Setting Up Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) on a Server

May 8, 2012

Copyright © 2012 by World Class CAD, LLC. All Rights Reserved. 

Two NICs in the Device ManagerTwo NICs in the Device Manager

We need to install the secondNIC if we did not already doso when we built thecomputer for our WindowsServer 2008 computer.Server 2008 computer.

We can right click onComputer on the Start menuand select Properties fromand select Properties fromthe list.

On the Systems window, weh ld i k D i Mshould pick Device Manager.We can see both Networkadapters.

Why ICS?Why ICS?

Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) willenable us to build a small network andconnect our client to the server.

Wh t i t ill d? W illWhat equipment will we need? We willwant to have two Network InterfaceCards (NICs) setup on the server. Theirdrivers should be loaded and theyyshould be working properly.

Next, we will want to rename both NICs.

Naming the External NICNaming the External NICWe should give the NICs identifiersthat will allow us to quickly determinewhat they control just by reading. Thecard that connects the server to theoutside networks can be called suchnames as external Internet or outsidenames as external, Internet or outside.

To make the name alteration, we enterthe Control Panel and then Networkthe Control Panel and then NetworkSharing Center. Select the ManageNetwork Connection icon. Right clickon the NIC that connects to theI d l R TInternet and select Rename. TypeExternal in the new name textbox.Press Enter to accept the change.

Naming the Internal NICNaming the Internal NIC

The card that connects the server tothe inside networks can be calledsuch names as internal, Intranet orinside.

To make the name alteration, weright click on the NIC that connectsto the Internet and select Rename.Type External in the new nametextbox. Press Enter to accept thechange.

The External NICThe External NICNow, we go to the NetworkConnection window andl h l C hselect the External NIC. The

External NIC Status windowwill open and we will selectthe Properties button. At thepExternal Properties window,we choose the Sharing tab onthe top right of the dialoguebo At this time e can seebox. At this time, we can seethe Internet ConnectionSharing checkbox. We willplace a check in the box.

The External NIC TCP/IP SettingsThe External NIC TCP/IP Settings

The computer will tell us that the IP address 192.168.0.1 will be used for our system. We will continue to utilize the external IP address scheme, gateway IP and DNS IP addresses that we previously had installedaddresses that we previously had installed on the External network interface card.

Services in ICSServices in ICS

We can check TCP/IP services such as FTP andSMTP. When we check the box, individualscan transfer files and send email through theICS enabled external NIC.

To close this window, we press the OK button.

The Internal NICThe Internal NICNow, we will setup theInternal network interfacecard We double click on thecard. We double click on theInternal card and theInternal NIC Status windowwill open and we will selectthe Properties button. At theInternal Properties window,we double click on theTCP/IP Internet Protocol WeTCP/IP Internet Protocol. Wecan type our own IP addressscheme in for the Intranet IPof 192.168.1.1. The subnet

k ll bmask will be 255.255.255.0.We leave the gateway andDNS IP addresses blank.

Setting Up a Client ComputerSetting Up a Client ComputerNow that the server i t f I t tis setup for Internet Connection Service (ICS), we can connect a client computer to th O ththe server. On the client computer, we connect to the server’s Internal NIC h h i hthrough a switch or we can just use a lap link network cable. We double click on h l lthe local area connection to manipulate the IP addresses.

Setting Up the Client’s IP AddressSetting Up the Client s IP AddressNow, we will setup the client’s network interfaceclient’s network interface card. We double click on the local area network connection and the Local Are Connection Status windowConnection Status window will open and we will select the Properties button. At the Local Are Connection Properties window, weProperties window, we double click on the TCP/IP Internet Protocol. We can type our own IP address scheme of 192.168.1.2. The subnet mask will be 255.255.255.0. The gateway and DNS IP address is the server’s internal NIC IP of 192.168.1.1. Press OK to exit the windows.

Setting the Internet OptionsSetting the Internet Options

We continue to setup theclient computer byopening the InternetOptions window. Weshould pick the LANshould pick the LANsettings button and in theLocal Area NetworkSettings window, weh k h i llcheck the automaticallydetect settings checkbox.We then press the OKbuttons to close thedialogue boxes.

Browse the Internet on the Client Computer

At this time, we will openInternet Explorer and typewww.worldclasscad.com inthe address bar.

The client computer cannow browse the Internetthrough the server.g

ICS InformationICS Information

When changing our WindowsServer 2008 computers from astandard File Server to aDomain Controller (DC), weneed to undo the ICS setup.need to undo the ICS setup.Domain Controllers will usemore sophisticated connectionstechniques.

Turn Off ICS Turn Off ICS for a DCfor a DC