LESSON 1 ENGLISH

1.1 What is networking ?

Networking means connecting computers so that they can
share files, printers, applications, and other computer-
related resources. The advantages of networking
computers together are pretty obvious:

• Users can save their important files and documents
on a file server, which is more secure than storing
them on their workstations because a file server can
be backed up in a single operation.
• Users can share a network printer, which costs
much less than having a locally attached printer for
each user’s computer.
• Users can share groupware applications running on
application servers, which enables users to share
documents, send messages, and collaborate directly.
• The job of administering and securing a company’s
computer resources is simplified since they are
concentrated on a few centralized servers.
• This definition of networking focuses on the basic
goals of networking computers: increased
manageability, security, efficiency, and cost-
effectiveness over non-networked systems.

We could also focus on the different types of networks:

• Local area networks (LANs), which can range
from a few desktop workstations in a small
office/home office (SOHO) to several thousand
workstations and dozens of servers deployed
throughout dozens of buildings on a university
campus or in an industrial park
• Wide area networks (WANs), which might be a
company’s head office linked to a few branch
offices or an enterprise spanning several
continents with hundreds of offices and
subsidiaries
• The Internet, the world’s largest network and the
“network of networks”

We could also focus on the networking architectures
in which these types of networks can be implemented:

• Peer-to-peer networking, which might be
implemented in a workgroup consisting of
computers running Microsoft Windows 98 or
Windows 2000 Professional .
• Server-based networking, which might be based on
the domain model of Microsoft Windows NT, the
domain trees and forests of Active Directory in
Windows 2000, or another architecture such as
Novell Directory Services (NDS) for Novell
NetWare .
• Terminal-based networking, which might be the
traditional host-based mainframe environment;
the UNIX X Windows environment; the terminal
services of Windows NT 4, Server Enterprise
Edition; Windows 2000 Advanced Server .


1.2 Network Operating Systems

-Windows NT
A networking operating system designed using a Directory
to manage certain resources.
NT's primary file system is NTFS. Provides an inherently
GUI console at the server.
Clients - Windows NT Workstation best serves Windows NT
Server because of the common NTFS file system and they
are optimized to work best with each other.
However, Windows95/98, Windows for Workgroups, DOS, UNIX,
Macintosh, and even NetWare clients can be connected to
a Windows NT environment.

-UNIX
UNIX is a command line operating system written in
the C programming language. GUI interface can be
achieved by installing special software such as X-Windows. Used
mainly in a multi-user environment on minicomputers.
Several different version available and allows a great deal
of flexibility when performing network operations.
Many UNIX protocols are the standard for today’s Internet.
Clients - Unix specific clients such as Sun Sparc stations work
best with their manufacturer's Network Operating System (NOS).

-Novell NetWare
A networking operating system designed using a bindery
or Directory Service to manage most resources.
NetWare’s primary file system is a combination of FAT (File Allocation
Table) and DET (Directory Entry Table). Provides an inherently text
based and command prompt console at the server.
Clients - Novell NetWare works well with most popular clients
such as DOS, Windows 3.11, Windows 9x, Windows NT Workstation.

THUS WE HAVE FINISHED THIS LESSON , I AM WAITNG YOUR
QUESTIONS AND SUGGESTIONS , SEE YOU