Computer Network Management

Today it is almost inconceivable for a business not to have computers, whether it is a construction company or a high technology firm. When a business has more than one computer, they are almost always connected together in a local area network. These networks may be more or less advanced and therefore more or less costly.

Companies invest so much (in terms of both money and time) in a local area networks because there are many advantages that a local area network brings to a business and how it is administered.

Some businesses use a local area network in such a way they are highly dependent on it always working. If the company's network fails, then you may see all the employees chatting away in the corridors because they can't do their work. This means big losses for the company and causes stresses on the employees. All companies must consider their local area networks a vital asset and downtime must be avoided. This imposes huge demands on the network staff to keep such networks running almost 100% of the time.

The advantages of Computer Network Management

One of the main advantages of installing and maintaining LANs is the opportunity they create for better communication and cooperation between employees and customers.

Security considerations: Local Area Network security can be both a help and hindrance. Comprehensive security is beneficial because it provides a central and safe strategy for data access and disaster recovery. All information is protected by the design and implementation of the network security solution. On the other hand, interconnecting computers in local area networks creates a security risk, since doing so makes it technically possible for intruders to access many machines on the network at once.

Cost considerations: Installing a local area network is a relatively expensive project. Servers, cabling, switches, routers and software can all be expensive and should never be purchased without expert advice. Keeping the network operating and secure also requires a lot of resources and can be costly.

Surprisingly, a local area network can bring a number of cost savings. Sharing resources avoids the need to purchase equipment for each individual. Even more important is the security that a local area network can provide. Data loss could cost a business a great deal of money and in some cases, cause the business to shutdown altogether. Computer Network Management should require a consistent routine for data backups with regular checkups of data quality - a practice that will save a company huge sums in the event of a mishap.

Computer Network Management: preliminary analysis phases

The first phase of computer network management is to determine the source of the problem (a preliminary study that looks into several options of differing scope may be useful here) and defining it in a specification of requirements. Examples of what should be evaluated are different network operating systems, mail systems, and other applications. The choice of hardware components should also be evaluated. This phase is generally aimed at establishing what the system should do, not how it should do it.

Computer Network Management: design phase

The purpose of design phase is to determine how the requirements of the specification are to be met. The current approach to large, complex projects is to break them down into smaller, more manageable subprojects.

Computer Network Management: implementation phase

This phase involves the physical installation of the local area network. Cables are run, software is installed, and computers and other hardware are put in place.

Computer Network Management: integration and system testing phase

In this phase, commissioning of the network begins, and routines are adapted to users and the operating personnel. The system must be tested, both to ensure that the network meets the requirements set out in the specification and that it is stable enough to perform the central function it has in the organization.

Computer Network Management: operation and maintenance

Local area networks have complex operating routines. This is because there may be serious consequences when faults occur or unauthorized persons gain access to the system. Many companies have employees devoted solely to take care of running and maintaining computer networks. These system administrators may deal with network issues such as performance, reliability and security of both hardware and software.

Computer Network Management: tools

Although an organization may have computer administrators on site, they must also monitor the network more than eight hours a day. In fact, some of the worst trouble that arises with networks can happen during the night hours when nobody is using the network. With the right computer network management tools, your organization can receive the security of knowing that problems will be foreseen, prevented, and taken care of - and that your network administrator can be notified at a moment's notice, should anything go exceptionally wrong.

Frank Hughes is the Vice President of Technical Solutions at SecureMyCompany, Inc. Mr. Hughes has over 14 years experience in the IT industry, with the last 10 serving as the Senior Solutions Consultant for BellSoutions.net. Get more information on network management tools.

Frank Hughes hold several vendor certifications including Microsoft, Dell, Cisco, Sonicwall and many more. Mr. Hughes is a recognized expert in managed services including remote desktop managment, network monitoring and help desk software.

An Overview Of Computer Networks

My second degree, or should I say my second go through inside the education system was in networking. I'm a certified Novell and Microsoft engineer, not that I'm all that excited about the fact. Networking is actually pretty mindless work once you learn it. It's pretty much do it by the numbers based on what the customer wants. After you hook everything up the software installation is pretty straight forward. My 16 year old daughter could do it or as GEICO would say, a caveman could do it.

In this article I'm just going to cover the basics of what a network is and the types of networks. I'll go into more detail in later articles.

A network is simply a means for computers to speak to each other, or communicate with each other. With a network, computers can receive emails from each other, send files to each other, instant message each other and a variety of other things. This is something that we take for granted today but there was a time when networks were not so sophisticated and not all that efficient either.

There are basically two types of networks.

The simplest network is a LAN or Local Area Network. This is where all the computers in the network are located in one place such as an office building. Within this type of network you have 2 ways to connect.

The simplest way is peer to peer. This is where 2 or more computers are hooked up directly to each other. In other words if you have 5 computers you would have computer 1 hooked into computer 2 which would be hooked into computer 3 and so on. In this type of connection each computer is dependent on the other. So if computer 3 would go down then computers 1 and 2 would not be able to communicate or exchange information with computers 4 and 5 and visa versa. That is the main problem with a peer to peer network. Also in peer to peer networks the write process between computers leads to data corruption problems. This is not something they teach you in school but something you learn from experience.

The more common type of LAN connection is client server. This is where all the computers in the network are connected to each other via a central computer. This kind of connection does require more work in set up but is more efficient, carries data better and if one computer goes down the others aren't affected. However, should the server go down then all the computers on the network would be affected as far as their ability to get information from the other computers and the server itself. They, however, would still be able to do work locally on their own such as with a word processing program, unless the word processing program was located on the server. Then it would not be available. Usually, however, most applications are installed on each computer. What is most commonly lost when a server goes down is the ability to retrieve data that is common to everyone in the network, say an in house database of all employees.

The second type of network is a WAN or wide area network. This is where several LAN networks or even single computers are connected to a much larger network. A perfect example of a WAN is the Internet. This is where users from all over the world can interact with each other through email, chat rooms and instant messaging. WANs are enormous to say the least and are very intricate in their design, requiring hubs from all over the world to stay connected. One hub goes down and it can affect connections for millions of people though there are protocols instituted to reroute connections if a hub does go down.

The above is a very simplified overview of computer networks. In future articles I'll go into detail on the hardware and software required to set up these networks and some of the finer points. Stay tuned.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Networking [http://networking.for-home-and-office.com/]

An Overview of the Computer Network Devices & Components

A Computer network is comprised of different devices to share, transmit, and boost the signal, voice and data. Network devices or components are the physical parts connected to a network. There is a large number of the network devices and are increasing daily. The basic network devices are: Individual Computers, Server, Hub, Switch, Bridges, Routers, Modems, Printers, DSL Modems & Routers, Gateways, Network Interface Cards, Cabling & Wireless access point. The following is a overview of each of these network devices.

INDIVIDUAL COMPUTERS: The personal computer is usually a desktop computer, a work station or a laptop. The personal computers are most widely used in any organization or for personal use. The individual computers are the most common types of the microcomputers.

SERVER: A server is a computer on a network, which process request and is used to share the data and resources among the other computers in a network. A server stores all the necessary information and provides the different services like, workstation computer's logon access, internet sharing, print sharing, disk space sharing etc. There are different types of servers e.g File and print server, database server, proxy server, Fax server, backup server etc. A database server stores all the data and software, which may related to the certain database and it allows other network devices to access and process the database queries. A file server is used to store the data of any user on the network and a print server manages one or more printers in a network. Similarly a network server is a server that manages the network traffic.

NETWORK INTERFACE CARD: Network interface cards are attached with the computer or other network devices and are used to provide the connectivity between the two computers. Each network card is specifically designed for the different types of the network like Ethernet, FDDI, Token Ring and Wireless Networks. The Network card operates on the first and second layers of the OSI models i.e Physical layer and datalink layer specifications. NIC basically defines the physical connection methods and the control signals that provides the timings of the data transfer over the network.

HUBS: Hub is a simplest network device. The function of the hub is broadcasting i.e data is forwarded towards the all ports of a hub, regardless of whether the data was intended for the particular systems in the network or not. Computers in a network are connected to a hub with a twisted pair (CAT5) cables. There are two types of the hubs. 1. Active Hubs. 2. Passive Hubs.

SWITCHING HUB: The Switching hub (also called "switch" is the most advance shape of the basic hub. In a basic hub all the computers are connected with the hub and the speed of the network is defined by the slowest computer network card connected. For example if you have 10/100 Mbps cards in a network and only one card of 10Mbps speed then the system cannot run faster than the 10 Mbps. Now if you have a switching hub in a network, it will allow all the faster connections in the network to remain at the higher speed and still interact with the 10Mbps system.

SWITCHES: Switch is a intelligence device than hub. Switch is a layer 2 device. Swith provides the same function as a hub or a bridge but it has the advance functionality of connecting the two computers together temporarily. Switch contains the switch matrix or switch fabric that can connect and disconnect ports. Unlike hubs, switch only transmit or forwards the data to the destined computer and it does not broadcasts the data to all its ports.

MODEMS: Modems are the devices, which are used to translate the digital data into the analog format and vice versa. It performs the two main functions. Modulation and demodulation. A modulated data can travel across the conventional telephone lines. The modem modulates the signals at the sending end and demodulates at the receiving end. Modems are required for different types of the access methods such ISDN, DSL and 56K data modem. Modem can be the internal devices that plug into the expansion slots in a system or can be external devices that plug into the serial or USB ports. In Laptops, PCMCIA cards are used for this purpose and many new laptops having the built in integrated modems. The specialized devices are designed for use in the systems such as handheld computers. In ISPs where the large scaled modems are required, rack-mounted modems are used.

ROUTERS: Routers route the data between two logically and physically different networks. A Router has the capability to determine the destination address for the data and hence provides the best way for the data to continue its journey. Router gets this capability through its software called routing software. Unlike Switches and Bridges, which use hardware configured MAC address to determine the destination of the data, router uses logical network address such as IP address to make the decision in determining the destination of the data.

GATEWAY: A gateway performs the function of translating the data from one format to another format without changing the data itself. A gateway can be a device, system, software. A computer with two NIC cards can function as a gateway. Router acts as a gateway e.g a router that routes the data from a IPX network to a IP network is technically a gateway. The same can be said of translational switch converts from a Ethernet network to a token ring network.

CABLES: There are two most common types of the cables. 1. 10baseT and 10base2. 10baseT is a four paired cable. 10baseT has further two types 1. UTP (unshielded twisted pair) and 2. STP (shielded twisted pair. STP is most secure cable covered with the silver coated twisted paper to protect the cable. On the other end Thin 10base2 looks like the copper coaxial cabling that often used to connect TV sets and VCR. 10baseT/Cat5 cables are most commonly used cables to connect the computers. It has the connector, (like a telephone connector) called RJ45 connector.

Twisted pair cables are ideal for the small, medium or large networks.

My recommendation for using cables for networking is to use 10baset/Cat5 cables

Submitted by:

Fiza
http://www.theitlibrary.com

Computer Networking - Higher Education Programs Online

Computer networking has become an integral part of everyday life. Networks are used by multitudes of people from the businessmen that share information with each other to the teenager uploading photos to a social networking site. The role of online education in computer networking is to teach students to keep networks working and usable. Education is obtainable from numerous online universities that offer several concentrations.

The connection between computers that share information defines the industry of computer networking. This is a complex system that needs the constant work of specialists. Online training encompasses many aspects of the field, which includes network design, troubleshooting, maintenance, and information protection. Based on career trends, having an education is quickly becoming a standard due to continually advancing technology. Students learn how to be specialists that provide daily support, train individuals to use a system, and develop a network for a company. These are only a few areas that are covered through courses in a program.

Education is available through concentrations that include:Computer Network EngineeringComputer Network ManagementNetwork SupportNetwork SystemsEach available training option provides students with the knowledge needed to carry out specific functions. Online colleges give students the ability to work through programs at the associate's, bachelor's, and master's degree level. Graduate level training at the master's degree is not a career requirement but students will fare better in their career with the advanced knowledge gained. Earning an associate's or bachelor's degree is the educational standard for the industry's professionals.

Problem solving is one of the main roles of a computer networking professional. Students that participate in an online program in network support will gain the necessary skills for this function. Specific coursework explores how to create, design, install, manage, and fix a network when it stops working or needs updated software. Online courses help students develop their computer, technology, and management skills. Subjects on computer programming, data security, and software integration are a few topics discussed inside a program.

Computer network management programs are another area available that teaches students a core role of the industry. Students learn the process of configuring, establishing, and managing a system of networks. The software and hardware of the industry is evaluated from a management standpoint. Students learn to oversee and maintain local area networks and wide area networks. Network security, remote access, data communication, and computer architecture are some online courses students can expect to complete as a regular part of education.

The available programs prepare students to enter a career as a computer networking specialist. An accredited online education in each concentration area gives students a foundational knowledge of the field while building a particular set of skills. Full accreditation is provided by agencies like the Accreditation Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (http://www.accsc.org) to programs that meet certain criteria and offer a quality education. Students can utilize the accessibility of the Internet to research the correct program and online college for their objectives. Find a program and beginning training.

DISCLAIMER: Above is a GENERIC OUTLINE and may or may not depict precise methods, courses and/or focuses related to ANY ONE specific school(s) that may or may not be advertised at PETAP.org.

Copyright 2010 - All rights reserved by PETAP.org.

Renata McGee is a staff writer for PETAP.org. Locate Online Computer Networking Schools as well as Campus Based Computer Networking Schools and Colleges at PETAP.org, your Partners in Education and Tuition Assistance Programs.

Computer Networking Fundamentals

In the past, when two persons were willing to share data between each other, they were relying on movable disks such as floppy disks and CD-ROM. These ways of transmitting data between remote computers are often difficult especially if the files will be transmitted very often.

Because of the above difficulties in transmitting data across movable disks, the idea of networking two or more computer has been arisen. Instead of transmitting the files across movable disks, the computers are connected to each other by cables through ports on the computer. When someone needs to transmit the data to another computer, he simply can share the files he needs to transmit across the network. This way no movable disk is needed and the matter is easier.

When talking about computer networking, one must differentiate between the many types that exist for the network. The computer network can be classified according to the geographical area they occupy or according to the manner they will behave when sharing and accessing data between the computers in the network.

Let us first see how they are classified according to the geographical area. The meaning of this classification is how much the network will occupy or simply what the size of the network is. There are three types for any networks according to this classification. They are the LAN, WAN, and MAN. The LAN (Local Area Network) has the smallest size with respect to the other types. The LAN can occupy a room, a floor, a building such as company, or at most a group of adjacent buildings. The MAN (Metropolitan Area Network) can occupy a whole city or even a while state. On the other hand, the WAN can occupy a whole country, group of countries, or even the whole world.

The second classification is according to the data distribution across the network and how the computers that are connected to each other are treated. There two types of networks according to this classification. The first one is peer to peer network. The meaning of this classification is that all computers in the network are treated as equal. Thus the size of the data on one computer can be equal to the size on another computer. Also the processing and storage power of the all devices are equal. Thus there is no computer on the network that is higher in value than the other computer. Hence the name peer to peer network.

The second type of networks according to the above classification is the client-server network. In this type, the matter is different in that not all computers are equal in value. At the least, there is one computer (that is called the server) that has much processing power and storage power. Therefore the data is stored on that computer to be shared across the network. Every computer that needs some data that is shared across the network can take it from the server only. This is because all computers other than the server have less sizes of memory and also processor power.

Youssef Edward is an Electrical Engineer and he is the owner of tips-made-easy.info site. He studied too much in computer networking and cisco devices. Learn much more about computer networking and its hardware below

Networking Hardware and Computer Peripherals
Computer Networking and Connecting to the Internet

Types of Computer Networks

There are different types of Computer Networking that you may need for your home or office. To begin with you have the option of a wired or wireless computer network. These types of networks differ. A wired computer network will have copper or fiber optic cabling running between computers while a wireless network uses radio waves and/or microwaves to maintain communication channels.

A client/server network works by using client devices, typically PCs with network software applications installed that request and receive information over the network. The server device will usually store files and databases and includes more complex applications like Web sites. These devices often feature high-powered central processors, more memory and larger disk drives than the client devices. Two examples of client-server systems include Web browsers and servers.

In addition to these types of networks there are also types of area networks. These are categorized by their scope or scale. Some area network types include:

o LAN

o WAN

o WLAN - Wireless Local Area Network - a LAN based on WiFi wireless network technology

o MAN - Metropolitan Area Network - a network spanning a physical area larger than a LAN but smaller than a WAN, such as a city. A MAN is typically owned an operated by a single entity such as a government body or large corporation.

o CAN - Campus Area Network - a network spanning multiple LANs but smaller than a MAN, such as on a university or local business campus.

o Storage Area Network - connects servers to data storage devices through a technology like Fibre Channel.

o System Area Network - links high-performance computers with high-speed connections in a cluster configuration.

LAN and WAN were the original categories of area networks but through the evolution of technology we have been forced to keep adding more and more types due to the ever-changing field.

A LAN network will connect devices over a relatively short distance. This may include a building, school, or home that will contain a single LAN. Sometimes one building will contain a few small LANs and on the other hand a LAN may span a group of nearby buildings. A WAN spans a large distance. The Internet is the largest WAN as it covers the Earth. A network device called a router will connect LANs to a WAN. These are typically not owned by any one organization like LANs but are under a distributed ownership and management system.

Geeks In Route Inc. - A Computer Networking Company based in Florida specializing in wireless networks - network support - network configuration and hardware installation. GIRI offers complete Computer Networking Services including hardware, software, connections, installation and maintenance throughout the USA.

Computer Networking Schools For the Logical Thinker

If you consider yourself a logical thinker with a penchant for computers, you might want to check out computer networking schools. The business world of today is seeking computer technicians with good training in network technology, and you could soon qualify for a variety of interesting jobs with some college-level training in computer networking.

There are a lot of directions you can go to gain a computer education, and networking is just one of the many branches of computer science. Technology has grown by leaps and bounds in the past twenty years, and it is important that computer technicians stay on top of the game. The best computer networking schools will offer computer training that is up-to-date and curriculums that are constantly reevaluated to maintain relevancy. It is also important that computer courses be taught by instructors who are working professionals.

The field of computer networking involves configuring cables and wireless networks between various electronic devices such as computers, printers, and wireless communications devices. It is important that you take some time to assess your innate abilities and your goals for the future before enrolling in any of the computer networking schools in the US and Canada. You will want to be sure that you would enjoy working in an office environment and that you would be willing to solve computer problems and maintain network efficiency in a team environment. Today's businesses depend heavily on network engineers to troubleshoot complicated computer network systems and interconnect a variety of devices so that data and information flows easily and freely along the network.

You can start out your computer network training at the entry level by taking a class in networking and getting certified. Or, you might begin by taking a vocational computer networking course leading to an Associate of Science Degree (AS) in Computer Science. These credentials would serve to get your foot in the door with many companies, such as an individual branch of a government agency or a small business. Once you have achieved the AS, you will be eligible to enroll in computer networking colleges to expand your computer studies to the level of Bachelor of Science (BS), Master of Science (MS), and even Doctor of Computer Science (PhD). At the higher levels, you will specialize in one or more areas of computer sciences and really become an expert in the field. Of course, salaries and benefits will also rise accordingly.

If you are ready to start learning computer networking, we urge you to make direct contact with computer networking schools [http://www.schoolsgalore.com/categories/3/computer_networking_vocational_schools.html] on our website. It could be the best connection you will ever make!

DISCLAIMER: Above is a GENERAL OVERVIEW and may or may not reflect specific practices, courses and/or services associated with ANY ONE particular school(s) that is or is not advertised on SchoolsGalore.com.

Copyright 2007 - All Rights Reserved by Media Positive Communications, Inc.

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Michael Bustamante is a staff writer for Media Positive Communications, Inc. Find Computer Networking Schools, Colleges, Universities, Vocational Schools, and Online Schools at SchoolsGalore.com, your resource for higher education.

Computer Network Management Online Schools

An online education in Computer Network Management prepares the graduate to maintain an efficient computer system for all types of businesses. A distance learning degree in Computer Network Management qualifies the graduate to provide network security, performance and reliability.

Computer Network Management online schools impart the advanced technical knowledge that managers need to keep computer network-related activities running smoothly. Through a distance learning course, Computer Network Management students learn to evaluate, design, implement and administer computer network systems within an organization or between organizations.

An online course in Computer Network Management teaches students to analyze and evaluate a client's network requirements, ensure compatibility with other network features, perform preventive maintenance, design and test network proposals, implement security measures, manage growth and development, and monitor and report on performance and usage.

Online schools allow students to learn Computer Network Management at their own pace, without forfeiting current employment. Students can obtain the required college degrees such as Associate, Bachelor or Master of Science in Computer Network Management.

The earning potential for Computer Network Management professionals is virtually unlimited. Depending on the level of education and experience, Computer Network Managers can earn an annual salary of $50,000 to $90,000 or more.

If you are interested in learning more about Online Computer Network Management Schools and other programs of study, please search our site for more information and resources.

DISCLAIMER: Above is a GENERAL OVERVIEW and may or may not reflect specific practices, courses and/or services associated with ANY ONE particular school(s) that is or is not advertised on SchoolsGalore.com.

Copyright 2006 - All rights reserved by SchoolsGalore.com, in association with Media Positive Communications, Inc.

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Michael Bustamante is a staff writer for Media Positive Communications, Inc., in association with SchoolsGalore.com. Visit our Distance Learning Directory and find Distance Learning Schools and other Schools, Colleges, Universities, and Trade Schools at SchoolsGalore.com; your educational resource to locate schools.

Computer Networking Services

A computer network is the practice of linking two or more computing devices together for the purpose of sharing data. Networks are built with a mix of computer hardware and computer software. This interconnected system will share services and interact through a communications link. If data is being sent over the system then the individual computers must follow a set of common communication rules in order for the data to arrive at is correct destination. This is also vital for the systems to properly understand each other otherwise data will not be received. These rules are known as protocols.

So, in order for a computer network to be set up properly four things must be present: two or more systems, something to share (such as data), a communications link or physical pathway, and a set of rules for communication or protocols.

Wireless computer networking uses radio waves and/or microwaves to maintain open communication channels between computers. This version of computer networking is a more modern approach and is an alternative to wired networking. The advantages of wireless computer networking are that this involves mobility and the elimination of a copper or fiber optic cabling running between computers. However, a wireless computer network has the potential to have radio interference due to weather, other wireless devices or obstructions.

If you are unsure what type of computer network you would like you can have a trained professional come to your home, business, or other location and have them recommend what you need depending on what you are using your network for. You should always hire a trained computer specialist when setting up a computer network as there may be complications and it can be very difficult to learn how to set up a computer network by yourself.

Geeks In Route Inc. - A Computer Networking Company based in Florida specializing in wireless networks - network support - local area networks - network configuration and hardware installation. GIRI offers complete Computer Networking Services including hardware, software, connections, installation and maintenance throughout the USA.