the Changes button to activate all changes and exit LinuxConf.

Repeat for every host
Now that you have configured one computer in you LAN, you will need to go back and repeat all the above steps for each computer starting with the section "Configuring the LAN". If you would prefer a less time-consuming procedure of configuring each computer, you can modify the /etc/hosts file on each computer manually using a copy method.
You can copy the /etc/hosts file that you have just created to a floppy disk or CD-ROM (if you have a writeable CD-ROM drive) and copy that file to the /etc directory of each computer in your LAN. To copy the /etc/hosts file to a floppy disk, type the command cp /etc/hosts /mnt/floppy at the command prompt. Do this on the computer where you configured the initial /etc/hosts file using the LinuxConf utility.
Next, take the floppy to each computer in the LAN and type the command cp /mnt/floppy hosts /etc/host in a terminal window. This will copy the hosts file to the /etc directory on each host. If you are using a CD-ROM, replace the /mnt/floppy/ in the above commands with //mnt/cdrom/ to copy files to and from a writeable CD-ROM. The /etc/hosts file, as you probably noticed, is just a text file with a list of hostnames and IP addresses separated into three columns. Lastly, make sure that the local computer and its associated IP address are listed twice and all the other computers in the LAN are listed only once.

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Testing the LAN
To test the completely configured LAN, make sure that the computers are able to communicate with each other after the bootup process. You can start by typing reboot at the command prompt at a command terminal on each computer. This allows you to monitor the testing information that scrolls down the screen as a standard procedure during the Linux boot process. Look for the following information:

Setting hostname:	<hostname you assigned to this computer>
Bringing up Interface lo:	<OK> or <FAILED>
Bringing up interface eth0	<OK> or <FAILED>

The Setting hostname field should display the hostname that you assigned for this computer. The lo and eth0 interfaces should display [OK] to indicate that both tests were successful.
To determine whether each computer can communicate with every other computer in the LAN, use the ping command. Open any terminal window on the current host and type the command ping <IP address> or <hostname>, where < IP address> or <hostname> is the IP address and/or the hostname that you assigned to this computer. Note that you must type either the IP address or the hostname in order for the ping command to work properly.
If you have configured the DNS nameserver specification properly, the ping <hostname> command should resolve the hostname into a corresponding IP address. Otherwise, you will need to use the IP address that you should currently already have listed for all computers in the LAN. The ping command will send messages across the LAN to the designated IP address or computer. You should see several messages or packets (consisting of bytes of information) if the computers are "talking" or communicating with each other. These packets look similar to the following:

64 bytes from 192.168.1.x : icmp_seq=0 ttl=255 time=0.8ms 64 bytes from 192.168.1.x : icmp_seq=0 ttl=255 time=0.8ms 64 bytes from 192.168.1.x : icmp_seq=0 ttl=255 time=0.8ms

Note that the "192.168.1" represents the LAN that this particular host is a member of and the x indicates the specific host number that you are attempting to ping (e.g. such as Oracle) which jointly makes up the IP address. You can press the Ctrl+C to terminate the test and you should see the following basic information about the entire ping test:

--- hostname.yourcompanyname.com ping statistics --- 4 packets transmitted, 4 packets received, 0% packet loss round-trip min/avg/max = 0.3/0.4/0.8 ms

Verify that the packet loss is 0%, which is an immediate indication that the test was successful. However, there is a problem if the ping command results in the following message:

From hostname.comanyname.com (192.168.1.1): Destination Host Unreachable

This is an immediate indication that the two computers are not communicating at all. If the computers are not communicating, see the next section, "Troubleshooting the LAN". Otherwise, when you can successfully ping all other computers in the LAN from one designated computer, the overall basic communications functionality is indeed a success. At this point, you can consider this LAN to be a fully functional network that you can install and on which you can configure various network services as desired.

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Troubleshooting the LAN
If you are unable to ping another computer in the LAN, here's how to get to the source of the problem. First of all, it's a good idea to shut down every computer in the LAN using the halt command. At the command prompt on each computer, type halt. The main reason for shutting down all computers is to monitor feedback from the boot process when each computer is started up again.
Check all cable connections between every computer, making sure that all RJ45 jacks are connected properly. After verifying that all the cables are secured properly, start each computer one at a time and look for the following response during the boot process:

Setting hostname: hostname.networkname [OK]

You can turn on the interactive mode by typing I at the LILO boot prompt during the initial bootup process of Red Hat to get a closer view of the feedback. Ensure that the hostname and network name that was assigned to this computer is spelled correctly. If this is not the case, you will need to return to the Basic Host Information section of LinuxConf. In interactive mode you will be prompted to start several services. Respond to each question with Yes and pay close attention to results of various tests. If the Kudzu program detects an Ethernet card, then this an indication that the card was not properly configured the first time around. Proceed to let Kudzu configure the card. When you are prompted to configure the network, choose "Yes" and type the correct IP address and other related information for this particular computer.
Another important response to examine carefully is the following:

Bringing up interface eth0 [OK]

This line indicates whether the Ethernet card is working properly. If this test fails you should check all network settings using LinuxConf to ensure that the card was configured properly. If the network settings are correct, there is probably a defect in the Ethernet card itself. In order to verify this, consult the manufacturer of the Ethernet card or a computer technician to determine whether or not the card is defective. Repeat the preceding troubleshooting procedures on each new Ethernet card installed.

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Summary
The process of setting up a LAN using Red Hat Linux is a relatively straightforward task -- even for users with little or no LAN background -- when the preceding steps are carefully understood and performed. Moreover, there are vast resources available on the Web that describe in more detail the topics covered in this article. A good start would be to feed keywords (like LANs, configuring LANs, Linux network configuration, and TCP/IP) into your favorite Web search engine. You will be amazed at the wealth of information that is available on configuring LANs, building networks, Red Hat Linux network installation/configuration, the TCP/IP protocol suite, and on and on. Good luck!

Resources

• The InterNIC, Network Solutions site uses a search engine for checking official domain name availability on the Internet and registering that unique domain name solely for your business or personal Web site. It also gives you the ability to build your own Web site. They will even walk you through it and preview your design before you buy. Check out their listings of registered domain names "for sale". Network solutions will also provide you with id-Names used for worldwide registration and management of domain names. Register your name in over 50 countries online.
  
• Register.com also uses a search engine for checking official domain name availability on the Internet. In addition, the site features a trademark search engine, business resources, corporate services, Web site hosting, e-mail services, and more. The Web site shows you the 6 steps involved in registering your official domain name.
  
• Special Edition Using Red Hat Linux, by Alan Simpson with John Ray (Que, 2000), helps new users learn about Linux. It gives all computer users -- including those without UNIX system administration and network administration experience -- the skills and knowledge to use Linux to its fullest advantage whether in the home, small office, medium-sized business, or corporation.
  
• Local & Metropolitan Area Networks, Fifth Edition, by William Stallings (Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1997), focuses the technology, architecture, performance, internetworking, and network management of LANs.
  
• The Official Red Hat Linux Installation Guide (Red Hat Software Inc, 1999) is organized to guide users through the process of installing Red Hat Linux quickly and easily. It contains information on new functionality in Red Hat Linux 6.0, tasks you should perform prior to starting the Red Hat Linux installation, and detailed instructions for the Red Hat Linux installation process.
  
• Visit Red Hat for information about the company, as well as documentation and online technical support for the latest-and-greatest Red Hat Linux OS, training resources, and information about products and services offered at Red Hat Software Inc.

This will be a step by step guide to building a custom computer, I will try to be thorough but different hardware configurations may assemble differently, so only use this guide as a starting point or for supplemental information. If you would like another similar resource with short videos showing how to install the components, check out Bozanimal's guide on his user journal RIGHT HERE!

First off, if you don't know the first thing about computers and couldn't tell the difference between a motherboard and a graphics card, then read up on THIS GUIDE which will give you a brief overview about the main components of a computer, what they look like, and what they do.

Please provide any suggestions or feedback in your posts.

Table of Contents

(1) Picking out the parts
(2) Basic Computer connections
(3) Computer Case Overview
(4) Drive installation
(5) CPU and RAM installation
(6) Motherboard installation
(7) Graphics Card installation
(8 Power-supply installation and power connections
(9) SATA or IDE connections
(10) Front panel wiring
(11) Operating system and driver installation

(1) Picking out the parts
The first step to building a custom computer is picking out all the parts you will be using. If you are unsure of what you need or are scared of picking out incompatible components, I highly suggest just making a topic right here on the PC Hardware board with a budget in dollars and allow others to pick out the parts for you. The main thing to keep in mind when picking out parts is that the cpu or motherboard you choose will decide the rest of the parts to get. An AMD socket CPU must be paired with an AMD socket motherboard and the same applies to Intel CPUs and Intel socket motherboards.

Parts used in this guide

Case - NZXT Apollo ORANGE NP
Motherboard - GIGABYTE GA-MA770-UD3
Graphics Card - XFX Radeon HD 4850 512MB
Power Supply - Corsair CMPSU 400CX
CPU - AMD Athlon 64 X@ 5200 Brisbane 2.7GHz
Hard Drive - Western Digital Cavier Green 750GB
RAM - G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2
DVD - Sony DVDRW Drive
Operating System - Windows 7 64bit

Total ~$635 with shipping

A really good budget gaming rig that will be able to max most games out right now (Jul 2009)

Here they are



(2) Standard Computer connections and slots

Overview of the motherboard


Motherboard CPU socket


RAM Slots (also known as DIMM slots)


SATA Data connection

Motherboard SATA ports


Drive SATA Ports (both hard drive and DVD drive)


PCI Express 16x and/or 2.0 slot


PCI Express and PCI slots (From top to bottom)


Motheboard Sound header(For hooking up the front headphone and mic jacks on a case)


Motherboard USB header(For hooking up the front USB ports on a case)


Motherboard Front Panel headers(For hooking up the power switch, reset switch, power LED, HDD activity LED, and motherboard speaker)


(3) Computer Case Overview

Overview of the different drive bays of an empty case


(4) Drive Installation

This particular computer case, like many today, is designed for a nearly tool-less installation of its components. Some people like this and others do not. Personally I like most of the toolless designs I've gotten to work with, and they usually aren't too hard to figure out.

For installing the DVD-ROM drive, you have to pop out the drive cover on the front bezel of the case that will line up with the 5.25in drive bay that you will be putting the DVD drive in. Then all you have to do is slide the drive in the bay and either lock it in with the tooless latch or screw the drive in with screws provided with your case.

(Sorry, didn't take pics of popping off the bezel and sliding the drive in)



To install the hard drive, this case comes with a tool-less rail system that I've seen on a couple of cases. All you have to do is attach the rails to the hard drive with its drilled in screw holes and slide the hard drive into is position in the hard drive cage.

The Rails


Put on the drive


Slide the drive into the hard drive cage


Now you're ready to install the CPU and RAM into the motherboard outside the case.

(5) CPU and RAM installation

For installing the CPU and RAM, I prefer to do it while the motherboard is outside of the case. This especially makes CPU installation easier.

CPU Installation

First you need to open up the CPU socket latch, which will allow you to install the CPU


Then you need to grab the CPU, making sure not to touch the top of it or bend any pins. And line up the pins with the proper holes on the socket. Many times there will also be an arrow on one corner of the CPU that should line up with an arrow on CPU socket, this will help you get the correct orientation. The CPU should just drop into place, so if you have to push it in with force you probably have it lined up incorrectly.


Close the CPU socket latch, securing the CPU into place, this may require a bit of force, so be don't be scared if you have to push down on the latch hard in order to secure it.


Now grab the CPU's heat-sink, all retail CPU's come with stock heatsinks.


And remove the plastic cover on the bottom, exposing the thermal paste.


Now depending on your which CPU manufacturer you went with, installing the heatsink may be a little different. The AM2 Socket CPUs use a latching mechanism to attach the heat sink to the motherboard, but Intel's LGA775 socket uses what are known as push pin latches that, in my opinion, are much more difficult to work with and secure.

Line up the up the CPU's latches with the motherboards



And lock it into place


The heatsink should be attached very tightly, so if it is loose at all you need to redo the latching mechanisms.

Now plug the fan on the CPU's heatsink into the motherboard CPU FAN header



The CPU is now completely installed

RAM Installation

Installing RAM is one of the easiest parts of building a computer.

Open the latches on the RAM slots


Orient the RAM stick so that the gap in the middle is lined up with the ridge in the slot


Push down on the top of the RAM stick until the latches lock into place, and repeat the process until you've installed all of your RAM sticks


If you have 2, 4 or 6 sticks of DDR2 RAM, you can run what is known as Dual Channel mode (theoretically doubling the RAMs bandwidth), in order to do this the RAM sticks must be placed in the same channel. Most motherboards color code the RAM slots, so all you have to do is place the RAM sticks in the slots of the same color.

(6) Motherboard Installation

Motherboard installation can vary slightly depending on the form factor of motherboard you use. For this build I used a standard ATX size motherboard, by far the most prevelant size. Another popular form factor for motherboards is the Micro-ATX, which is designed for smaller cases.

Alright, to get started installing the motherboard you must pop in the correct I/O plate that comes with your motherboard into the back of the case, replacing any generic I/O plate that may have come already installed on the case.



Next you will need to screw in the motherboard stand-offs that should have been supplied with your case, there will be extra holes drilled in the case for different form factor motherboards.



Now all you need to do is screw down the motherboard onto the stand-offs. Stand-offs you screwed in should align with the holes in the motherboard so that it is flush with the I/O panel.



And that's it for installing the motherboard, you're almost done so hang in there.

(7) Graphics Card Installation

Installing the graphics card, (assuming you aren't going to use integrated graphics) is another very easy step in building a computer.

Start off by removing the PCI slot shields on the back of the case that correspond with your graphics card placement.


Now all you have to do is grab your graphics card, preferebly by the heatsink so as to not touch the connection and shock it, and plug it in to the PCI-Express 16x and/or 2.0 slot. The graphics card will only fit in this type of slot so don't force it into any others.

+


And that's it for installing graphics card, you will also need to hook it up to the power supply but I will get to that in the next section.

(8 Powersupply installation and power connections

This case, as with all other standard mid-tower and full tower size cases, accepts powersupplies that use the ATX form factor. Only smaller cases may use non-standard power supplies.

Alright, all you have to do to install the powersupply, or PSU, is to orient it correctly in your case's powersupply slot and screw in the four screws that will attach it to the case.



Now you have to hook everything up that needs a powerconnection.

-The motherboard will have a 24pin power connection that will need to be plugged into the PSU

+


-It will also have a 4pin power connection near the CPU (though sometimes the motherboard might have an 8-pin power connector)

+


-All of your peripherals, such as hard drives and DVD drives, will need to be hooked into the PSU


-Most new graphics cards also need to be hooked to the PSU with a 6 or 8 pin PCI power cord (though, some higher end models might need more than one 6 pin or 8 pin connection)



-If your case fans do not have the proper connections to be hooked into your motherboard's 3 pin fan control headers, they will also need to be hooked into the PSU


And now you're almost ready to fire up your new rig, just a couple of steps to go

Edited on Jul 31, 2012 7:08 pm GMT Edited 9 total times.

My complete picture guide to computer building and hardware installation.

Capitan_Kid wrote:

Im not saying those arent great games. Im saying they just didnt have the impact on gaming like console games in comparison. Halo pretty much kickstarted the FPS genre.

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General_X

Level 54
Simon Says Bleed
Posts: 8618

Aug 4, 2009 10:02 pm GMT

(9) SATA data connections

Your hard drives and DVD drives need to be able to transfer data to the motherboard, this means we need to hook them up with SATA cables

Just attach one end of the SATA cable to the motherboard SATA header, and the other end to the hard drive or DVD drive



Repeat until all drives are connected to the motherboard, most motherboards come with 2 SATA cables, but if you order more than 2 OEM drives you will need to order extra SATA cables


(10) Front Panel Wiring

The final step of building your rig before powering it up can be a little tricky to a beginner, but well labeled motherboards and front panel wires will help this part along greatly.

Now pretty much every case comes with 4 things on the front panel, headphone/mic jacks, USB ports, power switch, and reset switch.

I'll start out with wiring the audio jacks in the front, luckily everything is well labeled.

HD Audio wire


Plugs into the F(ront)_Audio header on the motherboard, near the audio outputs on the back of the motherboard/case


The USB wire


Plugs into the motherboard's F_USB header, just under the graphics card (but location may vary for you)


Now for the power switch, reset switch, front power LED, and hard drive activity LED cables. This is where a well labeled motherboard comes in handy since it will hopefully tell you which of the front panel pins are for which wire and what the positive and negative alignments are for them. A rule of thumb on the positive and negative configurations of the wires is that the colored wire is pretty much always positive, while the white wire is pretty much always negative.




And that's it! Congratualtions. Now replace the case's side panel and get the computer ready for use by pluggin in the power cord, keyboard/mouse, monitor, speakers, and whatever else you like. Make sure the switch on the back of the powersupply is in the proper position, and hit the powerswitch to fire her up. Now its time to install a buncha stuff.



(11) Operating System and Driver installation

Since others have done a better job at describing this than I can, here are some guides:

How to Install Windows XP

How to Install Windows Vista

Your motherboard should have come with a driver CD, as soon as the operating system is installed just run the driver CD and install the components on it that will allow your computer to function properly. I highly recommend getting the most up to date video card drivers from the manufacturor's website: Nvidia or ATi

Now that your computer is fully up and running there's only one thing left to do...

LAN Party!

Edited on Jul 31, 2012 7:01 pm GMT Edited 3