Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Networking, Fourth Edition

Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Networking, Fourth Edition

Released September 2003
Publisher(s): Que
ISBN: 0789729113

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Book description

Absolute Beginner's Guide to Networking, Fourth Edition gives readers the ability and understanding necessary to create and administer a network. The book shows the reader how to physically connect computers and other devices to a network and access peripherals such as printers over the network. Readers will also be able to configure computers to access the network and the network to share an Internet connection. This book will provide easy-to-understand details on new technologies and background information (such as basic networking, including protocols and physical infrastructure) necessary for the user to network computer devices.

Absolute Beginner's Guide to Networking takes the frustration out of planning and creating a network, and helps readers understand what they are getting into when planning a network and strategies for making the network a success.

Table of contents

  1. Copyright
    1. Dedication
  2. About the Author
  3. Acknowledgments
  4. We Want to Hear from You!
  5. Reader Services
  6. Introduction
    1. Conventions Used in This Book
    2. How This Book Is Organized
  7. I. Networking Basics
    1. 1. Computer Networking Overview
      1. What Is a Network?
      2. Why Network Your Computers?
      3. PC Networking: How It All Began
        1. Mainframes and Miniframes
        2. The Advent of the PC
        3. Connecting PCs
      4. Clients and Servers: What Does It All Mean?
      5. Network Players: Users and Administrators
      6. Understanding LAN Data Transmission
      7. Networking Does Not Require the “All Knowing”
    2. 2. Different Needs, Different Networks
      1. Understanding Peer-to-Peer Networking
        1. Peer Products Come and Go
        2. Peer-to-Peer Networking Today
        3. Pros of Peer-to-Peer Networking
        4. Cons of Peer-to-Peer Networking
      2. Server-Based Networks
        1. Pros and Cons of Server-Based Networking
        2. Types of Network Servers
          1. File Servers
          2. Print Servers
          3. Communication Servers
          4. Application Servers
          5. Web Servers
          6. Other Specialized Servers
      3. Understanding Network Topologies
        1. Bus Topology
        2. Star Topology
        3. Ring Topology
      4. Assessing Your Network Needs
      5. Planning the Network
    3. 3. Networking Hardware
      1. Working with Network Interface Cards
        1. Selecting a NIC
        2. Installing a NIC
      2. Working with Network Connectivity Devices
        1. Hubs
        2. Repeaters
        3. Bridges
        4. Switches
        5. Routers
      3. Some Thoughts on PC Hardware
        1. Motherboards
        2. Processors
        3. Memory
        4. Hard Drives
        5. Network Server Considerations
        6. Network Client Considerations
        7. A Final Word on Computer Hardware
    4. 4. Building the Network Infrastructure
      1. Understanding Network Architectures
      2. Understanding Ethernet
        1. Ethernet Network Access Strategy
        2. Fast Ethernet
        3. Gigabit Ethernet
        4. Ethernet IEEE and Cable Specifications
      3. Understanding IBM Token-Ring
        1. Token-Ring Network Access Strategy
        2. Token-Ring IEEE and Cabling Standards
      4. Understanding FDDI
      5. Choosing a Network Connectivity Strategy
        1. Cabling Options
          1. Coaxial Cable
          2. Twisted-Pair Wire
        2. Fiber-Optic Cable
        3. Phone and Electrical Wire Networks
        4. Wireless Options
          1. Radio Connectivity
          2. Infrared Connectivity
    5. 5. Network Protocols: Real and Imagined
      1. Understanding the OSI Model
      2. How the OSI Model Works
        1. Application Layer
        2. Presentation Layer
        3. Session Layer
        4. Transport Layer
        5. Network Layer
        6. Data Link Layer
        7. Physical Layer
      3. Thoughts on Using a Conceptual Model
      4. TCP/IP
        1. TCP/IP Protocols
        2. IP Addressing
        3. IP Address Classes
        4. The Subnet Mask
      5. IPX/SPX
        1. IPX/SPX Protocols
        2. IPX/SPX Addressing
        3. Configuring IPX/SPX
      6. Other Network Protocols of Note
        1. NetBEUI
        2. AppleTalk
          1. AppleTalk Addressing
          2. AppleTalk and the OSI Model
        3. DLC
  8. II. Getting the Network Up and Running
    1. 6. Configuring Peer-to-Peer Networks
      1. Selecting and Configuring Network Protocols
        1. Windows and LAN Protocols
        2. TCP/IP Issues
      2. Setting Up the Peer-to-Peer Network
        1. Creating Windows Workgroups
        2. Windows Folder and Printer Sharing
      3. Combining Linux and Windows
        1. Configuring and Using Samba
        2. Using SWAT
      4. Accessing Windows Workgroup Shares
      5. A Final Word on Peer-to-Peer Networking
    2. 7. Network Operating System Overview
      1. What Is an NOS?
      2. Client and NOS Interaction
        1. Configuring Network Clients
        2. Configuring Client Computers with LAN Protocols
      3. Configuring a Server with an NOS
        1. Server Hardware Configuration
        2. NOS Licensing
        3. Installing a NOS
      4. Sharing Folders and Directories
      5. How Network Printing Works
    3. 8. Networking with Novell NetWare 6.5
      1. NetWare and Networking
      2. The Netware Network Structure
      3. Installing NetWare
        1. NetWare Installation: DOS Phase
        2. NetWare Installation: GUI Phase
      4. Administering a Novell Network
      5. Working with Volumes and Folders
        1. Creating and Sharing Directories
        2. Sharing Printers
        3. Configuring an iPrint Client
      6. Working with Users and Groups
      7. Configuring Network Clients
      8. NetWare DNS and DHCP
    4. 9. Networking with Microsoft Windows Server 2003
      1. Understanding the Microsoft Networking Model
      2. Installing Microsoft Windows Server 2003
        1. Hardware Issues
        2. Performing a Clean Install or an Upgrade
        3. The Installation Process
      3. Choosing a Server’s Role
      4. Understanding Windows Active Directory
        1. Active Directory Users and Computers
        2. Active Directory Domains and Trusts
        3. Active Directory Sites and Services
      5. Creating User Accounts
      6. Sharing Windows Folders
      7. Understanding Share Permissions
      8. Windows and NTFS Permissions
      9. Sharing Printers
      10. Security and Windows Server 2003
    5. 10. Networking with Linux
      1. Installing Red Hat Linux
      2. Network Configuration
      3. Root Configuration
      4. Selecting Installation Packages
      5. Booting Your Linux System
      6. Upgrading Your Linux System Software
      7. Linux Administrative Tools
      8. Working with Users
      9. Working with Red Hat Network Services
      10. Sharing Network Resources
        1. Configuring the Network File System
        2. Sharing Printers
        3. Browsing for Resources
      11. Monitoring the System and Network
    6. 11. Working with Applications on the Network
      1. Selecting Application Software
      2. Using Application Software on the Network
        1. Client-Based Applications
        2. Network-Based Applications
        3. Sharing Application Files with SharePoint
        4. Working with Groupware Products
        5. Using GroupWise
        6. Using Lotus Notes
          1. Lotus Notes Administration
          2. Lotus Notes Client Operation
        7. Using Microsoft Exchange Server
          1. Exchange Server Administration
          2. Outlook Client Operation
      3. Understanding Microsoft .NET
      4. Understanding Client/Server Databases
  9. III. Expanding Your Network
    1. 12. TCP/IP Network Administration
      1. Working with IP Addresses
      2. Configuring IP Addresses
      3. Working with DHCP
        1. DHCP Client Address Requests
        2. Configuring a DHCP Server
      4. Understanding DNS
        1. The DNS Namespace
        2. How DNS Works
        3. Configuring a DNS Server
      5. Routing and Subnetting IP Networks
        1. Configuring a Router Interface
        2. Subnetting IP Address Pools
          1. Borrowing Bits
          2. Computing Host Address Per Subnet
          3. Computing Host Ranges
      6. Introducing IPv6
    2. 13. Expanding a LAN with WAN Technology
      1. Working with the Plain Old Telephone System
      2. Working with Dial-up and Dedicated Connections
        1. Asynchronous Modem Connections
        2. Synchronous Modems
      3. The T-Carrier System
      4. Understanding Switched Networks
      5. Circuit Switching
        1. ISDN
        2. Digital Subscriber Line
      6. Packet-Switching Networks
        1. Frame Relay
        2. Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM)
      7. A Word Regarding Remote Access
    3. 14. How the Internet Works
      1. Where Did the Internet Come From?
      2. Working with the File Transfer Protocol
        1. FTP Servers
        2. Anonymous FTP
        3. FTP Clients
      3. Understanding Electronic Mail
        1. Email Addresses
        2. SMTP
        3. POP3
        4. IMAP
        5. Configuring an Email Client
      4. Working with the Web
      5. Other Internet Onramps
        1. Newsgroups
        2. Internet Relay Chat
    4. 15. Connecting a Network to the Internet
      1. Connecting to the Internet
        1. Accessing the Internet Backbone
        2. Choosing an Internet Service Provider
        3. Choosing a Connection Type
      2. Getting Your Own Domain Name
      3. Getting Your IP Addresses
      4. Sharing an Internet Connection
        1. Hardware Required for Sharing an Internet Connection
        2. IP Addressing for the Computer Sharing the Connection
      5. Sharing an Internet Connection with Windows Server 2003
      6. Working with Proxy Servers
      7. Understanding Network Address Translation
    5. 16. Hosting a Web Site
      1. The Internet and Your Corporate Presence
        1. Marketing on the Web
        2. Selling on the Web
        3. Transaction Security
      2. Who Will Host Your Web Site?
        1. Hosting Your Own Web Site
        2. Using a Hosting Service
      3. Creating a Web Site
        1. Working with HTML
        2. Web Design Tools
      4. Taking Advantage of an Intranet
    6. 17. Networking on the Run
      1. The Evolution of Mobile Computing Devices
      2. Working with Laptops
      3. Understanding Remote Access
        1. Configuring an RAS Server for Dial-Up Access
        2. Configuring an RAS Client
      4. Understanding Access Protocols
      5. Managing Remote Connections
      6. Working with Virtual Private Networks
        1. Configuring a Tunnel Server
        2. Configuring a Tunnel Client
        3. Monitoring VPN Connections
      7. PDAs and the Network
        1. PDA and PC Synchronization
        2. Understanding BlackBerry
  10. IV. Keeping the Network Running Smoothly
    1. 18. Protecting Network Data
      1. Understanding Hard Drives
        1. Drive Partitioning
        2. Drive Formatting
      2. Working with RAID
      3. Understanding the RAID Flavors
        1. RAID 0
        2. RAID 1
        3. RAID 5
      4. Backing Up Data
        1. Backup Types
        2. Creating a Backup Strategy
      5. Working with Uninterruptible Power Supplies
    2. 19. Network Troubleshooting
      1. It’s Not Always User Error
      2. Identifying Network Operating System Problems
      3. Diagnosing Hardware Problems
      4. Monitoring the Network
      5. Dealing with Connectivity Issues
        1. Checking Settings and Connections from the Command Line
          1. Ipconfig
          2. Ping
          3. Traceroute
        2. Basic Connectivity Troubleshooting Tools
      6. Your Approach to Troubleshooting
    3. 20. A Network Security Primer
      1. Administrators and Users
      2. Working with User Accounts
        1. User Passwords
        2. Other User Account Options
      3. Understanding Share Permissions
      4. Using Groups to Provide Access Levels
      5. Fighting Against Viruses
        1. Types of Viruses
        2. Worms and Trojan Horses
        3. Virus Protection
      6. Protecting a Network from Outside Attack
      7. Understanding Firewalls
      8. Types of Firewalls
      9. A Final Word on Network Security
    4. Glossary

Product information

  • Title: Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Networking, Fourth Edition
  • Author(s):
  • Release date: September 2003
  • Publisher(s): Que
  • ISBN: 0789729113