Choosing a Network that's Right for You. (by Joseph Cheek)

Choosing a Network that’s Right for
            You
by Joseph Cheek
Computers open up a world of information and
            communication. A single computer can assist with managing
            finances, advertising a business, providing hours of
            entertainment, and interacting with people around the world
            with unprecedented ease. When these tasks are taken to a
            larger scale, however, a single computer cannot provide all
            the necessary resources. Computer networks provide ways for
            otherwise separate computers to talk to each other, so that
            all the computers can work together on the tasks given them.
           
            An example of a benefit of networks is printing. An office
            with three computers has two choices if every employee with a
            computer needs to print documents. First, printers can be
            purchased for every computer. Buying many printers can be
            expensive, and chances are that the printers will sit unused
            most of the time. Second, printers can be purchased for only
            one or two computers, and the employees that aren’t lucky
            enough to get a printer on their desk must borrow one of the
            other computers to print. This means they get to save their
            work on a floppy disk, walk to the other computer, hope no one
            is using it, load up their document on this computer, and
            finally print. What a waste of time and productivity!
            Enter computer networks. One printer can be purchased, and
            placed in a central location. Each employee can use that
            single printer as though they each had their own printer! The
            savings gained with increased productivity and fewer printers
            to purchase will pay for a small network immediately. Networks
            provide other services also, such as file sharing, centralized
            faxing, intra-office email and time scheduling, direct
            Internet access, centralized PC management, file security, and
            more.
            This article will discuss available network solutions from
            different vendors. Ease of use, price, and functionality will
            all be discussed here for three major network operating
            systems: IntranetWare from Novell, Windows 95 and Windows NT
            from Microsoft, and UNIX, available from various vendors. Keep
            in mind that no decision has to be absolute; networks can
            include all three operating systems, as well as parts from
            many other vendors.
           
            Novell’s IntranetWare
           
            Novell has the lion’s share of the PC networking market;
            Novell has sold more copies of its product than any other
            vendor has. IntranetWare, the latest offering, is
            server-based; this means that it runs on its own machine,
            which is used exclusively to provide network services. The
            good news is that this allows a high degree of security and
            stability; the bad news is that it requires an extra PC;
            placing five computers on an IntranetWare network requires six
            PC’s.
            Novell’s systems have several benefits. Their security is
            the best in its class. Many third-party programs integrate
            well with IntranetWare because of the market share it
            controls. A single high-end server PC can accommodate
            thousands of users. System-wide management tools are
            available, making it easy to manage both the network itself
            and the PC’s on the network. Its messaging package has been
            consistently rated best of class for years. With all of these
            added features, it still handles the basics extremely
well.
            Novell’s systems have a downside, and that is the cash
            required up front. While Novell has recently introduced a less
            expensive small business version, costs are still higher than
            that of some other systems. Compared to a car, I see Novell as
            a Cadillac.
           
            Microsoft’s Windows 95 and NT
           
            Microsoft really has two different types of network
            offerings: peer-to-peer with Windows 95, and server-based with
            Windows NT. A peer-to-peer network is simply a network without
            a dedicated server; all computers on the network are
            responsible for requesting and providing their own services.
            This has both advantages and disadvantages.
            The advantages of a Windows 95 network is ease of
            installation and low cost. If your PC’s are already running
            Windows 95, there is no extra software to load! The only
            purchases necessary are the actual hardware that plugs in to
            the computer. Because there is no server, the functionality is
            limited. Files and printers can be shared, but with very
            little security. Email and some fax sharing is available, but
            to a smaller degree than with other solutions.
            Windows NT (New Technology) is Microsoft’s high-end network
            operating system. This is server-based, like Novell’s
            IntranetWare. Since the server is running a version of Windows
            it can be used for applications, although I strongly recommend
            against it. Simple day-to-day administration is easy;
            Microsoft provides software ‘wizards’ for automating simple
            tasks like setting up new user accounts. Security is not as
            strong as IntranetWare’s, and a single Windows NT server
            cannot handle as heavy of a workload as IntranetWare can.
            Simple installations of Windows NT, however, are much less
            expensive than IntranetWare. Compared to a car, Windows 95 is
            a Volkswagen bug; Windows NT is a nice Toyota.
           
            UNIX, available from various vendors
           
            UNIX really isn’t in the same class as IntranetWare and
            Windows NT; I include it here because it can do what Windows
            NT and IntranetWare do, although in different ways. Versions
            of UNIX are available for free (!), while some versions cost
            hundreds of thousands of dollars.
            UNIX has been around for decades, and as such has a LOT of
            support from thousands of different vendors. Standard
            services, such as file and printer sharing and email
            messaging, are included in basically all installations; beyond
            that, you can pick and choose what you want. If you want it,
            UNIX has it; sometimes it’s cheap, and sometimes it isn’t.
            My favorite part of UNIX is its connectivity options; with
            all the diversity of the Internet, UNIX systems power most of
            them (by some counts, more than 81%). At my office, I use a
            UNIX-clone, Linux, to provide my Internet connections,
            administrate my IntranetWare server, share files and printers
            with my Windows 95 and NT computers, and provide internal and
            external email for all users. The basic version of this
            software cost me less than one hundred dollars; the latest
            upgrade with added functionality is less than four hundred
            right now. What a deal! Compared to a car, UNIX can be
            anything from a Ford Escort to a Lamborghini Countach.
            Computer networks offer functionality that make them well
            worth the price and time investment. Only the basics have been
            covered here; more information can be easily obtained from
            anyone in the networking industry. Many different options
            exist, and most of the different systems offer most of the
            required services. When properly implemented, networks provide
            functionality and resources that far surpass those of
            stand-alone computers.
            Brought
            to you by: World Wide Information Outlet - http://certificate.net/wwio/,
            your source of FREEWare Content online.
           
Joseph Cheek is
            a network professional that has been involved with computers
            for 15 years. He has been published in national and
            international magazines, and currently spends his time working
            for his computer network consulting business,
            Cheek Consulting. He can be reached
            at joseph@cheek.com or
            on the web at http://www.cheek.com/.