what are all the items you need to set up a LAN connection?

Answer 1

This depend of your lan
But gennerally
What You Need to Get Started:

One computer capable of running DOS, with a 80286 processor or better. This machine will have the dial-up connection to your Internet Service Provider (ISP)
At least one other computer to connect to the first machine
A network adapter for each machine
Properly laid out network cable(s) connecting each machine (for Ethernet: terminators must also be proberly connected)
IPRoute software from David Mischler, available from his site
There are two main parts to setting up this connection:
Configuring the Gateway machine (the one with the modem/ISDN card)
Configuring the Workstation(s) (the one(s) connected with network card(s) and cable)
The machine that has the modem/ISDN card and the working connection to your Internet Service Provider will be called the Gateway machine. The IPRoute software runs ONLY on the Gateway machine. After setting up the Gateway machine, you must configure the TCP/IP stacks on the workstations to the Gateway machine as a gateway (the Internet applications on the workstations do not have to be configured to use proxies). This document addresses both issues.
For more take a look there:
http://www.jacco2.dds.nl/isdn/lansing.html
depending or your echipment routers - go to the provider page (for example Cisco) and search the documentation
Search on the library for a basic book about networking.

Answer 2

Depends what LAN connection you want to make. If you want to share your broadband Internet, you will need a Router, Ethernet Cards in each PC, and Cat5 Ethernet cable to wire the computers to the Router.