This article tells how to make your windows XP (professional) machine work
as a router by following simple steps. There are situations in which we need
to connect two different series network and make them communicate to each
other. We need a router to make necessary routing of packets from one network
to a different network. But for home router seems a costly option. However if
you are having Windows XP professional you can make it router by enabling
IP forwarding in registry.
You need to have two network cards installed on your router machine
(windows xp machine), both connected to network switches of two
different networks.
Two network cards on the router are having following configuration
Router (Windows XP Professional)
Network Card X (connected to switch of network X):
IP Address: 172.16. 1 .1
Netmask: 255.255.255.0
Gateway: Blank
Network Card Y (connected to switch of network Y):
IP Address: 10.0.40.1
Netmask: 255.255.255.0
Gateway: Blank
All computers in network X should have following configuration.
IP Address : 172.16. 1.2 to 172.16. 1.254
Netmask: 255.255.255.0
Gateway: 172.16. 1 .1
All computers in network Y should have following configuration.
IP Address: 10.0.40.2 to 10.0.40.254
Netmask: 255.255.255.0
Gateway: 10.0.40.1
Now to make these two networks communicate Configure IP forwarding
Go to Start and click Run
Type in regedit to run registry editor.
Go to the following registry key at the left hand side tree
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE-SYSTEM-CurrentControlSet-Services-Tcpip-Parameters
Right click IPEnableRouter and click Modify.
In IPEnableRouter window Type 1 as Value data and click OK.
Close the regisrty editor and reboot the computer to make new settings effective.
Your XP router is ready and and your different series networks can communicate to each other without any Router.