Networks - Part Two options
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In the previous issue we introduced you to
Networks by explaining what a network system is, what benefits
you can gain from implementing a network system and some of the
security issues surrounding a network. In this issue we will
look at the most common networks available today, identifying the
advantages and disadvantages of each.
Before deciding which Operating System you
are going to use, you will need to decide whether to use a peer-to-peer
network, or a client/server network.
In a peer-to-peer network a number of
workstations are linked together (along with printers etc.) with
one of the workstations being the server.
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In a client/server network workstations are
linked to a central dedicated server which stored the
data centrally for sharing.
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If you have decided upon a client/server
option then you need to decide which operating systems to use on
both the server and the clients.
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Windows 95/ 98
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Youll almost certainly run Windows 95
or 98 on your workstations if youre setting up a new PC
network. Windows 95/98 is an excellent network client,
nearly twice as fast in that role as the older Windows 3.x.
Windows 95 works well as a peer-to-peer server also, without
requiring any additional software.
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Windows Suitability
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Widely Compatible - Windows 95/98
works with just about every hardware device available, and its
software compatibility with older Windows 3.x and MS-DOS programs
is good, too.
Easily Networkable On A Client/Server
Network - As a network client, Windows 95/98 can connect to
just about any kind of server including another Windows 95/98
machine, Windows NT (Workstation or Server), Novell IntranetWare,
LAN Manager.
Easily Networkable On A Peer-To-Peer
Network - The built-in peer-to-peer networking in Windows 95
is easy to set up and manage using share-level
security. Its also mature and reliable, having
evolved from Windows for Workgroups.
Easy To Troubleshoot - You can
perform remote troubleshooting and management of Windows 95
PCs - from across the network or even over a dial-up
connection - with Windows utilities such as the Remote Registry
Editor and System Monitor, as long as you use Windows 95 in a
client/server network. (You cant run the Remote Registry
Editor in a pure peer-to-peer LAN.)
Easy To Link With A Modem - The
dial-up networking (DUN) feature of Windows 95 /98
lets you connect to most network servers over a modem link, and
works well. You can set up a Windows 95 machine as a host for
incoming connections, allowing employees to dial in to your
network from the road or a home office.
Easy To Install New Hardware -
Windows 95 makes installing hardware easier with Plug-and-Play, a
technology that enables you to set up new devices with less fuss
and muss than with Windows 3.x.
Easy To Install - Installing Windows
95/98 is accomplished with a wizard, a program that
asks you a few easy questions and then configures the system
based on your answers. Also, Windows automatically detects about
2000 different devices during set-up, so just about any piece of
hardware you have connected when you start installing Windows 95
will be recognised and ready to roll when youre done.
Windows 95 Doesnt Really Have Its
Own Security System - Although you can restrict what users
can do on their own workstations with a utility called System
Policy Editor, Windows 95 leverages the security database of
another network server (IntranetWare or NT Server) for access
control in its user-level security mode.
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Windows NT Workstation
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More and more often, companies are now
considering Windows NT Workstation (NWT) in place of Windows
95/98 for desktop use. NWT makes a fine client operating
system and can function in a peer-to-peer network just like
Windows 95/98 (actually, probably a little better, because
its closer to being crash proof). NWT uses the same
graphical user interface that Windows 95 does, so its
comfortable for those familiar with Windows 95.
Why does Microsoft sell two workstation
products? In a nutshell, the Windows 95/98 products are for
general business use and work with just about every conceivable
peripheral device, while NTW is for users who require very high
reliability, security, and data processing power. As NTW is
aimed at the business user it probably comes as no surprise that
the other key difference is that NTW is more expensive.
The key differences of NTW over Windows
95/98 are:
More Stable - NTW crashes far less
often than Windows 95/98.
More Secure - NTW offers its own
reasonably airtight security system, while Windows 95/98 depends
on network servers to impose workstation security.
Offers More Limited Choice Of Peripherals
- Windows 95/98 works with a much wider variety of hardware, and
with Plug-and-Play, can usually figure out how to install and
support new hardware automatically. Try installing hardware
that isnt on the Microsoft Hardware Compatibility List on NTW, and youll have problems. This is something to be
aware of if you are purchasing a new system do not assume
that existing printers etc. will be compatible with NTW.
More Difficult To Install - Windows
NTW is a bit more difficult to install than Windows 95/98 for non-technical users.
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Windows NT Server
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Although it has a separate name, package and
price, Windows NT Server (NTS) isnt all that different
under the covers from its workstation twin. Frankly, the main
difference is in how Microsoft licenses the product and what
extra software Microsoft throws in. In addition, the NTS
version supports four CPUs rather than the two allowed with NTW,
and it offers domain services to enable you to divide
up your network (NTW doesnt let you set up domain services,
although it can certainly use them if an NT Server is running on
the same network).
Although NTS is a relatively young product
as Network Operating Systems go, Microsoft has devoted a great
deal of time, energy, and talent toward enhancing. it since its
debut with versions 3.1 and 3.50. NTS 4.0 is proving to be
a strong and popular choice for a small business.
Some of the key features of NT Server over
and above those detailed against NT Workstation are:
Capable Of Running Different File System -
NTS can run the FAT ( File Allocation Table) file system (a
method of organising disk space), which DOS, Windows 3x, and
Windows 95/98 use. However, NTS comes with its own
preferred file system, NTFS (NT File System), which offers the
advantages of file-level security and disaster recovery.
Solid Security - NTS offers solid
security. You can set up users, groups, workgroups, and
domains, and you can set up directory and file-level security.
NTS comes with the C2 Manager to implement its security model.
Easy To Integrate With Novell - NTS
integrates very well with existing Novell IntranetWare servers,
allowing NT clients to see IntranetWare resources and allowing
IntranetWare clients to see NT resources.
Helps Manage Ip Addresses - NTS comes
with most of the utilities you need to handle IP (Internet
Protocol) addressing issues.
Supports Remote Access For Your Employees
At Home Or On The Road - The NTS Remote Access
Service (RAS) is a mature and competant communications tool
for outbound and inbound access.
Lots Of Compatible, Useful Software -
Microsoft makes a number of companion products available for NTS
in the BackOffice product family, including a database (SQL
Server), e-mail server (Exchange), and management software for
larger networks (Systems Management Server).
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LANtastic
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Until Windows 95 came along, LANtastic from
Artisoft was a very popular choice for a peer-to-peer small
business network. The built-in networking capabilities in
Windows 95 make LANtastic a less compelling choice than it used
to be, and the company has undergone some painful downsizing as a
result. The product does, however, include some features
that Windows 95 doesnt.
LANtastic software offers the following
capabilities:
Convenient Installation - You can
conveniently install LANtastic on workstation computers using a
single diskette that you create on the first workstation you set
up.
E-Mail Software Included - You get an
e-mail package, too, although it requires at least one computer
on the network to run Windows 3.x or DOS.
Remote Management - LANtastic
includes a DOS-based utility for remote management (so that you
can administer the network from a dial-up connection), but only
of DOS, Windows 3.x, or dedicated LANtastic servers.
Good Security - LANtastic offers much
more in the way of security than the Windows 95 peer-to-peer
network. You can set up logon security with password and
time-of-day restrictions, network accounts at one of the four
management security levels, and file and directory security that
overrides account security-much like you can do on client/server
networks like Windows NT Server or IntranetWare.
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NetWare
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The Novell NetWare product family has been
synonymous with small business networking for many years.
NetWare is no longer the only choice that it once was, though,
and Novell has lost some market share in recent years to Windows
NT Server.
Today, Novell has written off its dalliances
with WordPerfect and UnixWare, and is more focused on what it
does well. Novell still has a strong asset in the form of
its NetWare Directory Services (NDS), and the IntranetWare for
Small Business (IBS) bundle is very competitive with Windows NT
Server in terms of capabilities and price.
Novell has also taken some strong steps to
make the IBS product easier to install, an area that was never
NetWares strong suit in the past (one of the reasons
Windows NT Server made inroads in the markets, in fact). Novell
is making IntranetWare more Internet-friendly, and less closely
tied to the IPX/SPX network language that it developed to run
with NetWare. Finally, there are still many more NetWare experts
out there than Windows NT Server experts, so the pool of
consulting and support resources is bigger.
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IntranetWare 4.11
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IntranetWare 4.11 (IW 4.11) is a full
featured, industrial-strength, mature, and highly scaleable
NOS. Like all versions of NetWare,IW 4.11 runs on Intel and
Intel-compatible processors only. The networking nuts and
bolts are basically the same as those in what Novell used to call
NetWare 4.1, but Novell has added software for Internet and
intranet features and given the product a new name in the
process.
With Novel its a case of with
capability comes complexity, and IW4.11 is not the sort of the
software you pull out of the box and install in one
afternoon. Novell designed this product to be able to
support hundreds of users per server and several servers per
network. IW 4.11 is arguably the an extremely solid NOS for
such a large Local Area Network (LAN), and its NetWare Directory
Services (NDS) method of organising LAN resources handles big
networks better than the Windows NT Server domain model.
NDS is a single database containing
information about every user, group and printer on the network,
along with all access permission information. However, if
you are a small business you wont have a large LAN, and IW
4.11 is probably overkill.
Here are some of the salient features of IW
4.11:
Users Conveniently Log On To The Entire
Network Using A Single Account Name And Password.
Easy Application Distribution - An
administrator can distribute new application software to IW 4.11
users relatively easily with the NetWare Application Launcher
(NAL).
Many Printer Connection Option s- You
can set up network printers that connect to an IW 4.11 server, to
the network itself via a Network Interface Card, to
the network via a parallel-to-network conversion device or to a
workstation.
Easy Internet Connection For Workstations
- IW 4.11 includes an IPX-to-IP gateway that lets you run
your LAN on the IPX network language and connect to the Internet,
which uses the IP network language, without having to install IP
software on each workstation.
File Compression - The IW 4.11
automatic file compression options enable efficient use of disk
space, and are more sophisticated than those of Windows NT
Server.
High Reliability Features - The
network comes with features to ensure reliability, such as
automatic recovery from disk defects, disk mirroring
and disk duplexing. At extra cost, you can even
create mirrored servers for very high reliability.
No Need To Shut Down - In contrast to
Windows NT Server, you can make a lot of changes to an IW 4.11
server while leaving it up and running.
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IntranetWare For Small Business
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IntranetWare for Small Business (ISB) is
basically IntranetWare 4.11 with the following changes:
In addition to the NWADMIN management tool,
ISB includes a simplified version, the Novell Easy
Administration Tool (NEAT). You also get a little
program called QuickStart, which steps you through the process of
setting up network users and groups. You use QuickStart to set
things at first, and NEAT to make changes later on.
ISB includes an 8-port version of NetWare
Connect, which is software for inbound and outbound
communications. NetWare Connect (which does not come with
IntranetWare 4.11) makes it easy for your NOS reseller to log on
and perform maintenance functions remotely, and many Novell VARs
(Value Added Resellers) provide such services.
ISB does not include the IPX-to-IP gateway
that regular IntranetWare includes, nor does it include the
MultiProtocol Router. However, if you want to link to the
Internet, you can get IPX-to-IP gateways from other companies.
Novell deactivated some of the more complex
features of NetWare Directory Services in order to make the
network tree easier to understand and navigate in a single server
environment.
Licensing is different in that you can
purchase individual licences, although there is an upper limit of
25 users.
Do not forget to visit new online services...
There are other options but we have detailed
above the major systems available. Which route to go is
still your choice but hopefully this feature has answered some
questions and helped you with your decision. If you are
looking at, or already use, a different system and would like us
to review it please let us know.
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