Computer Networking - Lesson 6 - Introduction To Client - Server Network Setup
Computer Networking - Lesson 6 - Introduction To Client - Server Network Setup
Introduction of Networks
Overview
:: Note
ISO Software A computer network consists of two or more computers intended to share You can use an existing computer as a server
resources:
Server PC
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A client/server network is a system where one or more computers called clients connect to a central
computer named a server to share or use resources. Each client computer must use an operating system
that allows it to be identified to participate in the network.
Client/Server Networking
A computer network is referred to as client/server if (at least) one of the computers is used to "serve" other
computers referred to as "clients". Besides the computers, other types of devices can be part of the
network:
In a client/server environment, each computer still holds (or can still hold) its (or some) resources and
files. Other computers can also access the resources stored in a computer, as in a peer-to-peer scenario.
One of the particularities of a client/server network is that the files and resources are centralized. This
means that a computer, the server, can hold them and other computers can access them. Since the server is
always ON, the client machines can access the files and resources without caring whether a certain
computer is ON.
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One of the consequences of a client/server network is that, if the server is turned OFF, its resources and
sometimes most of the resources on the network are not available. In fact, one way to set up a client/server
network is to have more than one server. In this case, each server can play a different role.
Another big advantage of a client/server network is that security is created, managed, and can highly get
enforced. To access the network, a person, called a user must provide some credentials, such as a
username and a password. If the credentials are not valid, the user is prevented from accessing the
network.
The client/server type of network also provides many other advantages such as centralized backup,
Intranet capability, Internet monitoring, etc. In a small network, all these services can be handled by one
server:
In a medium to large network, there can be many servers with each performing a different task:
In these series of lessons, we will build a Microsoft Windows network (I love Linux and Apple but at the
time of this writing, I want to make lessons simple by dealing with only a simple network; normally, you
can connect a Linux workstation, such as Novell SUSE Linux, to a Microsoft Windows network; this is
extremely easy to do; based on my experience, there is nothing significant to do; once the network is setup
and you connect the Linux workstation to the network, the Linux computer will find everything on the
network; the Linux OS is so intelligent it would take care of everything).
Introduction
If you purchase new computers in a store or from a web store, the computers will most likely have an
operating system. At the time of this writing, most computers sold in stores have Microsoft Windows 7
Home Premium. Some other computers, such as netbooks, run Microsoft Windows 7 Starter.
For our network, we will use Microsoft Windows 7 Professional, Ultimate, or Enterprise. Microsoft
Windows 7 Home Premium cannot join a domain-based network (but it can participate in a peer-to-peer
network). If the computer(s) you are planning to use for your network doesn't (don't) have the Microsoft
Windows 7 Professional, Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate, or Microsoft Windows 7 Enterprise operating
system, you must upgrade it. Among the ways you can acquire the upgrade, you can purchase it from a
computer store or a web store. Another option is to get an MSDN subscription.
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If you have built your own computer(s) or you acquired (a) "barebone" computer(s), once it's ready with
the necessary hardware parts, you must acquire and install the operating system.
a. Turn the computer on. If you are using a computer without an operating system, if you receive a
message stating "Missing Operating System", or "Strike F1 to retry boot, F2 for setup utility", don't
worry about it at this time
b. On the (DVD) drive, push the buton to open the drive
c. Put the DVD that has the operating system in the drive
d. Restart the computer
e. A few seconds after the computer has started, a message may (should) ask you to press any key to
boot from CD or DVD (to install the operating system) (the message may display "Press any key to
boot from CD or DVD" or something like that). Press any key to continue. Otherwise:
If a message of pressing any key to install the operating system doesn't come up, you should
restart the computer. Then, as soon as the black screen of the computer restarting appears,
press a key such as F2 or F8 (this depends on your computer or the manufacturer) to access
the BIOS. Access the Boot Sequence and check the list. If the (DVD) drive is not on top and
if the instructions allow it, move the (DVD) drive to the top of the sequence. If you cannot
move the (DVD) drive to the top, then disable the drives, such as the hard drive, that come
above it. In some cases, you can select the drive and press the Space bar to remove the check
mark from the selected item. In this case, make sure that only the (DVD) drive has a check
mark next to it. After making changes in the BIOS to make the computer boot from the
(DVD) drive, save and exit the BIOS. Then restart the computer and follow the instructions
on the screen to install the operating system
If a message of installation still doesn't come up, make sure the (DVD) drive is installed
appropriately (if you have access to the Internet, you can also check the following site:
http://www.bootdisk.com/ for a boot disks and options)
If the computer still doesn't boot from the DVD and if you have access to the Internet, check
the Support site from Microsoft: http://support.microsoft.com
f. The installation will stall copying files.
The next screen will ask you to select the language. Select one:
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Click Next
h. The next screen indicates that the installation is ready:
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Read it. If you agree, click "I accept the license terms"
l. Click Next
m. If the computer had an operating system already, the next screen allows you to upgrade or perform a
new installtion:
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At the time of this writing, most computers sold in stores run Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium. In
fact, if you just go a computer store and decide to purchase computers for your network, that's the
operating system the computer may have.
If you already have one (or more) computer(s) that you plan to use as workstation(s), it (they) may be
running a previous operating system such as Microsoft Windows XP or Windows Vista. If you purchased
a regular computer in a store, it may run Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium.
For our network, we will use Microsoft Windows 7 Professional, Ultimate, or Enterprise. Microsoft
Windows 7 Home Premium cannot join a domain-based network (but it can participate in a peer-to-peer
network). If the computer(s) you are planning to use for your network doesn't (don't) have one of those
operating systems, you should upgrade it. Among the ways you can acquire the upgrade, you can purchase
it from a computer store or a web store. Another option is to get an MSDN subscription.
To upgrade from Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium to Microsoft Windows 7 Professional, Ultimate,
or Enterprise:
a. Start the computer and access its desktop (if necessary, log in)
b. Open the DVD drive, insert the disc, and close the drive. A window titled AutoPlay should come up
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If this window doesn't come up, start Windows Explorer and access the DVD drive
c. Click Run Setup.exe (from the AutoPlay window) or double-click setup (from Windows Explorer)
d. A security dialog box titled User Account Control should come up, asking you whether you will
allow the installation to make changes to the computer. Read the text and click Yes.
A window will come up, asking you to select the language the computer will use (this installation
uses Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate)
e. Click the desired language. Another window will come up to confirm the language you selected:
f. Click Next. Another window comes up to indicate that the installation is ready to start:
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g. Click Install Now. The next dialog box would ask you to check the updates
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j. Read it and, if you agree, click the bottom check box. Otherwise, stop the installation
k. If you agreed with the license, click Next.
The next dialog box deals with existing files, if any:
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The next option asks you to specify the partion where you will install the operating system (OS)
m. After selecting (or creating and selecting) the partition, click Next.
If you had selected the option to install a new copy of the OS and if there are files already on the
partition, a warning message box will inform you that the files will be moved to a folder named
Windows.old. In this case, click OK.
The installation will start copying files:
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A server is primarily a regular computer. To create a client/server network, first identify the computer that
you will use as the server. You can use an existing computer or purchase a new one. When planning the
server, if you plan to use one of your (existing) computers as the server, check its hardware and make sure
it meets the necessary hardware requirements.
If you have a computer with no operating system because either you got/built it ("barebone" ) without an
operating system or you bought a server that came without an operating system (or you removed the
operating system for example by formatting the hard drive or you created two or more partitions on the
hard drive)), make sure it meets the necessary hardware requirements.
You will also need a monitor attached to the server. If you will not work closely with the server, that is, if
you will not "watch" the server all day long, the type of monitor you connect to it may not be important.
A monitor that can handle a 1024 x 768 resolution will be fine.
As its name implies, the role of a server is to serve. To perform this job, it must be loaded with a special
operating system (OS), such as Microsoft Windows Server 2008. That's the one we will use.
If you already have a computer that has an operating system whose version is lower than the one you
want to use (Microsoft Windows Server 2008), you may have to upgrade it. Otherwise, you may have to
get the OS and install it. You may have a computer with an operating system but that OS cannot be
upgraded into Microsoft Windows Server 2008.
You can purchase a computer that has the operating system already. In this case, if you order the
computer from a web store, you must indicate that you want it to have the OS already, which would
be installed by the manufacturer
You can acquire and install the OS. You can purchase the OS from the operating system publisher
(either buy the OS from Microsoft or purchase an MSDN Subscription), from a software dealer, or
a web store
a. Start the computer. You may receive a message stating that the operating system is missing or
something like that
b. Open the DVD drive
c. Put the disc in the drive, and close it
d. Restart the computer. You should receive a message stating Press Any Key To Boot From CD or
DVD
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e. Press any key to start the installation.
(If your computer already has an operating system, start it. Open the DVD drive, put the DVD in it,
and close its door. If the operating system cannot be upgraded, a message box and display and let
you know)
f. At one time, a window will come up, asking you to select the language. Click the desired language,
such as My Language is English
Click Next
h. Click Install Now
i. The next screen will ask what version of the operating system you want to install. For our example,
we click Windows Server 2008 R2 Server Enterprise with Service Pack 1
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l. Click Next.
If you don't like what it says, press ESC and stop the installation.
m. The next screen asks you to upgrade or perform a new installation. For our example, we will
perform a new installation
n. The next screen asks you to select the partition you want to use to install the operating system. In
most cases, you should create partitions. For example, if you have only one partition but it is large
and you want to create various partitions, click it to select it. Then, click New. A spin button will
diplay, allowing you to decrease or manage the size(s) of the partition(s). When you reach the
desired size, click Apply. You can also format a partition as necessary. If you do, make sure you use
NTFS
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o. After creating the partitions, select the partition you want to use
p. Click Next
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q. The installation will start copying files. This may take a while.
When the installation has finished copying the files, it will reboot
r. When the computer reboots, it may display a message to Press Any Key to Boot From CD or DVD.
Don't press any key.
The installation will perform new operations about Completing Installation.
When it has finished Completing Installation, the computer may reboot.
The next screen asks you to set the administrator's password:
Click OK
s. Type the password
t. Press Tab to access the other text box and type the same password
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Click OK
w. When asked to login, press Ctrl + ALT + DELETE
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