Guide to Networking Essentials

Fifth Edition

Chapter 1
Introduction to Networks and
Networking Concepts
 Objectives
• Describe the fundamental reasons for networking
• Identify essential network components
• Compare different types of networks
• Understand the role of a server and describe types
of servers
• Apply your knowledge when selecting a network type

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 What is Networking?

• Networking involves connecting computers and

other electronic devices for the purpose of sharing
information and resources and for communication
• A great deal of technology is required for one device
to connect and communicate with another, and
many choices for physical connections and related
software are possible

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 Networking Fundamentals
• An elementary network consists of two computers
connected by some kind of transmission medium
• Motivation: need to share data and to communicate
quickly and efficiently
– Sharing enables users to exchange information and
route data between them as workflow demands
– Can improve human communication substantially
– Peripheral device sharing enables users to take
advantage of peripherals and other devices attached
directly to a network or to a generally available
computer attached to a network
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 Networking Fundamentals (continued)

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 Local and Wide Area Networks
• Local Area Network (LAN): small network, limited
to a single collection of machines and one or more
cables and other peripheral equipment
• Internetwork: networked collection of LANs tied
together by devices such as routers
– The Internet is the best example
• Wide Area Network (WAN): internetwork that
spans distances measured in miles and links two or
more separate LANs
• Metropolitan Area Network (MAN): uses WAN
technologies to interconnect LANs in a specific
geographic region, such as a county or a city
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 Developing a Networking Lexicon
• Networking is a subject rich with specialized
terminology and technology
• Computer networks have spawned a language of
their own, and half the challenge of becoming
network literate lies in mastering this terminology
• You must learn some new vocabulary

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 Clients, Peers, and Servers

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 Network Medium
• To communicate successfully, computers must
share access to a common network medium
– Examples: twisted-pair, coaxial and fiber-optic cable,
and wireless media
– Its job is to carry the signals one computer sends to
one or more other computers
• Computers must attach to the network medium by
using some kind of physical interface
– Network interface card (NIC) or network adapter
• For large-scale networks, multiple media usually
work together (interoperate) across the total
networking environment
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 Network Protocols
• Network protocol: common set of rules that
allows two computers on a network to
communicate with one another successfully
– How to interpret signals, how to identify a computer
on a network, how to initiate and end networked
communications, and how to manage information
exchange across the network medium
• Examples:
– TCP/IP
– NetBEUI
– IPX/SPX
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 Network Software
• Computers need network software to issue the
requests and responses that let them take the roles
of clients and servers
• Network operating system (NOS): determines
what services that computer can offer or request
– Controls access to network services and network
resources a computer makes available to clients
• With today’s operating systems, the line between a
client and a server has become blurred
– However, most operating systems have a
workstation version and a server version
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 Network Services
• Sharing resources and communication requires two
components: a server component that provides
access to the resource and a client component that
requests access to the resource
• Both components are referred to as a service
• NOSs must be outfitted with the types of services
your client operating systems require, whether they
are Web servers, e-mail servers, file and print
servers, and so on

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 Simulation 1-1: Layers of the
Networking Process

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 Understanding Network Types
• Networks fall into two major types: peer-to-peer
and client/server (also called server-based)
• This discussion of network types addresses the
roles that computers play on the network and how
those roles interact
• Server-based networks are the most typical and
represent the primary focus of the discussion here
• Understanding both types is essential, especially
as they compare with one another

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 Peer-to-Peer Networking

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 Peer-to-Peer Networking (continued)
• In a peer-to-peer network, every user must also act
as a network administrator, controlling access to
the resources on their machines
– Because of this flexibility and individual discretion,
institutionalized chaos is the norm for peer-to-peer
networks, and security can be a major concern
• Computers can be affiliated into loose federations
called workgroups, but no network-wide security can
be enforced
• As the number of users and resources grows, these
networks can become unworkable

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 Peer-to-Peer Networking Advantages
• Advantages:
– Easy to install and configure
– Machines don’t depend on the presence of a
dedicated server
– Users control their own shared resources
– Inexpensive to purchase and operate
– Need no additional equipment or software beyond a
suitable operating system
– No dedicated administrators are needed
– Work best for networks with 10 or fewer users

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 Peer-to-Peer Networking
Disadvantages
• Disadvantages:
– Network security applies to only a single resource at
a time
– Users might be forced to use as many passwords as
there are shared resources
– Each PC must be backed up to protect shared data
– When a shared resource is accessed, performance of
the PC where the resource resides is reduced
– There is no centralized organizational scheme to
locate or control access to data
– Access to a shared resource is unavailable if PC
where resource resides is turned off/crashes
– Doesn’t usually work well with more than 10 users
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 Server-Based Networks

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 Server-Based Networking Advantages
• Centralized user accounts, security, and access
controls simplify network administration
• More powerful equipment means more efficient
access to network resources
• Server hardware design is generally more robust
• A single password delivers access to network-wide
resources as specified in access controls
• Server-based networking makes the most sense
for networks with 10 or more users or any networks
where resources are heavily used
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 Server-Based Networking
Disadvantages
• At the worst, server failure renders a network
unusable; at the least, it results in loss of network
resources
• Complex server software requires allocating expert
staff, which increases expenses
• Dedicated hardware and specialized software add
to the cost of server-based networking

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 Wireless Personal Area Networks
(WPANs)
• Wireless personal area network (WPAN): short-
range networking technology designed to connect
personal devices to exchange information
– Cell phones, pagers, PDAs, GPS devices, MP3
players, and even watches
– Can connect devices you wear or come in close
contact with, and can transmit to outside devices for
a short range, using a secure access method
– The emerging standard for WPANs is the IEEE
802.15 standard
• One product using this standard is Bluetooth
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 Understanding the Role of Network
Servers
• The server is at the heart of any network that’s too
large for a peer-to-peer configuration
• Most large networks with more than a few dozen
workstations rely on several network servers
• Your knowledge of a server’s unique hardware
requirements and the many roles it can play in a
network is essential to being able to design and
support today’s computer networks

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 Server Hardware Requirements

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 Specialized Servers
• Within the broad classification of machines that
function as network servers, assigning a variety of
specialty roles is possible, depending on the
services provided
• On large networks in particular, servers with
specialized roles are often deployed
• In Windows Server 2000/2003 and Linux
environments, these server types typically include
application servers, communication servers,
domain controllers/directory servers, fax servers,
file and print servers, mail servers, and Web
servers
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 Application Servers
• Application servers supply the server side of
client/server applications, and often the data that
goes along with them, to network clients
– For example, a database server
– Differ from basic file and print servers by providing
processing services as well as handling requests for
file or print services

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 Communication Servers
• Communication servers provide a mechanism for
users outside a network to access that network’s
resources, and sometimes permit users on a
network to access resources outside network’s
local scope
– Often, installing communication servers on a network
enables users who are traveling or working at home
to dial in to the network via a modem
• In Windows Server 2000/2003: Routing and Remote
Access Service (RRAS)

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 Domain Controllers/Directory Servers
• Make it possible to locate, store, and secure
information about a network and its resources
– Windows Server 2000/2003 permits computers,
users, groups, and resources to be combined into
logical groups called domains
• A user belonging to a domain can access all
resources and information that he or she has
permission to use simply by logging on to the domain
• Server that handles this logon service and manages
the collection of computers, users, and so on in a
domain is a domain controller or directory server

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 Fax Servers
• Fax servers manage fax traffic for a network
– Receive incoming faxes via telephone, distribute
them to recipients over the network, and collect
outgoing faxes across the network before sending
them via telephone
– Use one or more fax modem interfaces to perform
these tasks
– As with most communication servers, Windows-,
NetWare-, and Linux-based fax servers come from
third parties instead of the platform vendors

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 File and Print Servers
• File and print servers provide basic network file
storage, retrieval services, and access to
networked printers
– Users can run applications locally but keep data files
on the server (and print those files when they want
hard copies)
– Any Windows, NetWare, or Linux server can act as a
file and print server

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 Mail Servers
• Mail servers handle e-mail messages for users
– Might involve simply acting as a clearinghouse for
local exchange of messages
– Also commonly provide “store-and-forward” services
– Can store outgoing messages until a connection to
an external mail server is established, and then
forward messages to their intended destinations
– Examples: Microsoft Exchange Server, GroupWise,
and Lotus Notes

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 Web Servers
• The World Wide Web is the most well-known
aspect of the Internet, made up of documents that
can be interlinked by using hyperlinks
– Examples: Internet Information Services (IIS),
Apache Web server
• Apache is the most widely used Web server in the
world
– Many organizational intranets take advantage of
free Web server packages

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 Web-Based Networks
• Most computers today are connected to the
Internet, and the latest handheld devices are
connecting through wireless communications
• Because of the always-on connections available
via DSL and cable modems, the Web is an integral
and seamless part of the computing experience
– Technologies such as the Microsoft .NET initiative
and Web-enabled devices, such as cell phones and
PDAs, promise to integrate the Web even further into
people’s lives

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 .Net Computing
• The Microsoft .NET computing model uses the Web
to deliver applications and to enable applications on
different devices running different operating
environments to communicate and share data
– Allows a device with a wireless interface to the Web
to download and run applications directly
– Allows a handheld computer to transfer information to
and from a network server or another handheld
computer by using the Web as the network
– Information can be transferred from one place to
another easily and conveniently
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 Web-Enabled Devices
• WPANs allow devices within a person’s personal
space to communicate
• Many devices used in a WPAN are Web-enabled
devices that can gather and send information via
the Internet
• Other devices are becoming Web-enabled
– For example, automobiles
• A host of devices are being created that can
access the Web, thus shifting the networking
paradigm from clients and servers to Web-enabled
and not Web-enabled
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 Selecting the Right Type of Network
• You have a number of choices to make when
deciding how to design and implement a network
– Will a single LAN do, or is an internetwork required?
– Is a MAN or WAN required?
– Will peer-to-peer networking suffice, or is a server-
based network in order?
– Do some functions need to be server-based while
others work well as a peer-to-peer network?
• The following sections offer a brief summary to
help in the decision-making process

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 Choosing a LAN Versus an
Internetwork
• The decision to design a LAN or an internetwork is
primarily based on how many total computers will
participate on the network and whether there’s a
need to tie groups of computers together with
network devices such as routers
– The distance the network will span also plays a part
in the decision
– A LAN is usually called for when:
• The number of computers is fewer than 100
• Network use and security factors don’t require a router
• The network is confined to a single building or floor

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 Is it a MAN or a WAN?
• If you need the services of a communications
provider to tie multiple sites together, you have a
MAN or WAN
– The only real difference is whether the sites are
confined to a town or city or whether the sites are
located in different cities
• Within one town or city, the network is generally
referred to as a MAN
• If the network spans different cities, it’s considered as
a WAN

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 Choosing a Peer-to-Peer or Server-
Based Network
• Choosing peer-to-peer networking exclusively is
appropriate only when all the following hold:
– The network includes no more than 10 users
– All networked machines are close enough to fit
within the span of a single LAN
– Budget considerations are paramount
– No specialized servers are needed

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 Choosing a Peer-to-Peer or Server-
Based Network (continued)
• A server-based network makes sense when one or
more of the following conditions is true:
– More than 10 users must share network access
– Centralized control, security, resource management,
or backup is desirable
– Users need access to specialized servers, or they
place heavy demands on network resources
– An internetwork is in use
• Hybrid network uses elements of both a server-
based network and a peer-to-peer network

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 Summary
• Basic elements of all networks include:
– Medium
– Physical interface to that medium for computers
seeking access to network resources
• Computers must have a networking protocol in
common to communicate, and they must include
networking SW that knows how to use the protocol to
send/receive information across a network
• Networks deliver services, such as file sharing,
printing, e-mail, and messaging services, to users

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 Summary (continued)
• The major types of networks are peer-to-peer (any
computer can function as client or server), server-
based (users act as clients of dedicated server
machines), and wireless personal area networks
(network is limited to a small area around a person)
• Budget, number of users, types of applications or
network services, and requirements for centralized
administration and control are the major criteria in
deciding which type of network to deploy
• Servers require specialized HW and SW, and are
capable of taking specific roles (file and print servers,
fax servers, e-mail servers, application servers)
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