you only have to worry about packet signing if dealing with a Windows 2003 Server, usually.

"workgroup" is a concept started early with windows. It allows you to have many computers on your local network but only a small set of them show up when you browse for network connections. Only machines in the same name of workgroup will appear in your list. The name of the default workgroup is "WORKGROUP", but it's common especially in business to see the name of the workgroup be something to do with the company. In windows you change this setting in the computer name properties. The location to set this on a mac varies depending on the version of Mac OS X you are using.

This is useful for example if you want the engineering, accounting, administrative, and customer relations people to all have easy access to the other users' computers and servers in their division but not be bothered to see other machines they don't need to access. You establish four different workgroup names, and then you will only "see" the computers in your workgroup when you browse for connections. Workgrouping isn't security, it's just a limit placed on what you see and can easily access.


I work for the Department of Redundancy Department