What Is Networking? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

5
Network Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Network Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Networking Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Centralized Computing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Distributed Computing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Collaborative Computing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Different Network Types. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Peer- to- Peer Networking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Advantages of peer- to- peer networking? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Disadvantages of peer- to- peer networking?. . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Which operating systems can you use? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Summary of peer- to- peer networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Server- Based Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Having multiple servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Advantages of server- based networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Summary of server- based networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Network Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
File Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
File transfer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
File storage and migration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
File update synchronization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Archiving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Print Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Message Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Directory Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Application Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Database Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
CHAPTER
1
Basics of Networking

Differences Between LANs, MANs,

and WANs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Local Area Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Metropolitan Area Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Wide Area Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Key Point Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Applying What Youve Learned . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
About Chapter 1
W
elcom e t o t he f ir st chapt er of t he Net working Essent ials MCSE St udy Guide.
In t his chapt er I discuss t he basic com ponent s of net wor ks. You will lear n about
dif f er ent t ypes of net wor ks, including t he t hr ee net wor k m odels: cent r alized, collabor at ive,
and dist r ibut ed. You will lear n t he dif f er ences bet ween t hese m odels, including t he benef it s
and dr awbacks of each. I also explor e t he t wo t ypes of net wor ks: peer- t o- peer and ser ver
based. By t he end of t his chapt er, you will know t he r equir em ent s f or each net wor k t ype, as
well as when each t ype should be used. You will lear n t he dif f er ent ser vices pr ovided on t he
net wor k and t heir pur poses. At t he end of t he chapt er, I cover t he dif f er ences bet ween local
ar ea net wor ks (LANs), m et r opolit an ar ea net wor ks (MANs), and wide ar ea net wor ks (WANs).
Ther e ar e r eview quest ions along t he way and at t he end of t he chapt er t o reinf or ce what
you r ead.
Wh at I s Net wo r ki n g?
Comput er s ar e power ful t ools t hat enable user s t o st or e and pr ocess lar ge amount s
of dat a qu ickly. Pr act ically ever y bu sin ess, n o mat t er h ow small, u ses compu t er s
t o handle bookkeeping, t r ack invent or y, and st or e document s. As businesses gr ow,
t hey oft en need sever al people t o input and pr ocess dat a simult aneously. For t his
t o be ben eficial, t h ose people mu st be able t o sh ar e t h e dat a each per son en t er s.
Net wor king comput er s becomes beneficial in t his sit uat ion. Networks ar e simply
a gr oup of comput er s connect ed by cable or ot her media so t hey can shar e infor-
mat ion . Net wor ks made sh ar in g dat a mu ch easier an d mor e efficien t for u ser s.
Befor e net wor king, Sneaker net s, in which dat a is copied t o a floppy disk and car -
r ied t o an ot h er compu t er, wer e t h e on ly opt ion for sh ar in g dat a. Wh en t h e sys-
t ems ar e n et wor ked, u ser s ar e n ot on ly mor e pr odu ct ive becau se sever al people
can ent er dat a at t he same t ime, but t hey can also evaluat e and pr ocess t he shar ed
dat a. So, on e per son can h an dle accou n t s payable, an ot h er can h an dle accou n t s
r eceivable, and someone else pr ocesses t he pr ofit -and-loss st at ement s. When com-
panies combine specialized soft war e wit h a comput er net wor k, t hey can t r ack and
ut ilize infor mat ion t o help make t he business r un smoot hly.

Ch apt er 1: Basi cs of Net wor k i n g

User s n eed t o sh ar e r esou r ces ot h er t h an files, as well, a common example
being pr int er s. Pr int er s ar e ut ilized only a small per cent age of t he t ime; t her efor e,
companies dont want t o invest in a pr int er for each comput er. Swit ch boxes can
be used t o help a couple of comput er s shar e pr int er s but ar e impr act ical for most
bu sin ess sit u at ion s. Man y offices h ave sever al t ypes of pr in t er s t h at n eed t o be
shar ed by many user s. Net wor ks can be used in t his sit uat ion t o allow all t he user s
t o have access t o any of t he available pr int er s. Devices ot her t han pr int er s can also
be shar ed. In lar ge companies, net wor ks can become complex as mor e devices ar e
sh ar ed, bu t t h ey st ill ser ve t h e same pu r pose as t h e small n et wor k. Net wor ked
comput er s can shar e many t hings, including
Pr int er s
Fax devices
Elect r onic messages
Files and/or document s
Modems
Dat a
Messages
Figur e 1-1 shows comput er s set up t o shar e one pr int device.
FIGURE 1-1 Sharing a print device across the network
Laser Pr i nt er
6 Par t I: Th e Th eor et i cal Net wor k
While connect ing comput er s sounds simple and basic, doing so allows user s
t o do mu ch mor e t h an was or igin ally t h ou gh t possible. User s n o lon ger ar e lim-
it ed t o sh ar in g in for mat ion wit h t h eir officemat e. Th ey can sh ar e in for mat ion
t hr oughout t he building, t he cit y, t he count r y, and t he wor ld. This is possible due
t o t h e wide var iet y of opt ion s for con n ect in g n et wor ks. Some of t h ese opt ion s
include sat ellit es, laser s, and t elephone lines. This is most evident in t he Int er net .
Wit h t h e in cr eased popu lar it y of t h e In t er n et , u ser s n ot on ly gat h er an d sh ar e
infor mat ion wit h ot her user s in t heir company but also wit h t heir client s t hr ough-
out t he wor ld.
The first two chapters in the Theoretical Networking Essentials Part
contain many theor ies and high- level ideas. These theor ies and
ideas ar e impor tant as a star ting point to under standing mor e
complex networking technologies.
Network Considerations
Th er e ar e sever al t h in gs t o con sider wh en n et wor kin g compu t er s. Fir st , sharing
files is u sefu l on ly if ever yon e is wor kin g wit h t h e same ver sion of t h e file. For
example, a con st r u ct ion compan y may be wor kin g on an in voice for a cu st omer.
Over t ime, mor e it ems ar e added, and adjust ment s ar e made in t he cost s of each
it em. As changes ar e made t o t he invoice, it s impor t ant t hat t he most r ecent ver -
sion of t he invoice is being updat ed. If t he file is st or ed in mult iple locat ions, t her e
is a chance t hat t he user will not be wor king wit h t he most r ecent ver sion, and t he
invoice will not be accur at e.
Anot her consider at ion is fault tolerance. Ther e needs t o be an effect ive sys-
t em of backing up dat a. If a har d dr ive cr ashes or files become cor r upt , t her e needs
t o be a r ecent backup of t hose files available, or all t he wor k will be lost . You also
n eed t o con sider administration. Someon e n eeds t o be in ch ar ge of sh ar in g
r esour ces and managing secur it y. Whet her t he net wor k has centralized or distrib-
uted administ r at ion is det er mined by t he t ype of net wor k.
Network Components
Before you can learn t he t ypes of net works and t heir services, you need t o be familiar
wit h t he different part s of a net work. The following list explains some of t hese part s:
n o t e
;
Ch apt er 1: Basi cs of Net wor k i n g
Server: Power ful comput er t hat pr ovides ser vices t o t he ot her comput er s
on t he net wor k.
Client: Comput er t hat uses t he ser vices t hat a ser ver pr ovides. The client is
usually less power ful t han t he ser ver.
Peer: A comput er t hat act s as bot h a client and a ser ver.
Media: Physical connect ion bet ween t he devices on a net wor k.
Resour ces: Anyt hing available t o a client on a net wor k is consider ed a
r esour ce. Pr int er s, dat a, fax devices, and ot her net wor ked devices and
infor mat ion ar e r esour ces.
User: Any per son t hat uses a client t o access r esour ces on t he net wor k.
Protocol: Pr ot ocols ar e wr it t en r ules used for communicat ions. They ar e
t he languages t hat comput er s use t o t alk t o each ot her over a net wor k.
Figur e 1-2 shows t he common component s on a net wor k.
FIGURE 1-2 Common network components
Th ese compon en t s can be set u p so t h e n et wor k oper at es in differ en t ways,
depen din g on wh at you n eed t o pr ovide for you r u ser s an d h ow t h ey access it .
Th er e ar e a few differ en t n et wor kin g models t h at defin e t h e var iou s set u ps for
shar ing and accessing dat a on a net wor k.
Ser ver C l i ent C l i ent
C l i ent
M edi a
Reso ur ce
C l i ent
8 Par t I: Th e Th eor et i cal Net wor k
Net wo r ki n g M o d el s
Network models descr ibe how infor mat ion is pr ocessed by t he comput er s on t he
net wor k. Dat a can be pr ocessed by client s, by a cent r al ser ver, or by ever yone. The
best ser ver model for your needs is gener ally det er mined by t he applicat ions you
need t o r un.
This sect ion explains t he differ ent net wor k models, as well as which ser vices
t hey offer. You will lear n when and why t he differ ent models ar e used.
Ther e ar e t hr ee basic models of net wor ks.
Cent r alized
Collabor at ed
Dist r ibut ed
Centralized Computing
The fir st comput er s wer e lar ge mainfr ames. They wer e t oo lar ge and expensive for
ever yon e t o own . Th ey wer e also n ot n et wor ked as most compu t er s ar e t oday.
Tasks wer e sen t t o t h em for pr ocessin g, an d t h e r esu lt s wer e pr in t ed ou t . Lat er,
t er min als t h at let u ser s en t er dat a an d see r esu lt s qu icker wer e added, bu t t h ey
wer e just input /out put st at ions. Ter minals did no pr ocessing of t heir own; ever y-
t h in g was don e on t h e main fr ame. Th ese ear ly cen t r alized n et wor ks gave u ser s
t he abilit y t o access t he mainfr ame fr om a r emot e locat ion.
Centralized networks ar e u sed t oday for a var iet y of r eason s. Th is t ype of
compu t in g keeps all t h e dat a in on e locat ion , assu r in g t h at ever yon e is wor kin g
wit h t he same infor mat ion. It is also easy t o back up dat a, since it is all st or ed on
t h e ser ver ; t h e ser ver s ar e t h e on ly syst ems t h at n eed t o be backed u p. Th is also
means t hat t he ser ver s ar e also t he only syst ems t hat need t o be secur ed, because
t he t er minals have no dat a. And because ever yt hing is done on t he ser ver, t er mi-
nals do not r equir e a floppy dr ive so t he chances of t he net wor k being infect ed
wit h a vir us ar e low. This t ype of net wor k also cost s less over all because, alt hough
t he ser ver s need t o be power ful syst ems wit h a lot of st or age space, t he t er minals
ar e in expen sive becau se t h ey r equ ir e n o r eal pr ocessin g or st or age capabilit y of
t heir own.
q
Ch apt er 1: Basi cs of Net wor k i n g
You may not r ealize it, but you use a centr alized networ k all the
time. Bank ATM s r un over a centr alized networ k. They ar e the
clients and the large computers at the banks are the central server.
These ATM s use many common networking standards and proto-
cols to operate, as well.
Th is t ype of n et wor k h as disadvan t ages, as well. Becau se t h e compu t in g is
done by t he ser ver, t his t ype of net wor k can be somewhat slow. In addit ion, if t he
user s have a var iet y of needs, meet ing t hese needs in a cent r alized comput ing net -
wor k can be difficult because each user s applicat ions and r esour ces have t o be set
up separ at ely, and it s no longer efficient t o have t hem oper at e fr om t he same cen-
t r alized ser ver. Also, connect ivit y can become a lar ge pr oblem on cent r alized net -
wor ks, since all user s must connect t o one cent r al sit e. Due t o t hese limit at ions,
most net wor ks t oday ar e based on eit her t he dist r ibut ed or collabor at ive net wor k
comput ing model (discussed lat er in t his chapt er ).
To do well on the Networking Essentials exam, you should know the
advantages and disadvantages of the centralized computing model.
They are listed here to help you quickly review them.
Advantages of centralized computing:
Ease of backup.
Security.
Low cost.
Disadvantages of centralized computing:
Slow network access.
Fewer options.
Distributed Computing
The popular it y of per sonal comput er s enabled pr ocessing power t o be dist r ibut ed
t o all compu t er s on a n et wor k. Un like cen t r alized compu t in g, wh er e all wor k is
done on t he ser ver, dat a st or age and pr ocessing is done on t he local wor kst at ion in
a distributed network. Th is allows for fast er access t o dat a. Becau se each com-
pu t er can st or e an d pr ocess dat a, t h e ser ver s do n ot n eed t o be as power fu l an d
expensive. This t ype of net wor k accommodat es user s wit h a var iet y of needs, yet it
exam
p rep arat i o n
p o i n t er
n o t e
o Par t I: Th e Th eor et i cal Net wor k
allows t h em t o sh ar e dat a, r esou r ces, an d ser vices. Th e compu t er s u sed in
dist r ibut ed comput ing ar e capable of wor king as st and alone syst ems but ar e net -
wor ked t oget her for incr eased funct ionalit y.
This t ype of syst em has many benefit s, but it also has some dr awbacks. A dis-
t r ibut ed net wor k is mor e suscept ible t o vir uses, because any user could int r oduce
an in fect ed file an d spr ead a vir u s t h r ou gh ou t t h e n et wor k. Also, developin g an
effect ive backu p plan is mor e difficu lt if u ser s st or e dat a on t h eir in dividu al sys-
t ems in st ead of keepin g it all on a cen t r al syst em. Th is can also cau se u ser s t o
wor k wit h differ ent ver sions of t he same file.
Dist r ibut ed comput ing is t he opposit e of cent r alized comput ing; t he advan-
t ages of dist r ibut ed comput ing solve t he disadvant ages of cent r alized comput ing.
However, t he advant ages of cent r alized comput ing ar e oft en lacking in dist r ibut ed
net wor ks. Dist r ibut ed comput ing is t he pr efer r ed choice as many companies move
fr om mainfr ames t o int elligent deskt ops.
For the exam, you should know the advantages and disadvantages
of the distributed computing model so you can compare them to
the other models. They ar e listed her e so you can r eview them
quickly.
Advantages of distributed computing:
Qui ck a ccess. Each computer can store and process its own
data. M oving these tasks from the server to the workstation
allows for quicker access to data.
M ul ti pl e uses. With each workstation handling its own
processing of data, users can be doing many types of work
simultaneously.
Disadvantages of distributed computing:
Vi r us suscepti bi l i ty. Any user can introduce an infected file,
which may quickly spread throughout the network.
Ba ck up di ffi cul ty. I f data is spread throughout the network, it
can be difficult to back up all needed files.
Fi l e synchr oni za ti on. When files are stored in several locations,
making sure all users are working with the same version can be
difficult.
exam
p rep arat i o n
p o i n t er

Ch apt er 1: Basi cs of Net wor k i n g

Collaborative Computing
Collaborative computing allows compu t er s t o sh ar e pr ocessin g power acr oss a
net wor k. Applicat ions can be wr it t en t o use t he pr ocessing on ot her comput er s t o
complet e jobs mor e quickly. This t ype of net wor k can be fast er because user s ar e
n ot limit ed t o t h e pr ocessin g power of on e syst em t o complet e t asks. Aside fr om
t he abilit y t o pr ocess t asks on mult iple syst ems, t his t ype of net wor k is similar t o
dist r ibut ed comput ing in it s abilit y t o shar e r esour ces and dat a.
Th is liken ess in t r odu ces man y of t h e same advan t ages as dist r ibu t ed com-
put ing net wor ks. A var iet y of user s can be accommodat ed on a collabor at ive net -
wor k. Th is t ype of n et wor k also h as man y of t h e same dr awbacks as dist r ibu t ed
n et wor ks. For example vir u ses can be qu ickly spr ead t h r ou gh ou t t h e n et wor k.
Because dat a can be st or ed t hr oughout t he net wor k, backing up all impor t ant dat a
can be difficult . File synchr onizat ion is also an issue, wit h sever al copies of a file
st or ed t hr oughout t he net wor k.
I f you would like to try out the power of collaborative computing, a
couple of inter esting pr ojects ar e cur r ently going on over the
I nternet. The first is an effort to show the inadequacies of todays
encr yption. The largest site for this project is home to the Bovine
group at http://rc5.distributed.net.
The other interesting project that should star t some time in early-
to mid- 1998 is SETI@HOME. This is a project to help the Search for
Exraterrestrial I ntelligence (SETI ) organization search for intelligent
life in the univer se. I nfor mation can be found at http://www.
bigscience.com/setiathome.html.
For the exam, you should know the advantages and disadvantages
of the collaborative computing model so you can compare them to
the other models. They ar e listed her e so you can r eview them
quickly.
Advantages of collaborative computing:
Extremely fast
M ultiple uses
Disadvantages of collaborative computing:
Susceptible to viruses
exam
p rep arat i o n
p o i n t er
web l i n k s
Par t I: Th e Th eor et i cal Net wor k
Difficult to back up
File synchronization
Di f f er en t Net wo r k Types
Compu t er n et wor ks can con sist of t wo differ en t t ypes: server-based an d peer-to-
peer. A ser ver-based n et wor k is t h e t ype t h at t ypically comes t o min d wh en on e
men t ion s n et wor ks. Th ese n et wor ks con sist of clien t s t h at make r equ est s t o a
ser ver. Th e ot h er t ype of n et wor k is peer-t o-peer. In t h is t ype of n et wor k, each
machine can act as bot h a client and a ser ver, r equest ing and pr oviding r esour ces.
In fact , most net wor ks consist of a combinat ion of t he t wo t ypes.
Peer- to- Peer Networking
The simplest for m of net wor king is peer-t o-peer. In a peer-to-peer network, each
wor kst at ion act s as bot h a clien t an d a ser ver. Th er e is n o cen t r al r eposit or y for
infor mat ion and no cent r al ser ver t o maint ain. Dat a and r esour ces ar e dist r ibut ed
t h r ou gh ou t t h e n et wor k, an d each u ser is r espon sible for sh ar in g dat a an d
r esou r ces con n ect ed t o t h eir syst em. Figu r e 1-3 sh ows a peer-t o-peer n et wor k
wit h shar ed r esour ces.
FIGURE 1-3 A peer- to- peer network, where each computer serves as both the
client and the server and there is no central server
C l i ent C l i ent
Shar ed pr i nt er
C l i ent
Shar ed
dat a
Shar ed
dat a
D at a
D at a

Ch apt er 1: Basi cs of Net wor k i n g

I f you would like to set up a small network at home, you can read
Appendix E for instructions. Appendix E covers the installation of a
small peer- to- peer network.
Adva nta ges of peer - to- peer netw or k i ng?
While peer-t o-peer net wor ks may not always be t he best choice, t hey do have t heir
place and advant ages. Small, inexpensive net wor ks can be easily set up using peer-
t o-peer syst ems.
The peer-t o-peer net wor k model wor ks well for small office net wor ks. Once
your net wor k has r eached about t en client s, it can become t oo har d t o maint ain.
This t ype of net wor k is common in home net wor ks and is t ypically t he t ype of net -
wor k most bu sin esses u se wh en t h ey make t h e decision t o sh ar e r esou r ces an d
connect t heir individual syst ems.
Since t he peer-t o-peer model does not need a power ful dedicat ed ser ver, it is
usually t he cheapest t ype of net wor k t o inst all. All t hat is needed t o connect sev-
er al in dividu al syst ems an d cr eat e a peer-t o-peer n et wor k ar e n et wor k adapt er s,
cable or ot her t r ansmission media, and t he oper at ing syst em.
D i sa dva nta ges of peer - to- peer netw or k i ng?
The gener al r ule is t o st op using peer-t o-peer net wor king once your t ot al number
of client s r eaches about t en. Consider t he pr oblem of having t went y-five user s on
a peer-t o-peer net wor k shar ing and updat ing document s. Befor e long, you would
have people wit h differ ent r evisions of t he document s on differ ent client comput -
er s. Also, t hink of t he issues you would r un int o when set t ing up t he t went y-sixt h
clien t on t h e n et wor k if you h ad t o get in for mat ion fr om t h e ot h er clien t s. You
wou ld be con n ect in g t h at clien t t o on e clien t for you r pr in t er, an ot h er for docu-
men t s, a t h ir d for t h e fax device, an d so on . If t h e n et wor k h ad a cen t r al ser ver,
you would only need t o get infor mat ion fr om one sour ce.
Tr aining is also difficult when you have a lar ge number of client s. If you use
peer-t o-peer net wor king, your user s need t o be t r ained on how t o shar e r esour ces.
Each user is r esponsible for act ing as administ r at or of t heir syst ems. This can be a
confusing t ask for many user s, who have ot her r esponsibilit ies, as well.
Secur it y in a peer-t o-peer net wor k becomes difficult t o maint ain. User s need
t o know how t o secur e t heir own r esour ces. Because t her e is no cent r al adminis-
t r at ion , it is t h e u ser s r espon sibilit y t o en su r e t h at on ly au t h or ized u ser s can
access t h eir dat a. Th e u ser s t h emselves h an dle sh ar in g ou t t h e dat a as well as
co n cep t l i n k
j Par t I: Th e Th eor et i cal Net wor k
set t ing any per missions t hat may be needed. Most peer-t o-peer secur it y consist s of
a single passwor d for each r esour ce; t his is known as share-level security. Shar e-
level secur it y r equir es a user t o know t he passwor d for a r esour ce befor e it can be
accessed. User s usually need access t o a var iet y of r esour ces, and t hey oft en must
r emember a differ ent passwor d for each r esour ce. If an unaut hor ized per son gains
possession of t h e r esou r ce passwor d, you mu st ch an ge it an d t h en t ell all t h e
aut hor ized user s t he new passwor d.
On the Networking Essentials exam, you will get questions concern-
ing when to use peer- to- peer networking. The two keys to answer-
ing those questions usually have to do with the current or projected
network size, and security.
I f the question states ther e ar e fewer than ten computer s on the
networ k, then peer - to- peer is a good choice. Be sur e to keep in
mind the projected growth if that information is given to you. I f a
network in an exam question needs share- level security, then peer-
to- peer should be used.
W hi ch oper a ti ng systems ca n you use?
A number of oper at ing syst ems suppor t peer-t o-peer net wor king. Some oper at ing
syst ems have t his capabilit y built -in, while ot her s can have t he capabilit y added.
The following oper at ing syst ems have peer-t o-peer net wor king built -in:
Windows 95
Windows for Wor kgr oups
Windows NT Wor kst at ion
OS/2
For most oper at in g syst ems wit h ou t t h is capabilit y, su ch as Win dows an d
MS-DOS, you can add soft war e such as Net War e Lit e or LANt ast ic.
Summa r y of peer - to- peer netw or k s
Peer n et wor ks can be an excellen t ch oice for a small office n et wor k wh er e u ser s
keep t heir dat a on t heir own local wor kst at ions. This allows t hem t o handle t heir
own secur it y and bypass t he need for a lar ge and expensive ser ver. The absence of
an expen sive ser ver, as well as t h e bu ilt -in peer-t o-peer n et wor kin g capabilit ies
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Ch apt er 1: Basi cs of Net wor k i n g

most cur r ent oper at ing syst ems, keeps t he t ot al cost low, gr eat ly helping a small
office net wor k t hat is just st ar t ing.
The abilit y for user s t o manage t heir own secur it y is also one of peer-t o-peer
n et wor kin gs biggest disadvan t ages. Sin ce t h e n et wor k dat a is spr ead amon g all
t he wor kst at ions, it can somet imes be har d t o t r ack down. This hinder s backups,
as well as keepin g a sin gle cu r r en t copy of t h e dat a. User s can become con fu sed
wit hout a cent r al dat a r eposit or y.
For the Networking Essentials exam, you should know the advan-
tages and disadvantages of peer- to- peer networks. This list should
help you quickly review each of them.
Advantages of peer- to- peer networks:
I nexpensive
Easy setup
Easy maintenance
Disadvantages of peer- to- peer networks:
No central administration
Scattered data
Difficult- to- locate resources
Weak security
Dependent on user training
Server- Based Networks
When a net wor k comes t o mind, most people t hink of t he server-based network.
In a ser ver-based n et wor k, you h ave on e compu t er u su ally lar ger t h an t h e
clien t s, wh ich is dedicat ed t o h an din g ou t files an d/or in for mat ion t o clien t s.
Figur e 1-4 illust r at es t he configur at ion of a ser ver-based net wor k. The ser ver con-
t r ols t h e dat a, as well as pr in t er s an d ot h er r esou r ces t h e clien t s n eed t o access.
Th e ser ver is n ot on ly a fast er compu t er wit h a bet t er pr ocessor, bu t it also
r equir es much mor e st or age space t o cont ain all t he dat a t hat needs t o be shar ed
t o t h e clien t s. Havin g t h ese t asks h an dled by t h e ser ver allows t h e clien t s t o be
less power ful because t hey only r equest r esour ces.
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6 Par t I: Th e Th eor et i cal Net wor k
FIGURE 1-4 A server- based network with a few clients and two main servers
Since t he ser ver is dedicat ed t o handing out files and/or infor mat ion, it can-
n ot be u sed as a wor kst at ion . It s pu r pose is st r ict ly t o pr ovide ser vices t o ot h er
comput er s, not t o r equest ser vices. Ser ver s ar e opt imized t o hand out infor mat ion
as fast as possible.
H a vi ng mul ti pl e ser ver s
As you r n et wor k gr ows, you will pr obably come t o n eed mor e t h an ju st a sin gle
ser ver t o handle all t he r equest s fr om client s. You may also need t o have differ ent
ser ver s t o handle differ ent t asks.
The t wo main t ypes of dedicat ed ser ver s ar e t he file and print server and t he
application server. Specialized servers ar e also used.
File and pr int ser ver s
Th ese ser ver s ar e opt imized t o h an d ou t files t o clien t s an d t o h an dle pr in t in g
r equest s. They ar e mainly used t o st or e dat a and applicat ions. When a client r uns
an applicat ion fr om a file and pr int ser ver, it copies t he needed files down locally
and r uns t he applicat ion (all in t he backgr ound). No applicat ion pr ocessing is done
on t he ser ver ; ever yt hing is done locally on t he client . One example of a file ser ver
is a ser ver wit h t h e in st allat ion code for all t h e applicat ion s t h e u ser s n eed. Th e
user s can access t he inst allat ion files st or ed on t he file ser ver, but t he r unning of
t hese files and t he inst allat ion of t he applicat ions occur on t he user s comput er s.
Fi l e ser ver C l i ent
C l i ent M ai l ser ver
C l i ent
;
Ch apt er 1: Basi cs of Net wor k i n g
This way, an administ r at or only needs t o updat e t he files on t he ser ver t o upgr ade
an applicat ion.
Application ser ver s
Applicat ion ser ver s ar e almost opposit e of file an d pr in t ser ver s. Th e applicat ion
t h e clien t r u n s is st or ed on t h e clien t . Requ est s ar e t h en sen t t o t h e ser ver t o be
pr ocessed, and t he pr ocessed infor mat ion is sent back t o t he client . This way, lit t le
infor mat ion is pr ocessed by t he client , and ever yt hing is done by t he ser ver.
A good example of t his is a dat abase applicat ion wit h a fr ont -end on t he client .
A front-end is a small applicat ion t hat r uns on a client and sends and r eceives infor -
mat ion t o an d fr om t h e ser ver. Th e fr on t -en d act s main ly as an in t er face t o t h e
dat abase st or ed on t he ser ver. When a user at t he client needs infor mat ion fr om t he
dat abase, an inst r uct ion is sent fr om t he client t o t he ser ver t elling it t o sear ch for
t hat infor mat ion. The ser ver t hen sor t s t hr ough t he dat abase, locat es t he infor ma-
t ion t hat was r equest ed, and sends t he answer back t o t he client . Lit t le was done by
t he client , and almost all t he pr ocessing was done by t he ser ver.
Specialized ser ver s
You may also have ser ver s t hat have a single specialized pur pose. Some examples
of t his ar e:
Mail ser ver s: These ar e ser ver s specifically set up t o handle client s e-mail
needs. Some e-mail syst ems ar e capable of r unning fr om a st andar d file
ser ver, but as t hey incr easingly suppor t gr oupwar e and ot her applicat ions,
t hey need mor e har dwar e. The easiest solut ion is t o place t he e-mail ser ver
applicat ions on t heir own file ser ver.
Com m unicat ions ser ver s: Communicat ions ser ver s ar e set up t o handle
r emot e user s dialing int o your net wor k. The communicat ions ser ver
applicat ions ar e nor mally put on a separ at e ser ver for secur it y. It is much
easier t o secur e a ser ver t hat only does one t hing t han t r y t o secur e a
ser ver t hat int er nal user s also access.
Adva nta ges of ser ver - ba sed netw or k s
If your net wor k has mor e t han t en t o fift een client s, you should r eally consider a
ser ver-based n et wor k. Wit h a n et wor k of t h is size, a peer-t o-peer n et wor k wou ld
be almost impossible t o manage over t ime.
8 Par t I: Th e Th eor et i cal Net wor k
Wit h a ser ver-based net wor k, you only need t o have your client s connect t o
on e or a few ser ver s t o get t h e r esou r ces t h ey n eed. Th is h elps main t ain a syn-
chr onized file set t hat ever yone wor ks fr om inst ead of each user wor king wit h t he
copy t hat is st or ed on t heir local comput er.
Secur it y is also much easier t o manage in a ser ver-based net wor k. Since you
only need t o cr eat e and maint ain account s on t he ser ver inst ead of ever y wor kst a-
t ion, you can assign r ight s t o r esour ces easily. Access t o r esour ces can be gr ant ed
t o u ser accou n t s. Th is is mu ch mor e secu r e t h an peer-t o-peer, in wh ich a sin gle
passwor d is u sed by ever yon e wh o accesses t h e r esou r ce. Specific u ser s can be
gr ant ed access t o r esour ces using t heir account on t he ser ver. This t ype of secur it y
is known as user-level security. Since t he ser ver on t he net wor k act s as t he cent r al
r eposit or y for almost all you r in for mat ion , you on ly n eed t o per for m backu ps t o
t h e ser ver. You can also r eplicat e t h is in for mat ion t o ot h er ser ver s on you r n et -
wor k easily in case on e ser ver sh ou ld go down . Usin g r eplicat ion t ools on t h e
ser ver is an effect ive way t o synchr onize files. These t ools copy t he most cur r ent
ver sion t o ot her ser ver s so t hose user s ar e wor king fr om t he same ver sion and not
many differ ent ver sions of t he same file.
This t ype of net wor k can also be quit e cost efficient . Wit h t he ser ver st or ing
almost all of t he infor mat ion on your net wor k, you do not need lar ge har d dr ives
on t he client comput er s. You also do not need ext r a RAM and pr ocessing power on
your client s t o pr ovide ser ver funct ions. This can help offset t he pr ice of t he ser ver
because each client comput er can be a less power ful, less expensive syst em.
The exam questions on server- based networks go along with the
ones on peer - to- peer networ ks. Usually it is an either / or type of
question.
The keys to knowing if the answer has to do with server- based net-
working are the opposite of peer- to- peer. I f the network requires
user - level secur ity, or has mor e than ten clients, it should be a
server- based network.
Another clue might be if the proposed network does or does not
have a central server. Remember that server- based networks must
have a lar ge centr al ser ver with a ser ver oper ating system of
Windows NT or Novells NetWar e. I f ever y computer on the net-
work only has Windows 95, the only option is peer- to- peer.
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Ch apt er 1: Basi cs of Net wor k i n g
Summa r y of ser ver - ba sed netw or k s
Ser ver-based net wor ks ar e t he most popular net wor k t ype t oday, due t o t he ease of
accessin g an d backin g u p dat a. Wh ile t h ey ar e mor e expen sive t h an peer-t o-peer
n et wor ks, t h e admin ist r at ion can be gr eat ly r edu ced sin ce t h e dat a is n ot spr ead
acr oss t h eir en t ir e n et wor k. Secu r it y is easily main t ain ed sin ce a u ser n or mally
h as an accou n t on t h e cen t r al ser ver t o wh ich t h eir access is t ied. Th is way, an
administ r at or can gr ant or deny access t o one single account per user inst ead of
h avin g t o give each u ser an accou n t on ever yon es wor kst at ion , as in a peer-t o-
peer net wor k.
Ther e ar e few disadvant ages t o a ser ver-based net wor k. The t wo main disad-
van t ages ar e t h e r equ ir emen t of a ser ver an d a dedicat ed admin ist r at or. Ser ver s
can be expen sive wh en compar ed t o a n or mal wor kst at ion , bu t t h ey also u su ally
have feat ur es t o help it handle client r equest s bet t er. Since user s no longer main-
t ain t h eir own dat a an d secu r it y, an admin ist r at or mu st be in volved t o main t ain
t he net wor k.
For the Networking Essentials exam, you should know the advan-
tages and disadvantages of server- based networks. This list should
help you quickly review each of them.
Advantages of server- based networks:
Centralized security
Dedicated servers
Easy accessibility
Easy backup
Synchronized files
Disadvantages of server- based networks:
Dependent on an administrator
Expensive server
Net wo r k Ser v i ces
What good would a net wor k be if it did not pr ovide ser vices t o t he user ? Net wor ks
ar e meant t o make us mor e pr oduct ive by pr oviding ser vices t o make us mor e effi-
cient . Some common ser vices ar e
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o Par t I: Th e Th eor et i cal Net wor k
File ser vices
Pr int ser vices
Message ser vices
Dir ect or y ser vices
Applicat ion ser vices
File Services
Th e pr imar y r eason for n et wor kin g compu t er s is for t h e file ser vices t h at a n et -
wor k can pr ovide. In st ead of h avin g t o copy files t o a floppy disk, u ser s can n ow
easily and seamlessly shar e files.
The following jobs use file ser vices:
File t r ansfer
File st or age and migr at ion
File updat e synchr onizat ion
Ar chiving
Fi l e tr a nsfer
Tr ansfer r ing files elect r onically is t he simplest and most common ser vice on t he
net wor k. The abilit y t o shar e files and infor mat ion acr oss a net wor k allows user s
t o sh ar e an y in for mat ion t h ey n eed an d make t h em mor e pr odu ct ive t h an ever.
This ser vice becomes even mor e impor t ant over gr eat dist ances. Ther e ar e ot her
ways t o sh ar e files, su ch as copyin g files t o a r emovable st or age device su ch as a
floppy or a Zip dr ive, bu t t h ese met h ods ar e on ly possible wh en all t h e u ser s ar e
locat ed in t he same office. When user s ar e spr ead t hr oughout t he count r y and t he
wor ld, t his is not an opt ion. Reliable file t r ansfer acr oss t he net wor k t hen becomes
a mor e not iceably impor t ant net wor k ser vice.
The need for secur it y also becomes evident wit h t his ser vice. It is impor t ant
t hat only aut hor ized user s access files. Met hods such as access r ight s, passwor ds,
and encr ypt ion ar e used t o keep unaut hor ized people fr om accessing infor mat ion.
Fi l e stor a ge a nd mi gr a ti on
Dat a can be st or ed on man y differ en t media, su ch as h ar d disks, CD-ROMs, an d
magn et ic t ape. Dat a is said t o be st or ed online, offline, or near-line, depen din g
upon t he media on which it s st or ed.

Ch apt er 1: Basi cs of Net wor k i n g

Online dat a is st or ed infor mat ion t hat s r eadily available on a ser ver. Cent r al
dat a st or age on a ser ver is one of t he pr imar y uses of a net wor k. User s can access
t his dat a at any t ime inst ant ly. The devices most commonly used for online st or age
ar e har d dr ives. Har d dr ives pr ovide quick access t o dat a allowing it t o be accessed
almost inst ant ly. The main limit at ion of har d dr ives is t heir cost . Alt hough dr ives
ar e cont inuously being developed in lar ger sizes and pr ice cont inues t o dr op, t he
cost of har d dr ives is st ill gr eat er t han ot her t ypes of st or age media.
Since you may not want t o keep all your dat a online at all t imes due t o cost ,
you can migr at e it offline. Har d disks ar e fast but can get expensive if you plan t o
keep many files t hat ar e r ar ely accessed. A common way t o migr at e dat a offline is
t o put it on magnet ic t ape so t hat it can be loaded back if needed. Offline st or age
devices pr ovide a low-cost solut ion t o st or ing dat a. Unfor t unat ely, t his dat a st or -
age met h od does n ot pr ovide easy access. Offlin e st or age is u sed pr imar ily t o
ar chive and back up dat a.
Suppose you need t o keep a lar ge amount of dat a available t o user s, but can-
not affor d t o buy t he necessar y amount of space on har d disks. Near-line st or age is
a way t o keep dat a migr at ed off expensive har d disks but close enough t o let user s
access it . This may be done by using such t hings as jukeboxes wit h lar ge number s
of t apes or opt ical disks. They can aut omat ically put t he needed dat a back online
fair ly quickly. Near-line st or age is mor e convenient because it r equir es lit t le int er -
vent ion fr om t he administ r at or.
Dat a is migrated when it is moved fr om one for m of st or age t o anot her. Most
n et wor k oper at in g syst ems h ave at least a simple backu p pr ogr am in clu ded.
However, most companies pr efer a t hir d-par t y pr oduct t hat has mor e feat ur es and
capabilit ies. The administ r at or can choose t he cr it er ia for migr at ion.
Fi l e upda te synchr oni za ti on
Th is n et wor k ser vice keeps t r ack of differ en t ver sion s of t h e same file. If t wo
client s open a file at t he same t ime and t hen t r y t o save t he changes t hat each have
made, one file will over wr it e t he ot her. File update synchronization t r ies t o coor -
din at e t h ese ch an ges. Th is can be a difficu lt t ask, wh ich r equ ir es t h e soft war e t o
know which changes ar e most cur r ent and complet e. Sever al t hir d-par t y applica-
t ions t r y t o accomplish t his t ask. At t his t ime, however, user s ar e mer ely aler t ed t o
most pr oblems becau se t h e soft war e is n ot capable of det er min in g wh ich file is
cor r ect .
Par t I: Th e Th eor et i cal Net wor k
Ar chi vi ng
Archiving is t h e pr ocesses of backin g u p dat a in case of a h ar d disk failu r e. Th is
impor t an t t ask mu st n ot be over looked. Wit h ou t a well-design ed backu p plan ,
t h er e is t h e pot en t ial of losin g impor t an t dat a t h at can be difficu lt t o r epr odu ce.
Man y t ypes of h ar dwar e an d soft war e simplify t h is t ask for t h e admin ist r at or.
Sever al machines, bot h client s and ser ver s, can be backed up using t he same har d-
war e an d soft war e fr om on e locat ion . Usin g t h is soft war e an d h ar dwar e, t h e
admin ist r at or can sch edu le all compu t er s on t h e n et wor k t o be backed u p fr om
one locat ion at scheduled int er vals.
Print Services
Anot her major ser vice t hat net wor ks pr ovide is t he abilit y t o shar e pr int devices.
Befor e n et wor ks, u ser s h ad t o h ave t h eir own pr in t er at t ach ed t o t h eir wor kst a-
t ion. This was cost ly, especially if a user needed t o pr int mult iple t ypes of for ms or
paper, since t hey would need a differ ent pr int er for each. Wit h net wor k pr int ser-
vices, companies need only buy small number s of pr int er s and shar e t hem among
all t heir user s.
Ot h er feat u r es of pr in t ser vices ar e queue-based printing an d fax services.
Qu eu e-based pr in t in g allows a clien t s applicat ion t o spool t h e pr in t job off t o a
net wor k ser ver so t he applicat ion t hinks t he job has pr int ed and let s t he user con-
t inue t o wor k. While t he user cont inues t o wor k, t he net wor k ser ver handles send-
ing t he pr int job t o t he pr int device. Pr int queues can be given differ ent pr ior it ies.
This enables user s t o pr int mor e-impor t ant document s quickly while lower pr ior -
it y jobs wait .
M essage Services
Message services allow for e-mails wit h at t achment files. Many people have come
t o r ely on e-mail at t ach men t s as a way of t r an sfer r in g in for mat ion , so message
ser vices have become a necessit y on most net wor ks. E-mail is no longer just send-
ing t ext messages back and for t h over a net wor k. You can now send video, sound,
docu men t s, an d almost an y ot h er t ype of dat a. Gr ou pwar e applicat ion s t h at u se
e-mail as t h eir con n ect ion backbon e ar e also becomin g popu lar. Th ese en able
user s t o shar e calendar s and scheduling infor mat ion as well.

Ch apt er 1: Basi cs of Net wor k i n g

Directory Services
One of t he newest ser vices on t he net wor king scene is directory services. Dir ect or y
ser vices let you maint ain infor mat ion about all of t he objects in your net wor k. An
object is anyt hing you can st or e infor mat ion about , such as user s, pr int er s, shar ed
r esour ces, ser ver s, and so on.
Befor e dir ect or y ser vices wer e popular, you had t o keep separ at e configur a-
t ion in for mat ion abou t u ser s on each file ser ver. If a u ser wan t ed t o con n ect t o
r esou r ces on mu lt iple ser ver s, t h ey n eeded an accou n t on each on e. Wit h dir ec-
t or y ser vices, you on ly cr eat e on e u ser accou n t object for t h at u ser. Each of t h e
ser ver s see t h at object , an d you can t h en assign r esou r ce r igh t s t o t h at u ser
account .
Th e act u al dir ect or y in for mat ion is st or ed in files on t h e ser ver, wh ich ar e
u su ally h idden . Th e n et wor k oper at in g syst ems t h at su ppor t dir ect or y ser vices
have pr edefined met hods t o shar e and updat e t his infor mat ion.
Application Services
As you r emember, we discu ssed clien t /ser ver n et wor ks ear lier in t h e ch apt er.
Application services ar e basically a clien t /ser ver pr ocess. Th e ser ver is pr ovidin g
t he applicat ion ser vice.
Nor mally wit h applicat ion ser vices, a small applicat ion is loaded on t he client
compu t er s, an d t h e main applicat ion an d dat a is loaded on t h e ser ver. Th e small
applicat ion on t he client is usually just a fr ont -end t o give t he user an int er face. It
does n o pr ocessin g of it s own . Th e clien t applicat ion sen ds qu er ies t o t h e ser ver
and let s it do t he pr ocessing. The ser ver t hen r et ur ns t he r equest ed infor mat ion.
The application the customer support staff at my company employs
uses application services. We load a small front- end application on
our workstations that we use to query the main database server.
When we need information about a support ticket, we enter the ticket
number into the front- end, which in turn sends it to the database
server. The database server looks up the ticket and returns the infor-
mation about it. No processing is done on the local workstation.
i n t h e
real wo rl d
j Par t I: Th e Th eor et i cal Net wor k
Database Services
One major consider at ion of a net wor ked dat abase is t he coor dinat ion of mult iple
ch an ges. All or par t of t h e dat abases may also be r eplicat ed t o ot h er ser ver s on a
n et wor k t o dist r ibu t e t h e load. It can be mor e efficien t t o h ave por t ion s of t h e
dat abase in t he same r egional locat ion as t he user s who access it . When using dis-
t r ibut ed dat a, t he dat abase appear s t o be a single dat abase t o t he user s. Replicat ing
t h e dat abase t o ot h er ser ver s can also ser ve as a for m of backu p. Th e dat abase is
n ot depen den t on on e par t icu lar ser ver. Dat abase ser vices ar e r espon sible for
updat ing r eplicat ed dat abases and keeping t hem cur r ent .
Di f f er en ces Bet ween LANs, M ANs,
an d WANs
A net wor k is no longer just a gr oup of comput er s in one office or even one lar ge
bu ildin g. Net wor ks ar e con st an t ly bein g con n ect ed t o each ot h er t o for m lar ger
internets (n ot t o be con fu sed wit h t h e popu lar In t er n et ). An in t er n et is a lar ge
net wor k made up of connect ed smaller net wor ks.
The sizes of net wor ks ar e gener ally cat egor ized int o t hr ee differ ent gr oups:
local ar ea net wor ks (LAN), met r opolit an ar ea net wor ks (MAN), and wide ar ea net -
wor ks (WAN).
Local Area Networks
The smallest net wor k size is a local area network, or LAN. LANs ar e nor mally con-
t ained in a building or small gr oup of buildings. Some char act er ist ics of a LAN ar e
high speed, small er r or count s, and inexpensive pr ice. Figur e 1-5 shows comput -
er s set up on a LAN.
Since LANs ar e cont ained in small ar eas, high-speed cable can be used. Also,
since t he media inst alled is usually high qualit y, few t o no er r or s ar e gener at ed on
t he net wor k. Pr ices of LAN equipment ar e fair ly cheap. Net wor k car ds for individ-
ual comput er s can be found for as lit t le as $30 each.

Ch apt er 1: Basi cs of Net wor k i n g

FIGURE 1-5 A small, one- office local area network
M etropolitan Area Networks
A metropolitan area network, or MAN, is a gr ou p of LANs locat ed in a cit y. For
example, if a college had campuses wit h net wor ks at each spr ead over t he major it y
of a cit y, t hey could be connect ed t hem t o cr eat e a MAN. Figur e 1-6 illust r at es net -
wor ks set up as a MAN. MANs ar e slower t han LANs but usually have few er r or s on
t h e n et wor k. Sin ce special equ ipmen t is n eeded t o con n ect t h e differ en t LANs
t oget her, t hey have a high pr ice.
Wide Area Networks
The largest net work size is a wide area network, or WAN. WANs can int erconnect any
number of LANs and WANs. They can connect net wor ks acr oss cit ies, st at es, coun-
t ries, or even t he world. Figure 1-7 illust rat es a WAN. The t erm Enterprise WANrefers
t o a net work t hat connect s all t he LANs and WANs wit hin an ent ire organizat ion.
WANs n or mally u se con n ect ion s t h at t r avel all over t h e cou n t r y or wor ld.
For t his r eason t hey ar e usually slower t han MANs and LANs, and mor e pr one t o
er r or s. They also r equir e a lot of specialized equipment , so t heir pr ice is high.
Fi l e ser ver C l i ent
C l i ent M ai l ser ver
C l i ent
6 Par t I: Th e Th eor et i cal Net wor k
FIGURE 1-6 Campus networks connected through a metropolitan area network
On the Networking Essentials exam, you will probably not see the
ter m M AN. You should, however , be familiar with the differ ences
between a LAN and WAN. The characteristics of LANs, M ANs, and
WANs are listed here to help you review.
LAN characteristics:
Small areas, usually in one office or building
High speed
M ost inexpensive equipment
Low error rates
M AN characteristics:
Larger area than a LAN usually a large campus or
organization spread over a city- size area
Slower than a LAN, but faster than a WAN
Expensive equipment
M oderate error rates
exam
p rep arat i o n
p o i n t er
East cam pus
So ut h cam pus
W est cam pus
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Ch apt er 1: Basi cs of Net wor k i n g
FIGURE 1-7 A wide area network connecting networks in different cities
WAN characteristics:
Can be as large as worldwide
Usually much slower than LAN speed
Highest possible error rate of all three types
Expensive equipment
Key Po i n t Su mmar y
In t his chapt er I discussed t he basics of net wor king. I discussed t he basic compo-
nent s of a net wor k and t he t ypes of r esour ces net wor ks can shar e. You lear ned t he
t h r ee compu t in g models: cen t r alized, collabor at ive, an d dist r ibu t ed. You wer e
int r oduced t o peer-t o-peer and ser ver-based net wor ks. You lear ned t her e ar e sev-
er al n et wor k ser vices wh ich pr ovide differ en t fu n ct ion s on t h e n et wor k. Th ose
in clu de file ser vices, pr in t ser vices, message ser vices, dir ect or y ser vices,
Seat t l e
Ral ei gh
D al l as
A t l ant a
8 Par t I: Th e Th eor et i cal Net wor k
applicat ion ser vices, and dat abase ser vices. I finished t he chapt er by discussing t he
ch ar act er ist ics of LANs, MANs, an d WANs. You n ow h ave lear n ed some of t h e
basics, which will be used t hr oughout t his book and your car eer.
Networks ar e a gr oup of comput er s connect ed t oget her by some t ype of
media t o allow t hem t o shar e infor mat ion.
Servers ar e lar ge, power ful comput er s t hat pr ovide ser vices t o client s.
Clients ar e smaller deskt op comput er s t hat user s use t o access net wor k
ser vices.
Peer comput er s act as bot h client s and ser ver s.
Media is t he physical connect ion bet ween t he comput er s on a net wor k.
Anyt hing t hat client s access is a resource. Pr int er s and har d disks on a
ser ver ar e t wo examples.
People who use client s and r esour ces ar e users.
The wr it t en r ules for communicat ion bet ween devices on a net wor k ar e
protocols.
Centralized computing has a lar ge cent r al syst em wit h t er minals as client s.
All pr ocessing is done by t he lar ge syst em, and t he t er minals ar e for input
and out put .
When client s have t heir own separ at e pr ocessing power, t his is a
distributed computing model. Unlike cent r alized comput ing, each client
does it s own pr ocessing and may only use t he cent r al ser ver for st or age.
Collaborative computing allows each of t he client comput er s t o cooper at e
and pr ocess t he same infor mat ion. This way, t asks ar e complet ed fast er
t han if t hey r an on only one client comput er.
Peer-to-peer net wor king is a simple for m of net wor king. Client s on t he
net wor k may also act as ser ver s, and a lar ge cent r al ser ver is not needed.
Since secur it y is har d t o maint ain in t his t ype of net wor k, t he number of
user s must be kept low.
The opposit e of a peer-t o-peer net wor k is a server-based net wor k. In t his
syst em, client s do not act as ser ver s. They use a lar ger, cent r al net wor k
ser ver for t heir st or age and/or pr ocessing. Secur it y is easier t o maint ain, so
ser ver-based net wor ks can gr ow lar ge.
q
Ch apt er 1: Basi cs of Net wor k i n g
File services allow user s t o t r ansfer files over a net wor k. Par t of file ser vices
is file update synchronization, which coor dinat es changes bet ween t wo
ver sions of t he same file.
Print services allow t he shar ing of pr int devices over a net wor k. Pr int
ser vices can be enhanced t o allow for queue-based pr int ing and fax
ser vices.
E-mail is pr ovided by using t he message services of a net wor k.
Directory services allow you t o maint ain infor mat ion about ever y object in
your net wor k. This allows user s t o only have one account on t he ent ir e
net wor k and connect t o any r esour ces t hat suppor t t hose dir ect or y ser vices.
Client s can let t he cent r al net wor k ser ver s pr ocess dat a for t hem by using
application services. An example of t his would be t he quer ying of a lar ge
dat abase t hat is st or ed on a cent r al dat abase ser ver. The ser ver, not t he
client , would act ually sear ch t he dat abase.
Database services coor dinat e mult iple changes t o lar ge net wor k dat abases
and r eplicat e t hem if necessar y.
Local area networks ar e small net wor ks usually cont ained in one office or
building. They have high speed, low er r or r at es, and t heir equipment is
fair ly inexpensive.
Metropolitan area networks usually cover a lar ge campus-t ype
envir onment , or an or ganizat ion spr ead over a cit y. Their st at s fall in
bet ween LANs and WANs, in t hat t hey ar e r elat ively fast , have moder at e
er r or r at es, and t heir equipment pr ices fall bet ween LANs and WANs.
Wide area networks can cover an ent ir e or ganizat ions ent er pr ise net wor k.
WANs can cover a few st at es or t he ent ir e globe. Since t his is t he lar gest
net wor k, it is t he most expensive. It is also usually low speed when
compar ed wit h t he ot her net wor k size models.
o Par t I: Th e Th eor et i cal Net wor k
Appl yi n g Wh at Yo u v e Lear n ed
It is now t ime t o r eview t he mat er ial cover ed in t his chapt er. The following Inst ant
Assessemen t qu est ion s will r ein for ce wh at you h ave ju st lear n ed abou t n et wor k
models, t ypes, and component s.
I nstant Assessment
1. You ar e asked t o consult on a pr oject for a small law fir m. They have four
lawyer s in t he office, and t hr ee assist ant s. They need t o keep a cent r al
r eposit or y for t heir document t emplat es t o which ever yone has access.
They also need a place t o st or e t heir individual case document s t hat only
t he lawyer on t he case should be able t o see. One assist ant in t he office has
some net wor k administ r at ion knowledge, but ever yone else does not .
Would you implement peer-t o-peer net wor king? Why or why not ?
2. Comput er s in a peer-t o-peer net wor k act as a __________ and a
__________.
3. Why is secur it y a consider at ion when deciding t he t ype of net wor k is used?
4. Which ser vice allows user s t o shar e wor d-pr ocessor document s?
5. Which comput er in a net wor k is usually t he most power ful?
6. What ar e t he r ules t hat gover n t he communicat ion bet ween devices on a
net wor k called?
7. __________ ar e comput er s t hat use r esour ces on t he net wor k.
8. Which net wor king model has a cent r al mainfr ame?
9. The __________ __________ model has client s t hat can pr ocess
infor mat ion for t hemselves.
10. Which net wor k model would you use if you had a r oom wit h fift y client
comput er s and needed t o solve a complex mat hemat ical pr oblem?
11. Ter minals ar e used in which net wor king model?
12. Which net wor k t ype is best when you have t hir t y client comput er s?
13. A company has just st ar t ed oper at ions. They cur r ent ly only have five
comput er s in t heir office but plan t o expand t o about t hir t y in six mont hs.
Which net wor k t ype would you choose?

Ch apt er 1: Basi cs of Net wor k i n g

14. Would Windows 95 be a good choice for oper at ing syst em in a peer-t o-peer
net wor k?
15. What net wor k ser vice allows user s t o only log in t o t he net wor k once, and
access any ser ver or r esour ce on it ?
T/ F
16. Client s do most of t he pr ocessing in a ser ver-based net wor k
wit h a file ser ver. ____
17. User s need mor e t r aining in a peer-t o-peer net wor k. ____
18. By far, t he cheapest net wor k t o inst all is a ser ver-based net wor k. ____
19. Ther e ar e no special consider at ions t o keep you fr om put t ing t he
communicat ions ser ver soft war e on t he depar t ment al file ser ver. ____
20. Net wor ks can help companies save money by allowing user s t o shar e
har dwar e and soft war e. ____
21. Applicat ions must be wr it t en t o ut ilize collabor at ive comput ing. ____
22. Peer-t o-peer net wor ks ar e t he easiest t o back up. ____
23. Mainfr ames and t er minals ar e used in dist r ibut ed comput ing. ____
24. WANs r equir e specialized, expensive equipment t o connect LANs. ____
25. E-mail is one of t he most basic file ser vices used on t he net wor k. ____
26. Your company is planning t o r oll out client s, which have no dr ives for
st or age. These syst ems boot and load all files and applicat ions, including
t he oper at ing syst em, fr om t he ser ver. Which comput ing model does t his
net wor k follow?
a. Ser ver-based
b. Cent r alized
c. Collabor at ive
d. Dist r ibut ed
27. Mollys Home Fur nishings cur r ent ly has t welve comput er s on t heir
net wor k and ar e expect ing t o add five mor e t his year. Secur it y is not a
major consider at ion for t heir net wor k. It is impor t ant t hat t hey have all
dat a backed up r egular ly. Which net wor k t ype is best for t heir net wor k?
a. Ser ver-based
b. Peer-t o-peer
Par t I: Th e Th eor et i cal Net wor k
c. LAN
d. MAN
28. Which of t he following is an advant age of peer-t o-peer net wor ks?
a. Ease of backup
b. Dat a spr ead acr oss t he net wor k
c. Easy set up
d. Ut ilizes power ful ser ver s
29. Ser ver-based net wor ks pr ovide which of t he following?
a. Fault t oler ance
b. Secur it y
c. Small client s
d. All of t he above
30. Which net wor k ser vice allows you t o maint ain infor mat ion about object s
on your net wor k?
a. File ser vices
b. Message ser vices
c. Dir ect or y ser vices
d. Dat abase ser vices
31. A college has a net wor k t hat spans many buildings on campus, as well as a
few buildings acr oss t own which house t he cont inuing educat ion cent er.
Which cat egor y does t his net wor k r epr esent ?
a. LAN
b. MAN
c. WAN
d. TAN
32. Which of t he following is a component of file ser vices?
a. Ar chiving
b. Pr int queue management
c. E-mail
d. Object management

Ch apt er 1: Basi cs of Net wor k i n g

33. What is a funct ion of message ser vices?
a. E-mail
b. Gr oupwar e
c. Sending video
d. All of t he above
34. Which of t he following does not descr ibe collabor at ive comput ing?
a. Quick access
b. Allows for a var iet y of deskt op set ups and funct ions
c. Ut ilizes pr ocessing power acr oss t he net wor k
d. Pr ovides a high level of secur it y
35. Your company has just added a new ser ver. This ser ver pr ocesses r equest s
sent fr om t he client ; t he pr ocessed dat a is t hen r et ur ned t o t he client . This
t ype of ser ver is known as a/an:
a. File ser ver
b. Pr int ser ver
c. Applicat ion ser ver
d. Communicat ions ser ver
For answers to the I nstant Assessment questions, see Appendix C.
co n cep t l i n k
j Par t I: Th e Th eor et i cal Net wor k