[ExtremeGamble]

hi guys

im pretty new to mac networking, my only experience being to set up a wireless network in a home environment, so here is my question:

I have PC ONE which has a usb printer and needs access to our broadband. this is running Windows XP. this is located in office 1. This will not be a shared printer.

i have MAC ONE which has an inkjet printer and hi-res flatbed scanner via a usb hub and needs access to our broadband. This is an imac G4 running OS 10.3.9 (but will soon be an intel imac 20'). This is located at the other end (12 feet away) of office 1.

i have MAC TWO which has a standard inkjet printer and high volume print/copy machine via a usb hub and needs access to our broadband. This is a g4 emac running os 10.3.9. This is located in office 3.

currently they share a 1mps broadband via a hard wired 4 port adsl router and various lengths of ethernet cable but are not networked together.

what i want to do is network them so that
1>the macs can share devices and files.
2>they can all share the broadband connection.
3>Macs and Pc can share files

Am I correct in assuming that all i need in terms of hardware are an ethernet switch, some cables and the correct configurations on operating systems?

Can the router be used as a switch?

What sort of software is necessary and is it likely to be expensive?

Im originally from the old classic OS era and remember the likes of photoshop 2.0 and how impossible networking was back then with mac OS 7 or so (never had to mess with it since!)

any help is HUGELY appreciated as im trying to cost it up right now.

thanks

Iain

[ghporter]

I'll bet you're already properly connected physically. That 4-port ADSL router is a router and switch. So all you need to do is tell EACH computer to share files and printers. On OS X it's under Sharing Preferences. On XP, it's done item-by-item; if you want to share a folder, you right-click on it in Explorer, and then click "Sharing" and follow the steps. You may want to use the wizard to do this for you if you're unsure about the steps XP needs. Sharing a printer is simple too-open Printers and Faxes, right click on the printer you want to share, and select Sharing.

Note that the varying lengths of ethernet cable you have currently won't make any difference in performance, because the standard allows up to 100 METERS of cable between devices. Bet you aren't going that distance yet!