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Tech Tips / Windows XP / Networking

Take control with Discovery and Control in Win XP

Internet Connection Sharing (ICS), which is built into Windows XP, allows you to easily share one connection to the Internet with other computers. Strictly speaking, ICS is not new; it was included in previous versions of Windows (Windows 98/Me and Windows 2000), but Windows XP's version includes some new features.

One of the most useful features is Discovery and Control, which allows you to monitor the shared Internet connection from a remote computer. When you share an Internet connection, Windows XP automatically broadcasts information about the connection to all other computers on the local network.

Discovery and Control uses the Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) protocol to inform other computers on your network of this connection. They then obtain a new icon in the network connections folder, indicating that they have successfully "discovered" a shared Internet connection. They use this icon to monitor the connection: They can monitor the status of the connection, the connection speed, the duration of the connection, and other properties.

You can also give users permission to connect and disconnect the shared Internet connection. To do this:

1. Right-click the shared Internet connection.
2. Select Properties.
3. Check the Allow Other Network Users To Control Or Disable The Shared Internet Connection option on the Advanced tab.