Dedicated Server Computer example essay topic

Anyone who's run a network operations group knows the frustration that accompanies management inquiries about "our network strategy". To be successful, a strategic network plan must define the services the network will offer the line operations of the business. Network, in computer science, techniques, physical connections, and computer programs used to link two or more computers. Network users are able to share files, printers, and other resources; send electronic messages; and run programs on other computers.

A network has three layers of components: application software, network software, and network hardware. Application software consists of computer programs that interface with network users and permit the sharing of information, such as files, graphics, and video, and resources, such as printers and disks. Network software consists of computer programs that establish protocols, or rules, for computers to talk to one another. These protocols are carried out by sending and receiving formatted instructions of data called packets. Protocols make logical connections between network applications, direct the movement of packets through the physical network, and minimize the possibility of collisions between packets sent at the same time. These are some of the different types of Network software: Appletalk, Arpanet, Bitnet, CWIS, Ethernet, IBM Token Ring, Internet, LAN, and USENET.

Also Class A, B, & C network refer to the different types of sub net protocol. Local Area Networks (LANs), which connect computers separated by short distances, such as in an office or a university campus, commonly use bus, star, or ring topologies. Wide area networks (WANs), which connect distant equipment across the country or internationally, often use special leased telephone lines as point-to-point links, and is the biggest network. When computers share physical connections to transmit information packets, a set of Media Access Control (MAC) protocols are used to allow information to flow smoothly through the network. An efficient MAC protocol ensures that the transmission medium is not idle if computers have information to transmit. It also prevents collisions due to simultaneous transmission that would waste media capacity.

MAC protocols also allow different computers fair access to the medium. One type of MAC is Ethernet, which is used by bus or star network topologies. An Ethernet-linked computer first checks if the shared medium is in use. If not, the computer transmits. Since two computers can both sense an idle medium and send packets at the same time, transmitting computers continue to monitor the shared connection and stop transmitting information if a collision occurs. Ethernet can transmit information at a rate of 10 Mbps.

The most significant - and successful - encroachment occurred when switched Ethernet devices appeared on the scene. This approach multiplies rather than divides bandwidth by the number of devices on the network and is the essential ingredient for building truly scalable networks. These changes, along with the price benefits of using copper (because virtually all ATM connections were fiber) and avoidance of ATM's massive complexity, doomed ATM as the 'end-to-end everywhere's o lution it was long purported to be. Computers also can use Token Ring MAC protocols, which pass a special message called a token through the network. This token gives the computer permission to send a packet of information through the network. If a computer receives the token, it sends a packet, or, if it has no packet to send, it passes the token to the next computer.

Since there is only one token in the network, only one computer can transmit information at a time. One type of application software is called client-server. Client computers send requests for information or requests to use resources to other computers, called servers, that control data and applications. Another type of application software is called peer-to-peer. In a peer-to-peer network, computers send messages and requests directly to one another without a server intermediary. All PC networking is based on the client / server concept, in which one computer (the client) requests a service from another computer (the server).

The server then replies to the client's request by supplying the requested service, which the client utilizes as it sees fit. The client and the server are independent computers, each of which devotes part of its resources towards the goal of performing some computing task. The technology that enables PCs to work together in this manner is called local area networking. A local area network (or LAN) is a collection of computers connected by cables (or some other medium), so that they can communicate with each other at will. The client systems that make up most of a LAN access files, printers, and data from servers, but they work with that data using their local processors. While a server is dedicated primarily to processing requests from clients, it is the client system that actually processes and modifies the data supplied by the server.

The client / server networking model is fine for medium to large businesses, but is not practical in a home or a small business. It isn't worth the expense to install a dedicated server computer to support at most 2 or 3 clients. In addition to requiring a dedicated server computer, network operating systems like Net Ware are priced for business customers, as are client / server applications. Today, the client and server roles refer to services on a computer, rather than to dedicated computers.

Operating systems such as Windows 98 can function as both clients and servers, meaning that they can both access shared resources on other computers and share their own resources with others. This is called peer-to-peer networking, because every computer on the network functions as an equal to the others. Peer-to peer networks are ideal for homes and small businesses, because they provide all the benefits of a LAN at a minimum cost. There is no need for a dedicated server on a peer network or a specialized server operating system.

Part of designing an effective peer network is deciding which resources you will share. Just because every computer on a peer-to-peer network can function as both a client and a server doesn't mean that they all have to assume both roles. Sharing all of the drives on all of your computers can be confusing to the network's users, who may have trouble locating the files they need. You can also design your network to function in client / server mode, even while using a peer-to-peer operating system like Windows 98. You can, for example, designate one Win 98 PC as a server and use it to store all of the data required by your users, while the other computers all function as clients of that server In conclusion, an effective network design falls somewhere between the extremes of sharing the resources on all of your computers and sharing those on just one. Home networks will naturally be more informal than business ones, but every network needs some degree of administrative control in order to function properly.