Sams Teach Yourself Networking in 24 Hours (Sams Teach Yourself...in 24 Hours)

Teach Yourself Networking in 24 Hours, Second Edition......Page 2
Copyright © 2001 by Sams Publishing......Page 3
Contents at a Glance......Page 4
Contents......Page 6
About the Author......Page 15
Introduction......Page 18
PART I A Networking Primer......Page 20
HOUR 1 An Overview of Networking......Page 22
What Is a Network?......Page 23
Why Build a Network?......Page 24
How Networks Are Put Together......Page 25
The Varieties of Networks......Page 30
How the Internet Relates to Your Network......Page 33
Summary......Page 37
HOUR 2 The Benefits of Networking......Page 38
Computing Before Computer Networks......Page 39
Life Without Computer Networks......Page 43
Benefits of Networking......Page 45
Summary......Page 48
PART II The Basics......Page 50
HOUR 3 Getting Data from Here to There: How Computers Share Data......Page 52
Logical Topologies......Page 53
Network Protocols......Page 57
Summary......Page 67
HOUR 4 Computer Concepts......Page 70
Computer Hardware......Page 71
Client Operating System Software......Page 79
Summary......Page 87
What Networks Are Made Of......Page 90
Summary......Page 111
HOUR 6 Extending Your LAN: Wide Area Networks......Page 112
What Is a WAN?......Page 113
WAN Hardware......Page 115
High-Speed Data Access......Page 125
Can the Internet Help You Build Your WAN?......Page 132
So Who Needs a WAN, Anyway?......Page 133
Summary......Page 134
HOUR 7 Remote Networking......Page 136
A Brief History of Remote Access: Remote Control and Remote Node......Page 137
Different Organizations Need Different RAS Solutions......Page 142
Remote Access Requirements......Page 143
Authentication and Security......Page 148
Using the Internet for Remote Access......Page 149
Remote Access Hardware: Build or Buy?......Page 150
Summary......Page 152
PART III Building a Network......Page 154
HOUR 8 The Criteria for Building Your Network......Page 156
What Are Best Practices?......Page 157
Planning Best Practices: Plan, Design, Implement, and Tune......Page 159
Interoperability and Standards-Based Networking......Page 162
Security......Page 163
Summary......Page 165
HOUR 9 Designing Your Network......Page 166
Step 1: Identifying the Uses of Your Network......Page 169
Step 2: Listing Which Tasks Happen at Which Computers......Page 173
Step 3: Determining the Degree of Centralization......Page 177
Step 4: Making It Real—Drawing the Network......Page 184
Step 5: Writing the Specification and Getting Others’ Input......Page 193
Step 6: Specifying Hardware......Page 196
Questionnaire/Checklist......Page 199
Summary......Page 200
HOUR 10 How to Select Hardware and Software for Your Network......Page 202
Selecting a Topology......Page 203
Selecting the Network Type: Client/Server or Peer to Peer......Page 211
Selecting the Workstation Operating System and Network Operating System......Page 213
Selecting the Network Protocol......Page 219
Summary......Page 222
HOUR 11 Physically Assembling a Network......Page 224
Before Installation......Page 225
Installing Adapter Cards......Page 228
Working on Wiring: Closets, Cables, Connections, Concentrators, and Terminators......Page 230
Summary......Page 233
HOUR 12 Network Applications......Page 234
Email......Page 235
Group Calendaring......Page 240
Networked Contact Management......Page 241
A Sampler of Network-Based Software......Page 242
Summary......Page 243
HOUR 13 Connecting to the Internet: Email and Web Sources......Page 246
Internet Email......Page 247
Protocol Translation......Page 255
Summary......Page 256
PART IV Network Operating Systems......Page 258
Microsoft Windows Networking......Page 260
Windows Operating Systems......Page 261
Basic Windows Networking Concepts......Page 263
Protocol Selection for Windows Networks......Page 266
Summary......Page 267
About Windows 2000 Server......Page 270
Windows 2000 Server Concepts......Page 272
Other Computers with Which Windows 2000 Server Can Network......Page 281
Summary......Page 283
HOUR 16 Novell NetWare......Page 284
NetWare Basics......Page 288
NetWare Clients and NDS: Who’s on First?......Page 297
Summary......Page 298
HOUR 17 Unix and Linux......Page 300
The History of Unix......Page 301
Basic Unix Concepts......Page 306
The Specs: A Close Look at Unix......Page 311
Summary......Page 315
PART V Introduction to Network Administration......Page 318
HOUR 18 The Network Administrator......Page 320
Planning and Installing a Network......Page 322
Administering a Network......Page 325
Summary......Page 341
HOUR 19 Security......Page 344
Why Network Security Is Important......Page 345
Potential Network Security Risks......Page 347
Malicious and Nonmalicious Attacks......Page 360
Setting Up Your Defenses......Page 361
Summary......Page 362
HOUR 20 Upgrades......Page 364
The Inevitable Upgrade......Page 365
Planning for Network Growth......Page 368
The Reading Prescription......Page 370
Managing Hardware Growth......Page 371
Managing Software Growth......Page 372
Network Management Software......Page 373
Summary......Page 375
HOUR 21 Network Admin Tips and Tricks......Page 378
Making Your Own Cables......Page 379
Cool Cheap Tools......Page 382
Inexpensive Software......Page 386
Internet Tricks......Page 388
Summary......Page 393
HOUR 22 A Day in the Life......Page 396
A Day in the Life…......Page 397
Daily Tasks......Page 400
Strategies for Supporting Users......Page 401
Summary......Page 402
PART VI The Future of Networking......Page 404
HOUR 23 Wireless LANs......Page 406
Why Use Wireless Networks?......Page 407
What Is Wireless Networking?......Page 408
Wireless Network Applications......Page 409
Not Built for Speed: Wireless Networking Performance Considerations......Page 411
Is Wireless Networking Ready for Prime Time?......Page 412
Summary......Page 413
HOUR 24 Where Are Networks Going from Here?......Page 414
What’s Behind the Mandate for the Virtual Office?......Page 415
The Future of the Virtual Office......Page 417
The Future of the Internet......Page 421
Summary......Page 428
GLOSSARY......Page 430
INDEX......Page 448