A GUIDE TO

NETWORKING

What Is a Network?
Networks consist of the computers, the connectivity medium (such as
copper wire or fiber optic cables), and other devices, such as hubs,
switches, and routers (which are all discussed later in the book), that
make up the network infrastructure. Some devices, such as network
interface cards, serve as the computer's connection to the network.
Devices such as switches and routers provide traffic-control strategies
for the network. All sorts of different technologies can actually be
employed to move data from one place to another, including network
cabling (copper or fiber optics), radio waves, and even microwave
technology.
Networks are not networks just because they contain highly complex
connectivity strategies. Two computers running the Windows Me
operating system can be joined together by their COM ports (also
known as serial ports) by a single serial cable. Is this a network? Sure, it
allows you to share resources between the two computers and therefore
meets the basic definition of what a network is.

Why Network Your Computers?

There are actually some very compelling reasons why someone (someone being
a person, small business, or mega-institution) with more than a couple
computers would want to connect those computers into a network. What the
network will actually be used for will, of course, vary depending on the needs of
the person or organization creating the network. Networks can be used for
simple tasks, such as sharing a printer, or they can be used for more advanced
applications, such as a complex point-of-sale system and worldwide video
conferencing.
All networks, whether big or small, are typically created so that users on the
network can share resources and communicate. The list that follows breaks
down some of the reasons for networking computers:

File sharing. Networking computers makes it very easy for the users on the
network to share data files. Files on a particular user's computer can be shared
on the network or files can be placed on a file server, which provides a central
location for all files needed by the users on the network.

Why Network Your Computers?

Hardware sharing. Users can share devices such as printers, CD-ROM drives,
and hard drives (users can be assigned space on network server drives). Once
networked, computers can share their own local devices, such as CD-ROM and
hard drives, or take advantage of high-speed printers or other devices that are
provided by a particular server on the network.

Program sharing. Applications such as spreadsheets and word processors can

be run over the network. You keep most of the files that make up the application
on a special application server on the network. This makes installing the software
on a computer easier (because it can be done over the network). It also makes
upgrading an application easier because the upgrade only has to be performed
on the server itself.

User communication. Networks allow users to take advantage of

communication media such as electronic mail, newsgroups, and video
conferencing. Because voice, pictures, and video can be moved across the
network as data, network communication is certainly not limited to just text
messages. A number of communication platforms exist for PC networks such as
Lotus Notes and Microsoft Exchange.

Why Network Your Computers?

Not only does a network provide the ability to share resources found locally on
the network (such as a printer shared by several users in a small office), but the
fact that the network exists means that the local network can be connected to
other networks. Most networks, big and small, are also now connected to the
Internet, meaning that the potential for sharing resources and communication is
almost endless. One of the most compelling reasons for a company to decide to
network its computers is to have all its users "plugged in to" the global network
that is the Internet.
In networks that consist of more than just a few computers, you will have two
different types of computers operating on the network: clients and servers. Client
computers supply users with a connection to the network. Servers actually serve
up the resources that are available on the networkeverything from files to
electronic mail post offices.

PC Networking: How It All Began

Computing and the advances that led to the modern personal computer go as
far back as the human race itself, way back to devices such as the abacus (500
B.C.) and the Jacquard loom (a nineteenth-century mechanized loom that used
a series of punch cards to create a particular weave). While our focus in this
book is the networking of the personal computer, a little background information
on the evolution of modern computing makes sense. To start, we can jump
ahead to the 1950s.

Mainframes and Miniframes

Although there were a number of super computers created prior to 1950, the
early mainframe market (which was not all that huge because of the size and
cost of these computers) was dominated by International Business Machines
(IBM). The IBM Model 701, which used vacuum tubes, was created in 1952. IBM
also led the field in mainframe innovations and introduced the first computer disk
storage system, as well as developed the FORTRAN programming language.

PC Networking: How It All Began

Advances in technology lead to the development of a smaller version of the
mainframe, the miniframe. In the 1970s, the miniframe gained dominance in the
computing world, making computer technology accessible to a larger number of
companies and organizations (even though these companies paid a premium for
their ability to compute).
One point that should be made in relation to mainframes and miniframes is that,
by design, all storage and computing power was centralized. This meant users
(on dumb terminals) accessed centralized, shared information and used
centralized applications provided by the miniframe. In many cases, some type of
messaging system was also available to users on a mainframe or miniframe so
that they could communicate.

Clients and Servers: What Does It

All Mean?
.

Although a number of the PC operating systems now available (such as

Windows and the Apple OS) provide for peer-to-peer networking, in most cases
one thinks of a network as being made up of clients and servers.

A client is a computer :

Allows a user or users to log on to the network and take advantage of

the resources available on the network.

Will run a client operating system (such as Windows XP Professional).

Clients and Servers: What Does It

All Mean?
The purpose of the client is to get a user onto the network; therefore, client
computers don't usually have the processing power, the storage space, or the
memory found on a server because the client does not have to serve up
resources to other computers on the network (although dropping PC prices and
advances in technology allow you to buy client computers that have the power
and storage equal to a server that was purchased a year or two earlier).
A server, on the other hand, is typically a much more powerful computer that
runs a network operating system (NOS) such as Microsoft Windows Server 2003
or Novell NetWare. The server provides centralized administration of the network
and serves up the resources that are available on the network, such as printers
and files (the NOS provides the server with these capabilities). The administrator
of the server decides who can and cannot log on to the network and which
resources the various users can access.

Clients and Servers: What Does It

All Mean?
Most LANs consist of many clients and a few servers. While one server always
controls user logons, other servers can specialize in providing certain types of
resources (such as print servers and file servers, which are discussed in the
next chapter). Figure 1.2 provides a diagram of a "typical" PC network.
Figure 1.2. PC networks consist of clients and servers.

Clients and Servers: What Does It

All Mean?
Obviously the scale of a network will depend on whether the network is used by
a huge corporation or has been set up for a home business. For example, a
home network and a business network will probably both make use of hubs as a
way to physically connect the computers. But a home network won't necessarily
have network servers and print servers that are required to provide services to
the large number of users found on a corporate network.
Because client and server computers both have processing capabilities, the
workload on a PC network can be distributed between the client and the server.
This differs from the centralized computing provided by mainframes and
minicomputers, where the central computer provides all the processing power
for the users logged on via dumb terminals.
You may hear the term workstation used interchangeably with client in reference
to the computers used by network users to access the network. In reality,
workstation more commonly refers to higher-end client machines that require
more memory and processing power to run more complex software, such as the
design software used by engineers.

Network Players: Users and

Administrators
The fact that two different types of computersclients and serversexist on the
network means that the people on the network will also play different roles.
Users make up most of the folks you find on a PC network. They are there to
access network resources. A user requires a user logon and password to gain
access to the network.
The person who serves as the caretaker of the network is the network
administrator. The administrator controls the network servers. This means that
network access and the level of access is controlled by the administrator using
the tools provided by the NOS.
Most network operating systems supply the network administrator with the ability
to monitor network use, including user logons. Tools for monitoring hardware
parameters such as memory and processor usage on a server are also typically
available. The administrator is also responsible for disaster planning and
securing the network resources from outside attack and virus infestation.

Network Players: Users and

Administrators
One of the most difficult aspects of being a network administrator is convincing
users that the access levels and security policies used on the network are there
for a purposeand that purpose is to protect the valuable corporate resources
found on the network. Although network administrators are typically thought of as
dime-store dictators or control freaks by the users, administrators are typically
faced with long hours and a great deal of hard work to keep their networks up
and running. They certainly don't wear beepers as a fashion accessory.
There is certainly more to a network administrator's job than just dealing with
user and hardware problems. Network administrators also may supervise
technical employees and be responsible for the budgeting and procurement
related to the computer network.

Understanding LAN Data

Transmission
The way data travels on the network media (such as copper wire and glass fiberoptic cable) differs from how data flows between the different components in a
computer.
First, let's define the bit. A bit is the smallest unit of data found on a computer;
bits are represented by either a one (1) or a zero (0). When you type a letter or
create a spreadsheet, you see your data as words in paragraphs or numbers in
a column. Your computer sees this information as binary dataones and zeros.
On a computer, data in the form of a bit stream travels in parallel across wires
arranged on the motherboard. These parallel wires on the motherboard are
referred to as the data bus. When data is required by the computer's processor
from the computer's hard drive, the data moves along the bus, which is very
much like a multilane superhighway, allowing several bit streams to move
simultaneously.
To actually move data from one computer to another on the network, there
obviously needs to be some kind of network medium; copper wire is actually the
most often used network medium. Unfortunately, no matter what type of network
medium you choose, the data can only travel along it as a single bit stream,
which is referred to as a serial transmission.

Understanding LAN Data

Transmission
A device is needed to take the parallel data from the computer, which is like a
multilane super highway, and condense it into a serial transmission, which is the
equivalent of a one-lane road. This device also provides the connection between
the PC and the network media.

The device I'm talking about here is a network interface card, or NIC. The NIC
contains a transceiver (a transmitter and receiver) that is able to convert data
from parallel to serial, and vice versa. A NIC can come in the form of a separate
card that you install in the computer (there are a large number of different NIC
manufacturers). The NIC must be compatible with the bus slot that you wish to
install it in. Some personal computers, such as the Apple iMac, come with a
built-in NIC that's ready to go. Figure 1.3 shows two different kinds of NICs.

Understanding LAN Data

Transmission
So it's the NIC that supplies the physical connection between a computer (client
or server) and the network media, and it's the network card that supplies the
translation of data from parallel to serial. As you can see, the NIC is a very
important component of networking PCs.
Figure 1.3. Network interface cards provide the physical connection between a computer
and the network.

Summary
In this section, we had the opportunity to sort out some of the important
technology milestones that led to the introduction of the personal computer. We
also had an opportunity to define networking and take a look at why you would
want to network PCs.

Strictly speaking, a network is two or more connected computers. The larger

the network, the greater the variety of network devices (such as hubs or
routers) that will be required to connect the networked computers together.

Computers can be networked to share resources such as printers and files.

Networked computers can also provide a communication medium for
network users.

Mainframes and minicomputers provided a centralized computing model in

which all resources are supplied by the mainframe or minicomputer and
accessed by users accessing the computer using dumb terminals.

Summary Cont.

The IBM PC, launched in August of 1981, began the PC revolution. It

became the standard for the desktop business computer.

Networks are made up of client and server computers. Client computers are
used by network users to gain access to the network. Server computers are
used to supply the resources that are accessed by the users on the
network.

Network user access to the network and its resources is controlled by the
network administrator. The network administrator controls both the access
level of the users and the resources that they can access. This ability to
control access is provided by the network operating system running on the
server.

Computers process data in parallel, whereas data is moved across the

network in serial. The network interface card (NIC) is used to translate data
from parallel to serial, and vice versa, and it provides the computer with a
connection to the network media.