Configuring a Macintosh workstation is easier than configuring a Windows workstation since there are less things that you need to worry about, but most of the same ideas apply.
Note: This tutorial is for Macintosh OS X, but many of the same steps will need to be taken in previous versions of the Macintosh OS as well.

Configuring Your Connection

1. From the Finder click on the apple in the upper left-hand corner of the screen, and select "System Preferences...". A window should open showing all of the Preference Panes that you can configure. The panel that we will be concerned with is the Network panel; if you do not see this panel it means that you do not have access, and you will need to speak to your Network Administrator. Click on the Network Preference Panel.
2. You should see a window similar to the one below. The first thing you will need to do is select the way in which you are planning on connecting to your network; the basic options you are going to want to choose are Ethernet or Airport (Apple's term for wireless). If you have any questions about which method to choose you should go back a few steps to when you planned your network.
   
   The Macintosh OS X Network Preference Pane
3. If you have a working DHCP server on your network (most cable/DSL routers have them) then you do not need to do anything but make sure that "Using DHCP" is selected. If you are planning on statically configuring your network then you will either want to enter the information supplied by your ISP, or enter private network information. If you are not using a router, you will want to enter an address similar to the one below. Your IP address should be a set of 4 numbers separated by periods, the first two numbers should be 192 and 168 (these are reserved for private networks). The next number can be anything from 1 to 255, but you must keep it consistent between machines. The last number will also be between 1 and 255, but will be different from machine to machine. In the field for Subnet mask, enter 255.255.255.0. You will only need to enter the IP address for your router in the "Router" field if you have WAN access. Most gateways will have a default IP Address of 192.168.1.1, so make sure that none of your computers use the same IP Address. For more information on what your router's default IP address is, consult your device documentation.

Changing your Computer's Name/Sharing Files

Changing your computer's name is easy; simply go back to the System Preferences dialog and click on "Sharing". This is the dialog you need to configure/change. The first two boxes are for your computer's name; for clarity you will want to make sure they both boxes have the same value. To share your files simply check the boxes for the types of sharing services you want to activate; this should automatically start up the services, but, if for some reason it does not click, on "Start". Macintosh OS X will only allow you to share files in your "Public" directory, however, you can download download additions that will allow you to share any directory. A good sharing utility, Share Points, can be found at Version Tracker; simply go to VersionTracker and search for Share Points.