Networking
Amicron has been working with Windows NT and Novell networks for many years. We can provide everything from the initial layout and design to the cabling to setting up your server and workstations. Call for a quote on networking your office today.
Amicron Guide To Networking Solutions
Computerizing your office was the first step. You moved all of your customer records to a database; you put all of our your accounting into a software application; you can share data with your computer at home via floppy disk; you even started sharing correspondence with other companies using Internet Email.
Networking your office is the next step. Those customer records may be shared amongst all of your company's employees; you may have your entire accounting department working from the same data; you may share files, hard drives, CD-ROMs, and more throughout your entire office; and you may share Email and even scheduling information with all of your company's employees.
There are many more benefits of networking your office. The bottom line is an increase in productivity. You'll be able to share information and have access to more resources then you could without an in-house network. Contrary to popular belief, however, networking your office computers together does not have to be expensive - or very difficult - if you know where to get the right kind of help. This is where we come in.
Amicron Technology Services has been helping small- to mid-sized companies network their offices since 1994. We have installed many networks ranging from just a few computers to 20+ system LANs (Local Area Networks - a term used to describe a network that's roughly in the same building or complex). Our consultants can sit down with you, discuss your needs, and determine the best type of hardware, software, and service solution to meet your goals. We have prepared this document to give you an idea of the different kinds of networks that are available - and help to explain to you what is involved with networking your systems together.
Types Of Networks
There are two basic types of networks found in most of today's offices. These are "Client/Server" and "Peer-To-Peer" networks. The former, a client/server network, involves a central file server computer whose primary duty is to just sit there and act like a large storage vault for your files. Other computers (called clients, or "workstations") have to access the server to get any of their information such as customer information, Email, or other files. Client systems generally cannot communicate directly with each other. Client/server networks are generally found in most larger companies. They are very secure and generally faster than peer-to-peer networks.
In a peer-to-peer network (sometimes referred to as a "workgroup"), there is no central file server. All of the information on the network is stored on the workstation hard drives and is distributed accordingly. Each user generally stores his/her own data on his own hard drive, yet if the users want to share information, they can go to each other's hard drives to share files, Email, or other data. Peer-to-peer networks are generally found in small to mid-sized companies and while they are not as secure or as fast as client/server networks, they offer the flexibility of allowing direct client-to-client access of files, resources, and drives. Not to mention, they are generally a lot less expensive to set up and maintain.
Types Of Networking Hardware
In order to set up your Local Area Network, you will need to connect your computers together, physically. (Yes, there are wireless network setups available - but that's beyond the scope of this document). You will need network cable, a network interface card for each computer, and possibly a central hub to plug all the cables into.
There are two basic kinds of network setups (or topologies) that you will find in most of today's businesses. These are called "bus" and "star" configurations. In a bus configuration, all of the computers are connected in series (one after the other) in a daisy-chain fashion. Generally this kind of connection is done with coaxial (RG-58) cable. Unfortunately, coaxial cable is not a very good medium for network traffic and while it is the less expensive of the two, it is not as reliable and will not last very long. In addition, a bus configuration is generally much slower than a star configuration.
In the star configuration, each computer is connected via cable to a central switchbox known as a "hub." This hub receives and sends signals direct to/from the computers to which they are directed. This avoids the "pass-through" effect you get from a bus topology and generally increases network throughput (a term used to describe how fast your network is). Hubs can be costly - ranging from $100 up, based on the number of connections - but are definitely worth it. Star configurations are generally connected with Category 5 cable (twisted pair, 8-wire, with RJ-45 connectors). There is a less-expensive Category 3 cable available, but we don't recommend it.
Once you have determined which type of cable topology you wish to use (we recommend a star configuration for all but the smallest 2- or 3-system networks), you then need to purchase a network interface card for each computer. This is basically an add-on board that slides into one of your system's expansion ports and allows you to plug the network cable into the computer. Depending on the types of computers you have, you can choose from either a PCI or ISA network card. PCI cards are slightly faster and support the plug-n-play features of Windows 95. ISA cards may be used in your older systems that don't support PCI bus architecture.
Additionally, if you are using a star topology, you will need to determine what speed of a network you would like. Currently, there are two types of network speeds generally in use. There is 10-base-T and 100-base-T. A 100-base-T network is, of course, 10-times as fast as 10-base-T, and it is three to five times more expensive. If you have a small network of 5-10 systems and will be sharing mostly data files, you should be just fine with regular 10-base-T (or 10BT). However, if you are planning on adding more systems down the line, and you are anticipating lots of network traffic for mission-critical applications, the faster 100BT network may be your best option. Currently, a 10BT ISA network card sells for about $39. Whereas, a good 100BT PCI network card sells for around $100. (Remember, you need a separate network card for each computer and if you decide you'd like 100BT, you will also need a 100BT hub - which can run several hundred dollars).
Types Of Networking Software
OK, so you have all of your hardware in place. Your cable is run. Your network adapters are installed. Now what? The computers won't just start talking to themselves without a network operating system (NOS). Which type of software you can use is dependant upon the type of network you have chosen (client/server or peer-to-peer).
If you wish to go the route of most larger companies and use a secured client/server network, you will most likely use either Novell Netware versions 3 or 4, or Microsoft Windows NT Server version 4. Both are very good server operating systems. Novell has been around much longer and many more companies use Novell Netware for their servers, however Windows NT is gaining in popularity and offers a user interface that is much easier to use and maintain. Windows NT, however, requires a lot more computer power than Netware (you can put together a Netware 3 server on a low-end 486 system with 4 MB of RAM and a few-hundred MB of hard drive space, whereas we wouldn't put Windows NT on anything less than a P166+ with 32 MB of RAM and 3 GB of hard drive space.) Netware is generally the operating system of choice for companies that have a lot of older workstation PCs that they want to network, whereas Windows NT is the way to go if you have newer systems and don't mind spending the extra money upgrading your hardware to run it. NT Server is also slightly less expensive than Netware. Both run around $700 for a 5-user license.
On the other side of the coin, if you don't think you need a dedicated file server (and if you have less than 5 systems on your LAN, you're probably right), then you can go the way of the peer-to-peer workgroup. If you're running Windows 95, Windows NT Workstation, or Windows 3.11 For Workgroups, you already have all the software you need to start networking. You will have to install a network "driver" program to tell your operating system that there is a network card in the computer, and then you will need to "attach" your computer to the other systems on the network by assigning each computer a unique name and drive letter assignments (if this sounds confusing, don't worry - it's easy once we show you how). Once you set it up, however, you'll probably never have to do it again.
Now, if you have files that you want everyone to share, like Email or customer records, you just put them in a "shared" directory. You can set up a system on a peer-to-peer workgroup to "act" like a file-server, but the benefit is that it's not a dedicated file-server (in other words, someone can still work on that system, if need be). If you don't have Windows For Workgroups, but you're running Windows 3.1, you can purchase an inexpensive workgroup add-on package for around $49 per PC or you can upgrade to Windows 95 or NT Workstation. Which do we recommend? That's a whole different story. If you're currently using Windows 3.1 and you're happy with it (and you're not planning on upgrading your software to any Win95-based applications) then Windows For Workgroups is just fine. If you're using Windows 95 or NT, you're also in good shape. However, we strongly urge you to make sure you contact Microsoft to download all of the patches and bug fixes for Windows 95 (there have been a lot of them). Otherwise, we can upgrade you to Windows 95 SR2 (service release 2) for a small fee.
There are many other types of networking applications available, such as LANtastic, Personal Netware, OS/2, and more. We have tried many of these packages and were not happy with them. If you're going to run a client/server LAN, we recommend Novell Netware 3.12 or Windows NT Server 4.0. If you're considering a peer-to-peer setup, we recommend Windows 3.11 For Workgroups or Windows 95 SR2. (Windows NT Workstation is also a very good operating system, but has very high hardware requirements).
What Is Best For My Office?
That's a tough question to answer. It all depends on several different and varying factors. How many computers do you want to network? What kind of network traffic are you expecting? Is security a major consideration? Do you want to be able to share resources between the computers?
If you are only networking a few computers (2-3) that are relatively close together, then we recommend a peer-to-peer setup with Windows 3.1/95 and coaxial cabling. If you are networking 4-10 systems you should consider Category 5 cabling. If you are expecting a lot of network traffic, move up to 100-base-T and go with a client/server solution. If you have older equipment and want to network a bunch of systems use Novell Netware 3.12, otherwise Windows NT. If you want to share resources amongst all users, go with a Microsoft network (Win3.1/95/NT). And not to make things even more confusing, but yes you can run a Novell Netware server (for security and speed) and a Microsoft Windows peer network (for resource sharing) together at the same time.
What's The Next Step?
Networking your office can be a major undertaking. Or, you can call the professionals who have the expertise to network your office with very little difficulty. If you would like to schedule a consultation with one of our networking specialists, all you need to do is give us a call at 716-677-4737. Our initial "needs assessment" consultation fee is only $25, and it is applied to your first purchase with us (which basically makes it a free consultation). You have nothing to lose. We have found that the one thing stopping most business owners from networking their offices was that they didn't realize how quickly, easily, and inexpensively a network could be installed. We hope that this document has helped to take some of the mystery out of your network purchasing decision. Call us today or send us an email if you have any additional questions. We look forward to serving you.
Amicron Network Team
