In this Ask the Admin, I’ll show you how to share network resources using Windows 7 HomeGroup.
If you’ve recently migrated from Windows XP to Windows 7, or are still in the process, you’ll be glad to hear that it’s much easier in Windows 7 and later operating systems to share and locate resources on your local network.
If you’ve ever tried to set up a local network and share printers or files in a workgroup, i.e. with no domain controller or Active Directory, then you’ll know that in Windows XP and other legacy Windows operating systems, this seemingly simple task could prove to be something of a headache.
Improvements in Windows 7 allow administrators and home users to share resources easily using a feature called HomeGroups. If a network is detected during setup and Home is selected as the network type, Windows 7 automatically creates a HomeGroup if one isn’t detected on the local network.
HomeGroups use the Peer Network Resolution Protocol (PNRP), which is based on IPv6, to determine the names and IP addresses of computers on the local network. Computers can then publish resources and make them available to other devices.
When a corporate user takes their domain-joined Windows 7 notebook home, if they select Home as the network type when connecting to a home network, the notebook can access printers and files shared by the HomeGroup. The domain-joined notebook is not able to share any of its resources with other members of the HomeGroup. Alternatively, system administrators can use Group Policy to prevent domain-joined notebooks joining or creating HomeGroups.
Log in to Windows 7 and make sure you are connected to a home network. To change the designated network type:
Choose the resources to share in a Windows 7 HomeGroup. (Image: Russell Smith)
Now that we have a HomeGroup on the local network, other computers can join the group and access or share resources. All you need is the password from the previous steps. Remember that any computer you want to add to a HomeGroup must have the network type set to Home.
Now that the HomeGroup has two PCs, you will be able to access the resources you selected in the HomeGroup wizard from both computers. HomeGroup resources are accessible from Windows Explorer.