
Buying Networks II: The Technology Explained
Have you ever wondered about the significance
of IEEE or puzzled over the difference between Peer-to-Peer workgroups
and Client-Server workgroups?
You may have heard of Ethernet products but do you really know what
Ethernet means. Put simply, Ethernet is the computer industry standard
for networking. The term Ethernet implies of a set of standardized rules
for communication between a computer and hardware: Ethernet was created
by a group of government, university and corporate representatives known
as the Institution of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, hence IEEE
is attached to these standardized products.
From the 1980's to the mid-nineties, the Ethernet standard was most
popular due to its relatively low cost and fast data transfer rate of
10 MBPS. Several years ago new networking standard known as "Fast Ethernet"
was introduced. Using technology that dramatically improved data transfer
rates to 10 times that of standard Ethernet (100 Mbps) Fast Ethernet
allowed networks to handle the high volume data transfer needed to sustain
multimedia and other energy desktop technologies.
Another common set of terms whose definitions are misunderstood is Peer-to-peer
workgroups vs. Client Server Workgroups. The key differences between
these two types of networks are the way data is routed and the size
of the networks.
Peer-to-peer networks consist of a small number of independent workstations
that can communicate with each other and share printers and drivers
but lack a centralized workstation with the power to control the network
itself. Peer-to-peer networks typically run operating systems such as
Windows 98, XP or Vista.
By contrast, Client Server Workgroups are larger size networks that
utilize a powerful central computer or "file server" to mediate the
high-volume data flow between computers. Depending on the size of the
network and the volume of data flowing through it, one to over a hundred
file server may be utilized to control the Flow of Information between
workstations.
Client Server Workgroups allow network administration to easily increase
or decrease the size of a network and offers security so that sensitive
data cannot be accessed without permission. A client server network
typically uses operating systems such as Windows Server or Novell
Netware to control
data communication between workstations.
Those are just a few of the many terms you need to understand in order
to assist you in becoming a networking expert.


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