Overview
A network assessment is conducted after we have finished the business and design requirements of the company. A network assessment provides a quick snapshot of the current network with an examination of the infrastructure, performance, availability, management and security. That information is utilized for making effective strategy recommendations and design proposals to the client concerning specific information systems modifications before implementing wireless network equipment.
Network Assessment Components
The current network is examined using 5 primary surveys: infrastructure, performance, availability, management and security. When the surveys are completed, the information collected is then reviewed for trends, problems and issues that are negatively affecting the network. The surveys are reviewed and compared with best practices, business requirements and design requirements. The results from the analysis are then utilized to develop specific recommendations that focus on design, equipment configuration, security and network management strategy improvements. As well the information is used to support the design process.
Archive for October, 2009
Enterprise Network Assessment – Improving the Network Design Process
October 27th, 2009Posted in Article
Tags: Assessment Components Availability Management Best Practices Business Requirements Configuration Management Current Network Design Proposals Enterprise Network Equipment Configuration Focus Improvements Information Systems Infrastructure Performance Management Strategy Network Assessment Network Management Performance Availability Security Management Security Surveys Snapshot
Home Networking – File Sharing Made Easier
October 26th, 2009
There is much file sharing going on via the web and email as you are probably aware. After building your home network, you have a lot of options as to what you can do with it. One thing which many people like often to do is to share files between different computers on the network without having to use old-school methods like CDs or even floppies which are no longer considered to be that ideal.
Something common with most email providers is that most may have limits on the size of email attachments that you can be able to send to and back using their email service therefore making the sharing of large files difficult. Your email connection may also be far slower than the speeds of your home network. This therefore may prompt you to set up your own home networking system in order to make file sharing much easier and convenient. On a Windows based home network, file sharing is a snap; and it’s not much harder to set up for Linux.
Here are two ways to get started: If one of your computers has an adapter to share an internet connection, this computer is typically acting as a hub for your home network. In many cases, this computer also can do double duty as a file server. It can do this via FTP or Windows Shares.
FTP has been around for a long time now. it is one of the most efficient means of copying files from one computer to another over a network. One computer must act as the FTP server, another as an FTP client. Pretty much common is the fact that any web server already has FTP server software installed. For the client, you can use any number of different FTP client programs available online; many are free. You can also use the FTP command, built in to your command line program on Windows or Linux.
On Windows, click Start/Run from your menu and type cmd into the box. Type ftp and then ? The command prompt comes up with a list of options. These options are for sending and receiving from and to different computers. You can also use File Shares. By default, Simple File Sharing is enabled on Windows XP (Home Edition) systems. To turn this on or off, double click the My Computer icon on your desktop and select Folder Options from the Tools menu. Click on the View tab and change the setting for Use Simple File Sharing.
You can set the level of security you want for your file sharing. You can make files Read Only to keep people from inadvertently deleting them. You will need to allow Write access to let others transfer files to the system however. If you want Read and Write access, you’ll have to allow Full Control. Right click on a folder and select Sharing and Security to set the level of security you want.
It can be a little time consuming, at least to set up. However, if file sharing is something which you will be doing often on your home network, you’ll save a lot of time in the long run by setting up file sharing now while you still have the time with little or no stress.
By: Joseph Nyamache
Posted in Article
Tags: Cmd Command Prompt Different Computers Double Duty Email Attachments Email Connection Email Providers Email Service File Server Floppies Ftp Client Ftp Command Ftp Server Home Networking Linux On Windows Network File Sharing Networking System Old School Server Software Type Ftp
How to Network Computers – Setting Up Windows For Our Network
October 24th, 2009
Configuring our computers for our home computer network
After all the hardware for our home computer network has been setup , we now have to setup our computers to allow communication with each other. Though we have our hardware in place it remains useless unless the computer knows what to do with it, and it is you who has to tell it what to do with the hardware. In this article we will go through the process of setting up the software side of our network, which is not very complicated, actually a lot of it is automated or semi-automated where the computer does most of the work.
Some of the stuff you need to do is routine technical stuff like installing the drivers (software that controls the hardware devices like the NIC) on your computer. Also you will need to set up each computer so they are ready to share their files on your home network.
Note for Wireless Users: If you are using a wireless router on your network then you will need to install the router first. Though installation procedures vary among manufacturers, for the most part they all have the same general setup
Drivers for hardware
Your network connectors, whether they be ISA, PCI or a USB connecter are all hardware devices which will need you to install little software programs known as drivers. Drivers help the operating system communicate with hardware, telling the hardware what to do and when to do it.
After you physically install the network adaptor on your computer, the next time you turn it on, windows should automatically discover it and request for a driver to be installed. This very cool feature in windows is known as plug and play, which goes to work while windows start up. The plug and play feature will want to install your hardware straight away and will request for you to provide the correct information for it to be installed properly.
With USB connectors you can plug the device into the computer while it is on and windows will automatically detect it for you and bring up the “add new hardware” wizard. This ability to install hardware whilst the computer is on is known as a hot installation (by techies), and its one of the coolest things about USB devices… Get it?… HOT installation… COOLEST thing about USB?
Come on that’s funny!
Oh Never mind!
There are times the plug and play feature in windows will not detect your new hardware, in that case it will be up to you install the driver manually.
Protocols to start Communication
Now windows has the appropriate drivers to communicate with our network adaptors, it is time for our computers to start communicating . In order for our computers to communicate, they need to have the same network protocol (That’s tech talk for the language computers use to communicate). There are two types of protocols used for computer to computer communication, TCP/IP or NetBEUI. Depending on your version of windows each one will be installed automatically. Windows XP installs TCP/IP automatically so if you wanted to use NetBEUI on XP you would have to install it using you windows CD, and vice versa if you were using windows 98.
Each computer must be installed with the same protocols in order to communicate; this installation binds the protocol and the network adaptor together. As soon as each computer can talk the same beautiful language, then services can begin on the network. Each task that you want to perform on a network, like file sharing, print sharing and logging on to the network is known as network services.
Naming computers and Work groups
There is one more task to do in order for our computers to communicate and share resources. The Microsoft Network system is very anal when it comes to networking rules and demands to know who’s who, who’s where and what’s what. Because of this computers must be given a name (each one having to be unique, so you can’t have two computers with the same name).
Also you must give each computer a work group (the group in which you network exists, so each computer must be in the same group) Windows Networking wizard If you are using Windows Me or XP you do not have to go through most of this, you can use windows home networking wizard to set it up for you.
The windows home networking wizard walks you through the process of setting up your network, it also sets up the shared internet connection for you. A lot of people do not like using this wizard because they say it complicates things (I can’t say I am too fond of it my self). I would recommend you doing it all manually it helps you understand how windows works a lot better.
By: Emanuel Osei
Posted in Article
Tags: Communication Discover Drivers Hardware Drivers Software Hardware Computer Hardware Devices Home Computer Network Network Adaptor Network Computers Network Connectors Nic Operating System Pci Plug And Play Software Programs Software Side Stuff Usb Connectors Wireless Router Wireless Users
