Networking For Dummies, 12th Edition

Chapter 28

Ten Big Network Mistakes

Just about the time you figure out how to avoid the most embarrassing computer mistakes (such as using your CD drive’s tray as a cup holder), the network lands on your computer. Now you have a whole new list of dumb things you can do, mistakes that can give your average computer geek a belly laugh because they seem so basic to him. Well, that’s because he’s a computer geek. Nobody had to tell him not to fold the floppy disk — he was born with an extra gene that gave him an instinctive knowledge of such things.

Here’s a list of some of the most common mistakes made by network novices. Avoid these mistakes and you deprive your local computer geek of the pleasure of a good laugh at your expense.

Skimping on Hardware

Good computer equipment is not cheap. You can walk into your local electronics store and buy everything you need to set up a cheap network: cables, switches, and computers to use as servers. But you get what you pay for. Professional-grade equipment costs much more, and in a business environment, it’s worth it.

Why? Because professional-grade equipment is designed with performance, reliability, and centralized management in mind.

Professional server computers typically include redundancy in all the key systems — duplicate power supplies, duplicate network ports, duplicate disk controllers, and often even duplicate CPUs and motherboards. So, if one component fails, the server can continue operating.

Professional switches typically ...