Designing Your Network
This post is about designing your network.
This is my Networking book on Amazon, if you would take a look at it I would appreciate it.
Designing Your Network
Designing your network involves making a plan. Take your time and write down
your goals with the network. Include diagrams if you so wish. Make sure and keep
it up to date.
Having a network makes it easier for everyone in the vicinity to have web
access, to trade files back and forth, use just one printer, and improving
performance of tasks you do daily.
One of the first things you should do is take an inventory of your equipment.
Your equipment includes desktops, laptops, printers, and any existing network
equipment. You could use a document, a spreadsheet, or even software made for
the purpose like businesses use. Software is nice to use because it can gather
a lot of information and put it into report form.
There are two main designs for networks, server-client and peer-to-peer.
Peer-to-peer is more basic with fewer features but is easier to get working. The
server-client model takes more work to get going but has much more flexibility
and features once it is going.
Having a server will also make your network much quicker and more reliable. I
recommend going this route if it is feasible. The different types of servers are
file servers, print servers, web servers, mail servers, database servers,
application servers, and license servers. You can see all the main types of
servers have one main purpose. You can combine some of these but separate is
best if you can do it.
File servers provide disk storage for your network. There are many ways to do
this but mainly it provides a way for users to store their documents safely.
Print servers provide printing to all the users or workstations on a network. It
just needs one printer to do this.
A web server allows the computer to hoist a web site. This used to be more
popular than it is now. We have web site hosting galore these days but this is a
fun project that teaches you a lot.
A mail server gives your network its own email. If you are in a business, this
is what you want as opposed to something like Gmail or Outlook. This is because
you want your company information and messages to stay inside your network when
possible.
A database server is a computer that hosts a shared database on it. Other people
can connect to this database or use programs that do so. Accounting software
often requires a database server.
Application servers host programs that are shared with users who need access.
License servers share licenses with users that need them. Many large programs
use this model because you have to pay for the licenses and this is the
requirement of the software.
Server Operator Systems
A server needs an operating system just like a workstation. An operating system
like this is designed to handle many connections at once. Your options usually
include Windows Server or almost any version of Linux. I use Fedora and Suse
Linux but many people also use Ubuntu. Businesses use Windows Server because it
is easier to setup for people who can't do Linux.
You then decide on how you will connect everything to your network. Usually you
just want to wire everything using ethernet cable then use wireless for anything
you cannot wire due to physical distances or obstructions. When wiring your
network, you want to use cabling that is current or close to it. When running
cable to any location, always pull more cable than what you actually need.
When documenting your network, you should also use diagrams. There are many
kinds of software that do this. Most of these are free. Any diagram software
will do. You should include a diagram of each room with all equipment included.
This includes end-user equipment and network equipment. Also include cabling and
where it is coming from in the room.