MCSE : Security Specialist
Network type and network card
Two Major network Types
Peer
to Peer
In a
peer to peer network also called Workgroups, there is no dedicated
servers. All computers are equal and therefore known as peers.
Normally each computer functions as both a client and a server.
There are usually 10 or less computers on this type of network.
Server Based
In a
network with more than 10 users a peer to peer network will probably
not be adequate. Therefore most networks have dedicated servers,
which are not used as clients or workstations.
Network Adapter Card
A
network adapter (sometimes called a network interface card, or NIC)
is a hardware card installed in a computer so it can communicate on
a network. The network adapter provides one or more ports for the
network cable to connect to, and it transmits and receives data onto
the network cable.
Every
networked computer must also have a network adapter driver, which
controls the network adapter. Each network adapter driver is
configured to run with a certain type of network adapter.
A
networked computer must also have one or more protocol drivers
(sometimes called a transport protocol or just a protocol). The
protocol driver works between the upper-level network software and
the network adapter to package data to be sent on the network.
In
most cases, for two computers to communicate on a network, they must
use identical protocols. Sometimes, a computer is configured to use
multiple protocols. In this case, two computers need only one
protocol in common to communicate. For example, a computer running
File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks that uses both
NetBEUI and TCP/IP can communicate with computers using only NetBEUI
or only TCP/IP.
Windows 98 Setup automatically configures a computer to use
protocols and drivers to match network components that are running
when Setup is started.
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