Introduction. I. A NETWORKING PRIMER.
Hour 1. An Overview of Networking. What Is a Network? Why Build a Network? How Networks Are Put Together.
Physical Networking-the Hardware. Network Devices. The Logical Network.
The Varieties of Networks.
LANs. WANs.
How the Internet Relates to Your Network.
What Is the Internet? Understanding Bandwidth. Understanding Different Kinds of Internet Connections. Why Does the Internet Matter for Your Network? Intranets, Extranets, and the Internet.
Summary.
Q&A.
Hour 2. The Benefits of Networking. Computing Before Computer Networks.
Networking's Breakthrough: Packet-Switched Data.
Life Without Computer Networks.
Inefficient Resource Sharing. Slo-o-ow Data. No Centralized Data Management. Expense.
Benefits of Networking.
Simplified Resource Sharing. Networking Is Faster. Centralized Management.
Summary.
Q&A.
II. THE BASICS.
Hour 3. Getting Data from Here to There: How Computers Share Data. Logical Topologies.
Ethernet. Token Ring and FDDI. Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM).
Network Protocols.
The OSI Model (And Why You Should Be Familiar with It). TCP/IP. IPX. NetBIOS and NetBEUI.
Summary.
Q&A.
HOUR 4. Computer Concepts. Computer Hardware.
The CPU. Memory. Disks. Add-In Adapter Cards.
Client Operating System Software.
Multitasking Versus Single-Tasking Systems. MS-DOS to Windows. MacOS. Windows. OS/2. Windows 2000. Unix.
Summary.
Q&A.
Hour 5. Network Concepts. What Networks Are Made.
Network-Specific Hardware. Software: Network Operating Systems.
Summary.
Q&A.
Hour 6. Extending Your LAN: Wide Area Networks. What Is a WAN? WAN Hardware.
Bridges. Gateways: Protocol Translators. Routers.
High-Speed Data Access.
Trunk Lines: T1 and T3. Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN). Digital Subscriber Lines (DSL). Service Level Agreements and Quality of Service Agreements.
Can the Internet Help You Build Your WAN? So Who Needs a WAN, Anyway? Summary.
Q&A.
Hour 7. Remote Networking. A Brief History of Remote Access: Remote Control and Remote Node.
Remote Control. Remote Node.
Different Organizations Need Different RAS Solutions. Remote Access Requirements.
Modems. ISDN Terminal Adapters. Protocols.
Authentication and Security. Using the Internet for Remote Access.
VPNs.
Remote Access Hardware: Build or Buy?.
Building a Remote Access Solution. Buying Turnkey Remote Access Solutions.
Summary.
Q&A.
III. BUILDING A NETWORK.
Hour 8. The Criteria for Building Your Network. What Are Best Practices? Planning Best Practices: Plan, Design, Implement, and Tune.
Dealing with Change. Applying the Best Practices.
Interoperability and Standards-Based Networking. Security.
Enunciating Usage Policies and Procedures. Defining Secure Behaviors.
Collating What You've Learned. Summary.
Q&A.
Hour 9. Designing Your Network. Step 1: Identifying the Uses of Your Network.
Defining the Organizational Purpose. Quantifying the Network.
Step 2: Listing Which Tasks Happen at Which Computers.
The Many-User Computer. Single-User Computers.
Step 3: Determining the Degree of Centralization.
Easier Access to Files. Stronger Security. Unix Permissions. Easier Backup. Easier Configuration Management. The Ramifications of Centralization.
Step 4: Making It Real-Drawing the Network.
Drawing the Logical Network Diagram. Drawing the Physical Network Diagram.
Step 5: Writing the Specification and Getting Others' Input.
Writing the Specification Document. Meeting with Other Users.
Step 6: Specifying Hardware.
Selecting Hardware.
Step 7: Building the Network. Questionnaire/Checklist
Meeting with Senior Management. Meeting with Rank-and-File Employees. Distilling Core Issues from Interviews. Quantifying the Network. Determining Applications and Rightsizing the Workstation. Deciding Whether to Centralize.
Summary.
Q&A.
Hour 10. How to Select Hardware and Software for Your Network. Selecting a Topology.
Ethernet 10BASE-2. 10BASE-T. Token Ring. FDDI/ATM/100BASE-FX/1000BASE-T(Fiber-Optic Technologies).
Selecting the Network Type: Client/Server or Peer to Peer.
Client/Server Networking. Peer Networking. Peer-to-Peer and Client/Server Networking.
Selecting the Workstation Operating System and Network Operating System.
Peer-to-Peer OSes. Client/Server Network Operating Systems.
Selecting the Network Protocol.
IPX. NetBEUI. TCP/IP.
Summary.
Q&A.
Hour 11. Physically Assembling a Network. Before Installation. Installing Adapter Cards. Working on Wiring: Closets, Cables, Connections, Concentrators, and Terminators.
The Wiring Closet: Ethernet, Token Ring, ATM, and FDDI's Home Sweet. Home.
Summary.
Q&A.
Hour 12. Network Applications. Email.
Uses of Email. Proprietary Mail Systems. Open-Standards Email. Sending Files: Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME).
Group Calendaring. Networked Contact Management. A Sampler of Network-Based Software. Summary.
Q&A.
Hour 13. Connecting to the Internet: Email and Web Sources. Internet Email.
Dial-Up Internet Mail. Dedicated-Connection Internet Mail. Understanding High-Speed Internet Connections.
Protocol Translation. Summary.
Worksheet. Q&A.
IV. NETWORK OPERATING SYSTEMS.
Hour 14. Microsoft Windows Peer Networking. Microsoft Windows Networking. Windows Operating Systems.
Windows 95, 98, and Me. Windows NT Workstation and Windows 2000 Professional.
Basic Windows Networking Concepts.
Sharing. Arbitrary Sharing. Workgroups.
Protocol Selection for Windows Networks. Summary.
Q&A.
Hour 15. Microsoft Windows 2000 Server. About Windows 2000 Server.
Windows 2000 Server's File Systems. Windows 2000 Server Networking Basics.
Windows 2000 Server Concepts.
The Differences Between Workgroups and Domains. Trust Relationships Between Windows 2000 Server Domains. User Logon Security. NT Server Roles. Sharing. NT Server Applications.
Other Computers with Which Windows 2000 Server Can Network. Summary.
Q&A.
Hour 16. Novell NetWare. Advantages of a NetWare Network. Disadvantages of a NetWare Network.
NetWare Basics.
The Differences Between NetWare 3.x and 4.x. How NetWare Works. NetWare Interoperability. Protocol Selection.
NetWare Clients and NDS: Who's on First? Summary.
Q&A.
Hour 17. Unix and Linux. The History of Unix.
Growing Pains. Spreading the Word. The Great Schism. Unix Under Attack. Unix Woes. The Future of Unix: Still on Solid Ground.
Basic Unix Concepts.
Everything Is a File. Standard Input and Output. Hierarchical File System. Interoperability and Open Standards. Unix as a Network Operating System.
The Specs: A Close Look at Unix.
Terminals. Things That Go Together: Networking and Unix. Long Filenames, Case-Sensitive Names, and Switches. Graphical User Interfaces. Protocol Selection.
Summary.
Q&A.
V. INTRODUCTION TO NETWORK ADMINISTRATION.
Hour 18. The Network Administrator. Planning and Installing a Network.
The Planning Checklist. The Installation Checklist.
Administering a Network.
Keeping Logs. Data Storage. Maintaining a Network. Design and Expansion. User Account Design and Maintenance. Naming Conventions. Distribution of Functions. Backup Planning. Security Design. Disaster Recovery.
Summary.
Hour 19. Security. Why Network Security Is Important. Potential Network Security Risks.
The Ease of Replication of Digital Data. Nonaudited Networks. Non-Firewall Internet-Connected Networks. Viruses. Various TCP/IP Attacks. Nontechnical Attacks.
Malicious and Nonmalicious Attacks. Setting Up Your Defenses. Summary.
Hour 20. Upgrades. The Inevitable Upgrade.
The Upgrade Cycle. Designing for Sanity: Healthy Growth Plans. The Costs of the Upgrade Cycle: ROI.
Planning for Network Growth.
Random Growth. Trying to Standardize. Recommendations for Upgrades. Planning Upgrades.
The Reading Prescription. Managing Hardware Growth. Managing Software Growth. Network Management Software. Summary.
Q&A.
Hour 21. Network Admin Tips and Tricks. Making Your Own Cables.
Ethernet Cables.
Cool Cheap Tools.
ping: Is There Anybody Out There? ftp: A Poor Man's Throughput Tester. Traceroute: How Can I Get from Here to There? Nslookup: What's the Number for the Name?
Inexpensive Software.
The Linux Alternative. No GNUs Are Bad GNUs.
Internet Tricks.
IP Forwarding. IP Masquerading/Address Translation. Protocol Translation. Dial-On-Demand Routing.
Summary.
Hour 22. A Day in the Life. A Day in the Life.... Daily Tasks. Strategies for Supporting Users. Summary.
VI. THE FUTURE OF NETWORKING.
Hour 23. Wireless LANs. Why Use Wireless Networks? What Is Wireless Networking? Wireless Network Applications.
In-Office Wireless Networking Technologies. Out-of-Office Wireless Network Technologies.
Not Built for Speed: Wireless Networking Performance Considerations. Why Wireless Networks Are Attractive to Networkers. Is Wireless Networking Ready for Prime Time? The Costs of Wireless Networking. Summary.
Hour 24. Where Are Networks Going from Here? What's Behind the Mandate for the Virtual Office?
Customer Service. Cost Reduction. Americans with Disabilities Act. Environmental Issues. Convenience.
The Future of the Virtual Office.
Designing Virtual Offices: Working with Management. Access Types.
The Future of the Internet.
The Dangers Facing the Internet. Some Thoughts on Solutions to Some of the Internet's Nemeses. A Solution to Organizational Confusion: New Top-Level Domains.
Summary.
Glossary. Index. 