One Speed, Two Speed, All Speed, No Speed: DSL Internet And Its Mutations
October 22nd, 2009 by admin Subscribe To Our Feed
Saleh Tousi asked:
Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) Internet is a form of Internet commonly used today by taking advantage of existing telephone infrastructure lines and manipulating them so that a wire not only transmits voice, but also data. The technique has exploded in popularity and competes directly against cable Internet subscriptions. It is most popularly known by its ADSL version (the ‘A’ standing for ‘Aysmmetric’) but in fact a customer seeking DSL services today has many more options. The difference between the various versions of DSL lies in speed and quality. Since the DSL technology is not flawless (unfortunately, as with many other inventions we come across), improvements are continuously made to overcome the frustrations and barriers that get in the way of connection’s smooth flow. Thus, there are now approximately 13 DSL standards.
Getting in the way of a DSL connection can include the following:
A phone line made of bad quality copper. There may not be much you can do about this one.
An Internet Service Provider with bad service. Some are just better than others, and often you pay more to get more.
Remoteness of destination. If you, or your computer, lives in the middle of nowhere, expect that the quality of your DSL will eventually deteriorate as it huffs and puffs to make it to the finish line (i.e. your router).
A wireless connection that just isn’t happenin’. Often the connection is blamed, when in fact it’s the wireless router that’s not sending signals fast enough, thus rendering your high-speed Internet useless.
Software, often the uninvited kind. This is usually not your fault, but you can help it by regularly cleaning your computer of stuff that you never meant to download, but got downloaded anyway because you got tricked into it by some hacker, and never found out. These programs are called ‘Spyware’ and eat your bandwidth speeds like a worm in your tummy.
In some of these instances it’s possible to take reasonable action (for example, switching providers), whereas in others you’ll just have to live with what you’ve got. What you can do is equip yourself with the right knowledge to know what you’re buying when you chose a DSL service and what “speed” will really mean to you. So, when an Internet Service Provider (ISP) advertises such and such speeds for paying for their services, keep in mind the following:
Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL)) is the most commonly offered service. The ‘Asymmetric’ part of the title means that speeds going one way are not equal to speeds going another way. In other words, downloading is always going to be faster than uploading. Downloading includes activities such as viewing Web sites, checking e-mail, streaming audio or video and basically anything where another server needs to send information to you. Uploading is a mirror activity of downloading and happens every time you send information to another computer. For example, sending an e-mail would be considered uploading. ADSL is a typical service offered to home-based users. Usually, when ISPs advertise their bandwidth speeds they leave out the ’small print’ about the significantly slower upload rates. But in most cases, you should be able to find out both numbers.
Symmetric Digital Subscriber Line (SDSL) is a service where both download and upload speeds are equal in bandwidth. SDSL is gaining popularity in Europe, but at this point in North America it remains an expensive alternative to ADSL, despite the demand. A business would benefit greatly from SDSL when considering file sharing among computers in a network and using a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) to upload files to a server. When running one’s own Web site, uploading speeds may be more critical than downloading speeds since the server’s primary function would be consistently feed out data.
Fiber lines are for the really serious players that demand high speeds going both ways. In essence, paying for a personal fiber line means no one shares the connection that goes all the way from the ISP to your router - no one. The installation, not to mention subscription rates of a fiber line could cost thousands.
There are alternatives when SDSL or owning your own fiber is not an option within reach. Information Technology (IT) companies are able to get creative when they need to find a way to do more with less. When high costs are out of the question for its clients, some may offer the option of combining multiple ADSL lines together to achieve both a higher upload and download rate. Marketing principles tend to limit user upload speeds so that businesses that need the extra bandwidth will be willing to pay for it. In areas where monopolies rule, it may be hard to find competitive Internet service options, but it’s not impossible. Keep your eye on the lookout.
Kansieo.com
Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) Internet is a form of Internet commonly used today by taking advantage of existing telephone infrastructure lines and manipulating them so that a wire not only transmits voice, but also data. The technique has exploded in popularity and competes directly against cable Internet subscriptions. It is most popularly known by its ADSL version (the ‘A’ standing for ‘Aysmmetric’) but in fact a customer seeking DSL services today has many more options. The difference between the various versions of DSL lies in speed and quality. Since the DSL technology is not flawless (unfortunately, as with many other inventions we come across), improvements are continuously made to overcome the frustrations and barriers that get in the way of connection’s smooth flow. Thus, there are now approximately 13 DSL standards.
Getting in the way of a DSL connection can include the following:
A phone line made of bad quality copper. There may not be much you can do about this one.
An Internet Service Provider with bad service. Some are just better than others, and often you pay more to get more.
Remoteness of destination. If you, or your computer, lives in the middle of nowhere, expect that the quality of your DSL will eventually deteriorate as it huffs and puffs to make it to the finish line (i.e. your router).
A wireless connection that just isn’t happenin’. Often the connection is blamed, when in fact it’s the wireless router that’s not sending signals fast enough, thus rendering your high-speed Internet useless.
Software, often the uninvited kind. This is usually not your fault, but you can help it by regularly cleaning your computer of stuff that you never meant to download, but got downloaded anyway because you got tricked into it by some hacker, and never found out. These programs are called ‘Spyware’ and eat your bandwidth speeds like a worm in your tummy.
In some of these instances it’s possible to take reasonable action (for example, switching providers), whereas in others you’ll just have to live with what you’ve got. What you can do is equip yourself with the right knowledge to know what you’re buying when you chose a DSL service and what “speed” will really mean to you. So, when an Internet Service Provider (ISP) advertises such and such speeds for paying for their services, keep in mind the following:
Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL)) is the most commonly offered service. The ‘Asymmetric’ part of the title means that speeds going one way are not equal to speeds going another way. In other words, downloading is always going to be faster than uploading. Downloading includes activities such as viewing Web sites, checking e-mail, streaming audio or video and basically anything where another server needs to send information to you. Uploading is a mirror activity of downloading and happens every time you send information to another computer. For example, sending an e-mail would be considered uploading. ADSL is a typical service offered to home-based users. Usually, when ISPs advertise their bandwidth speeds they leave out the ’small print’ about the significantly slower upload rates. But in most cases, you should be able to find out both numbers.
Symmetric Digital Subscriber Line (SDSL) is a service where both download and upload speeds are equal in bandwidth. SDSL is gaining popularity in Europe, but at this point in North America it remains an expensive alternative to ADSL, despite the demand. A business would benefit greatly from SDSL when considering file sharing among computers in a network and using a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) to upload files to a server. When running one’s own Web site, uploading speeds may be more critical than downloading speeds since the server’s primary function would be consistently feed out data.
Fiber lines are for the really serious players that demand high speeds going both ways. In essence, paying for a personal fiber line means no one shares the connection that goes all the way from the ISP to your router - no one. The installation, not to mention subscription rates of a fiber line could cost thousands.
There are alternatives when SDSL or owning your own fiber is not an option within reach. Information Technology (IT) companies are able to get creative when they need to find a way to do more with less. When high costs are out of the question for its clients, some may offer the option of combining multiple ADSL lines together to achieve both a higher upload and download rate. Marketing principles tend to limit user upload speeds so that businesses that need the extra bandwidth will be willing to pay for it. In areas where monopolies rule, it may be hard to find competitive Internet service options, but it’s not impossible. Keep your eye on the lookout.
Kansieo.com
Posted in Internet | Leave a Comment »
Site Search Tags: No Tags
Technorati Tags: No Tags
Related Tags: No Tags
Technorati Tags: No Tags
Related Tags: No Tags
All Cisco Go
October 4th, 2009 by admin Subscribe To Our Feed
Matt Smith asked:
A leading Internet seller of telephony equipment has announced the launch of their new Cisco range of voice and data netwoking equipment and IP handsets. Big Box Distribution started out life as the Internet retail arm of NB Data Ltd, a larger telecoms distributor, to service the home user and small or home office workers.
In recent months the Big Box website www.bigboxshop.co.uk has seen some success in its Google rankings giving it a real presence for telecoms related searches. A shift in focus has seen the Big Box website start to attract more business users who are now looking around to alternatives in a shopping around culture brought home by the current economic situation; not happy to stick with the suppliers they know, more and more businesses are out there bargain hunting.
In keeping with the Big Box philosophy, where economies of scale mean better buying and equate to discount sales prices, they are able to offer high end products at fair prices into their new Business to Business model. Gary Basso from Big Box commented “We are very excited to be offering the Cisco Phones and other Cisco equipment on the web, we have always succeeded on the web and we are hoping that the Cisco products will be as good.”
The popular handsets on sale are the Cisco CP-7911G, Cisco CP-7940G, Cisco CP-7941G, Cisco CP-7960G and the Cisco CP-7961G. The website also offers a Configurator tool which helps customers choose the precise Cisco switch that they require. Choosing the correct switch can be complicated business and choosing incorrectly can be a costly exercise. The Configurator tool enables the user to input specifics about what they require and the Big Box team do the rest.
Caffeinated Content
A leading Internet seller of telephony equipment has announced the launch of their new Cisco range of voice and data netwoking equipment and IP handsets. Big Box Distribution started out life as the Internet retail arm of NB Data Ltd, a larger telecoms distributor, to service the home user and small or home office workers.
In recent months the Big Box website www.bigboxshop.co.uk has seen some success in its Google rankings giving it a real presence for telecoms related searches. A shift in focus has seen the Big Box website start to attract more business users who are now looking around to alternatives in a shopping around culture brought home by the current economic situation; not happy to stick with the suppliers they know, more and more businesses are out there bargain hunting.
In keeping with the Big Box philosophy, where economies of scale mean better buying and equate to discount sales prices, they are able to offer high end products at fair prices into their new Business to Business model. Gary Basso from Big Box commented “We are very excited to be offering the Cisco Phones and other Cisco equipment on the web, we have always succeeded on the web and we are hoping that the Cisco products will be as good.”
The popular handsets on sale are the Cisco CP-7911G, Cisco CP-7940G, Cisco CP-7941G, Cisco CP-7960G and the Cisco CP-7961G. The website also offers a Configurator tool which helps customers choose the precise Cisco switch that they require. Choosing the correct switch can be complicated business and choosing incorrectly can be a costly exercise. The Configurator tool enables the user to input specifics about what they require and the Big Box team do the rest.
Caffeinated Content
Posted in Voip | Leave a Comment »
Site Search Tags: No Tags
Technorati Tags: No Tags
Related Tags: No Tags
Technorati Tags: No Tags
Related Tags: No Tags
Cable, Dial-Up Or Wireless: How To Choose?
September 30th, 2009 by admin Subscribe To Our Feed
Michael Wangner asked:
The first thing you must do is “get connected” to the internet. The two primary connection types we will deal with are Dial-up and Wireless. With dial-up the biggest advantage of an internet connection is its low cost. However, increased competition in the high-speed internet market has driven broadband prices down making high-speed pricing more comparable.
The disadvantage is that dial-up is the slowest internet connection available. Slow connections are limited in that you may not be able to access some content intended for faster connections.
Unlike broadband which is always connected and ready, dial-up connections usually take a few minutes to dial-up and establish a connection with your internet service provider before you are able to connect to the internet.
Dial-up requires that you tie up a phone line when connected to the internet. You can add an additional phone lone dedicated to internet access, but you’ll most likely have to pay your phone provider for the second line.
With fixed wireless the advantage is that your wireless internet connections are capable of extremely high speed.
The disadvantage is that set-up costs may be expensive depending on the hardware required by your wireless Internet service provider.
Once you have your high speed Internet connection up and running, you’ll probably want to add a wireless router. A wireless router will allow you to access your internet connection without the wires. A wireless router will open up a whole new world of amazing products.
You may want to protect your wireless network from unauthorized users through one of the wireless network security encryption methods. You need to be aware of the ability of other computers to access your cyber communication that is private and personal.
The choice you make depends on what is important to you. Be sure that you are not only protected but you get the capability of the service you want from your own personal needs.
Create a video blog
The first thing you must do is “get connected” to the internet. The two primary connection types we will deal with are Dial-up and Wireless. With dial-up the biggest advantage of an internet connection is its low cost. However, increased competition in the high-speed internet market has driven broadband prices down making high-speed pricing more comparable.
The disadvantage is that dial-up is the slowest internet connection available. Slow connections are limited in that you may not be able to access some content intended for faster connections.
Unlike broadband which is always connected and ready, dial-up connections usually take a few minutes to dial-up and establish a connection with your internet service provider before you are able to connect to the internet.
Dial-up requires that you tie up a phone line when connected to the internet. You can add an additional phone lone dedicated to internet access, but you’ll most likely have to pay your phone provider for the second line.
With fixed wireless the advantage is that your wireless internet connections are capable of extremely high speed.
The disadvantage is that set-up costs may be expensive depending on the hardware required by your wireless Internet service provider.
Once you have your high speed Internet connection up and running, you’ll probably want to add a wireless router. A wireless router will allow you to access your internet connection without the wires. A wireless router will open up a whole new world of amazing products.
You may want to protect your wireless network from unauthorized users through one of the wireless network security encryption methods. You need to be aware of the ability of other computers to access your cyber communication that is private and personal.
The choice you make depends on what is important to you. Be sure that you are not only protected but you get the capability of the service you want from your own personal needs.
Create a video blog
Posted in Spoofed | Leave a Comment »
Site Search Tags: No Tags
Technorati Tags: No Tags
Related Tags: No Tags
Technorati Tags: No Tags
Related Tags: No Tags
About Computer Networking Hardware
September 29th, 2009 by admin Subscribe To Our Feed
Hardware plays one of the most important roles when it comes to computer networking. Unlike other domains of information technology industry, networking is fully dependent on more hardware and less software. Let’s have a quick look at the common computer networking hardware devices we find in a regular network.
Network interface cards
When it comes to computer networking hardware, there is no networking exist without the use of network interface cards or devices. The network interface cards connect the RJ45 cables, or in other words ‘network cables’, to the computers. The network interface cards are available in different forms for different computers. As examples, PCI, USB, and PCMCA cards and devices available for suitable computer types.
Network cables
Network cables connect the computers and the rest of the computer network hardware. Network cables normally have a diversity depending on the type of the computer network. Although the copper coaxial cables are not in use anymore, the descendent, multi-core RJ45 cables are the widely used type. For high speed links and Internet backbones, fiber optic cables are used as they are capable of facilitating higher bandwidths.
Routers (wired / wireless)
Routers are the most important devices when it comes to computer networking hardware. They connect you with the rest of the world and enable you to find the information on the Internet and in the local network. For various purposes and network types, there are different types of routers. The price and the abilities of these routers vary depending on the purpose. When it comes to wireless routers, they are the latest addition to the family of computer networking hardware. The wireless routers enable the users to be mobile, and also trim the cost of mammoth wiring.
Hubs
Hubs behave the same way as routers but does not route your to the Internet or external networks located beyond your local area network. When it comes to linking computers and network devices within a small, limited geographical area, hub is the perfect device. Hubs are usually less expensive compared to the rest of the computer networking hardware.
Switches
When a network is required to be connected to an external network, then switches deliver the best results out of all computer networking hardware. As an example, if two local area networks (LANs) are to be attached together, ordinarily a switch is used. Since most of the switches are programmable, you can use switches to define how your network should behave when interface with foreign networks.
Posted in Broadband Routers | Leave a Comment »
Site Search Tags: No Tags
Technorati Tags: No Tags
Related Tags: No Tags
Technorati Tags: No Tags
Related Tags: No Tags
Dsl Broadband Explained
September 28th, 2009 by admin Subscribe To Our Feed
Katrina LA asked:
DSL broadband technology supplies significantly faster data transfer speeds than dial-up Internet, without a huge investment. It is a cost effective and convenient permanent connection.
What is DSL Broadband Technology?
Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) is a proven standard ‘always on’ alternative to Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) and other leased line options, with affordable installation and service costs. Simply installing DSL on your existing phone line and purchasing a DSL modem/router allows businesses of all sizes to access high speed broadband at a relatively low cost.
DSL refers to technology and equipment deployed on the existing copper wire telephone infrastructure to enable multi-channel, high speed access. The single twisted-pair phone line is converted to enable it to be used for high-speed data transmission, without disrupting the telephone signal.
Copper wire lines are designed to carry voice or modem signals of a frequency band up to 3.4 kHz, providing maximum data speeds of 56kbps. With broadband technology, higher data speeds are possible by utilising a broader range of frequencies. Each range of frequencies acts as a separate channel on the same copper wire to enable additional data to be transmitted, providing greater bandwidth availabilities for business applications.
Asymmetrical (ADSL) VS Symmetric (SDSL)
ADSL allows data to be transferred at different speeds: the downstream (downloading) data speeds are faster than upstream (uploading) data speeds.
SDSL allows data to be transferred at identical speeds both downstream and upstream with guaranteed throughput. For data applications needing high-upstream bit rates, such as Voice over IP, symmetric DSL delivers a fully inter-operable solution.
Caffeinated Content
DSL broadband technology supplies significantly faster data transfer speeds than dial-up Internet, without a huge investment. It is a cost effective and convenient permanent connection.
What is DSL Broadband Technology?
Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) is a proven standard ‘always on’ alternative to Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) and other leased line options, with affordable installation and service costs. Simply installing DSL on your existing phone line and purchasing a DSL modem/router allows businesses of all sizes to access high speed broadband at a relatively low cost.
DSL refers to technology and equipment deployed on the existing copper wire telephone infrastructure to enable multi-channel, high speed access. The single twisted-pair phone line is converted to enable it to be used for high-speed data transmission, without disrupting the telephone signal.
Copper wire lines are designed to carry voice or modem signals of a frequency band up to 3.4 kHz, providing maximum data speeds of 56kbps. With broadband technology, higher data speeds are possible by utilising a broader range of frequencies. Each range of frequencies acts as a separate channel on the same copper wire to enable additional data to be transmitted, providing greater bandwidth availabilities for business applications.
Asymmetrical (ADSL) VS Symmetric (SDSL)
ADSL allows data to be transferred at different speeds: the downstream (downloading) data speeds are faster than upstream (uploading) data speeds.
SDSL allows data to be transferred at identical speeds both downstream and upstream with guaranteed throughput. For data applications needing high-upstream bit rates, such as Voice over IP, symmetric DSL delivers a fully inter-operable solution.
Caffeinated Content
Posted in Technology | Leave a Comment »
Site Search Tags: No Tags
Technorati Tags: No Tags
Related Tags: No Tags
Technorati Tags: No Tags
Related Tags: No Tags
Understanding the Components of a Home Network
September 25th, 2009 by admin Subscribe To Our Feed
Manbeer Singh asked:
Home networks are becoming more common. People want to be able to share a single broadband Internet connection to several computers in the house. There are many different devices that you can use to make up your home network. If you have never heard network terminology device names like router, hub, etc may seem confusing.
The purpose of most of these devices is to control how the network passes around information. This information is sent in the form of “packets”. I will refer to the term packet several times in this article. It simply means the data that the network is transporting. I will now explain the purpose of the major components of a home network.
What is a Hub
A hub is a device that has several Ethernet ports on the back of the device. One of these ports will likely be labeled “Uplink”. This port allows you to connect multiple hubs together, if you run out of ports on your hub. If you do not have an uplink port on your hub, the hub cannot be easily extended if you run out of ports.
A hub is a device that attaches multiple computers on an Ethernet network. If you have a number different computers that you want to connect together, you could connect each to the hub. Any packet that is sent out by any computer on the network will immediately be transmitted to the other computers. Each computer will determine if the packet was really intended for it, and filter out packets that were intended for other computers.
You really should not use a hub in a modern home network. You should always use a switch in place of a hub. Switches will be discussed in the next section.
What is a Switch
A switch is a device that has several Ethernet ports on the back of the device. One of these ports will likely be labeled “Uplink”. This port allows you to connect multiple switches together, if you run out of ports on your switch. If you do not have an uplink port on your switch, the switch cannot be easily extended if you run out of ports.
A switch serves the same function as a hub. It allows you to connect multiple computers together, so that they can exchange packets. However, a switch is much more efficient than a hub. A switch will only send Ethernet packets to the computer that the packet was intended for. Because of this you should always use a switch in place of a hub.
What is a Router
A router is a device that has several Ethernet ports on the back of the device. One of the connectors will be labeled WAN. You should connect the WAN port to the Ethernet connection on a broadband source, such as a cable or DSL modem. The other ports on the router can be connected other computers or switches/hubs that will share the WAN connection.
Routers allow you to share your broadband connection with multiple computers in your house. Rather than connecting your computer directly into your cable or DSL modem you connect the router to the cable or DSL modem. Now any computer that you connect to the router will have access to the Internet.
If you run out of ports on your router you can always connect an additional switch to the router. To connect a switch to a router simply connects the switch’s “uplink” port to one of the routers Ethernet ports. Of course, don’t connect to the router’s WAN port. The WAN port should only be connected to something such as a cable or DSL router.
Some routers come with additional features installed. Most routers also include a firewall. Firewalls are discussed in the next section. Some routers will also include a wireless access point (WAP). The WAP allows you to use wireless devices, such as wireless laptops, with the Internet.
What is a Firewall
A firewall controls traffic flow between your network and the Internet. A firewall can be either hardware or software. Windows XP SP2 or higher includes a software firewall. A hardware firewall is included with most routers.
A firewall is a very good idea. It can protect you from inbound virus attempts. By inbound virus attempt I mean other computers that will connect to your computer and attempt to infect your computer. You do not want to run a computer directly connected to the Internet, without a firewall. There are just too many other computers out there that can connect and infect you without you even noticing.
What is a Network Attached Storage (NAS)
A network attached storage device is s device that allows a hard drive to be shared across the network. This hard drive is NOT attached to any of your computers. It is simply made available by the NAS. This can be a convent way to add a hard drive that can be accessed by several computers on your network. The other common way to add a network hard drive is to simply share a folder on one of your computers. However, with the NAS, you do not need to keep one of your computers on at all times.
There are two types of NAS commonly available. The first type comes with a build in hard drive. The second accepts a USB or Fire wire external hard drive. The advantage to using a USB or Fire wire hard drive is that you can upgrade the hard drive if it ever were to become too small.
What is a Print Server
Just like you can buy a device to allow you to share a hard drive, you can do the same with a printer. A print server connects directly to your printer. Your printer is then shared to all of your computers on the network. This is convent because you do not need to leave the printer hooked to a computer, which must be turned on to print.
Conclusions
As you can see there are many different components. Perhaps the final component that I ave yet to mention is the cable. These components are connected together with CAT5 Ethernet cable.
Caffeinated Content - Members-Only Content for WordPress
Home networks are becoming more common. People want to be able to share a single broadband Internet connection to several computers in the house. There are many different devices that you can use to make up your home network. If you have never heard network terminology device names like router, hub, etc may seem confusing.
The purpose of most of these devices is to control how the network passes around information. This information is sent in the form of “packets”. I will refer to the term packet several times in this article. It simply means the data that the network is transporting. I will now explain the purpose of the major components of a home network.
What is a Hub
A hub is a device that has several Ethernet ports on the back of the device. One of these ports will likely be labeled “Uplink”. This port allows you to connect multiple hubs together, if you run out of ports on your hub. If you do not have an uplink port on your hub, the hub cannot be easily extended if you run out of ports.
A hub is a device that attaches multiple computers on an Ethernet network. If you have a number different computers that you want to connect together, you could connect each to the hub. Any packet that is sent out by any computer on the network will immediately be transmitted to the other computers. Each computer will determine if the packet was really intended for it, and filter out packets that were intended for other computers.
You really should not use a hub in a modern home network. You should always use a switch in place of a hub. Switches will be discussed in the next section.
What is a Switch
A switch is a device that has several Ethernet ports on the back of the device. One of these ports will likely be labeled “Uplink”. This port allows you to connect multiple switches together, if you run out of ports on your switch. If you do not have an uplink port on your switch, the switch cannot be easily extended if you run out of ports.
A switch serves the same function as a hub. It allows you to connect multiple computers together, so that they can exchange packets. However, a switch is much more efficient than a hub. A switch will only send Ethernet packets to the computer that the packet was intended for. Because of this you should always use a switch in place of a hub.
What is a Router
A router is a device that has several Ethernet ports on the back of the device. One of the connectors will be labeled WAN. You should connect the WAN port to the Ethernet connection on a broadband source, such as a cable or DSL modem. The other ports on the router can be connected other computers or switches/hubs that will share the WAN connection.
Routers allow you to share your broadband connection with multiple computers in your house. Rather than connecting your computer directly into your cable or DSL modem you connect the router to the cable or DSL modem. Now any computer that you connect to the router will have access to the Internet.
If you run out of ports on your router you can always connect an additional switch to the router. To connect a switch to a router simply connects the switch’s “uplink” port to one of the routers Ethernet ports. Of course, don’t connect to the router’s WAN port. The WAN port should only be connected to something such as a cable or DSL router.
Some routers come with additional features installed. Most routers also include a firewall. Firewalls are discussed in the next section. Some routers will also include a wireless access point (WAP). The WAP allows you to use wireless devices, such as wireless laptops, with the Internet.
What is a Firewall
A firewall controls traffic flow between your network and the Internet. A firewall can be either hardware or software. Windows XP SP2 or higher includes a software firewall. A hardware firewall is included with most routers.
A firewall is a very good idea. It can protect you from inbound virus attempts. By inbound virus attempt I mean other computers that will connect to your computer and attempt to infect your computer. You do not want to run a computer directly connected to the Internet, without a firewall. There are just too many other computers out there that can connect and infect you without you even noticing.
What is a Network Attached Storage (NAS)
A network attached storage device is s device that allows a hard drive to be shared across the network. This hard drive is NOT attached to any of your computers. It is simply made available by the NAS. This can be a convent way to add a hard drive that can be accessed by several computers on your network. The other common way to add a network hard drive is to simply share a folder on one of your computers. However, with the NAS, you do not need to keep one of your computers on at all times.
There are two types of NAS commonly available. The first type comes with a build in hard drive. The second accepts a USB or Fire wire external hard drive. The advantage to using a USB or Fire wire hard drive is that you can upgrade the hard drive if it ever were to become too small.
What is a Print Server
Just like you can buy a device to allow you to share a hard drive, you can do the same with a printer. A print server connects directly to your printer. Your printer is then shared to all of your computers on the network. This is convent because you do not need to leave the printer hooked to a computer, which must be turned on to print.
Conclusions
As you can see there are many different components. Perhaps the final component that I ave yet to mention is the cable. These components are connected together with CAT5 Ethernet cable.
Caffeinated Content - Members-Only Content for WordPress
Posted in Networks | Leave a Comment »
Site Search Tags: No Tags
Technorati Tags: No Tags
Related Tags: No Tags
Technorati Tags: No Tags
Related Tags: No Tags
