Computer Info
Posts tagged Network
What Is A Computer Network
Jul 28th
In the simplest of terms, a computer network is a collection of computers interconnected with each other, thus forming a network. One of the greatest advantages of computer networks is that they allow users to access and share large amounts of information without having to store that information and use up personal disk space on personal computers.
Computer networks are generally classified by the hardware and software that is employed to establish the network with. For example, there are Ethernet networks, optical fiber networks, and wireless LAN networks to mention some of the most common types of computer networks. Networks are supported by one of two ways, and sometimes a combination of the two. The two ways are hard wired or wireless service.
Hard Wired Service
Of the two means of establishing and accessing a computer network hard wired service is the oldest, and often the most dependable. Below are the three most common wired technologies available in today’s networking market.
Twisted-pair wire is the most common means of telecommunications, which includes computer networking.
Coaxial cable is extensively used for office buildings, work-sites, as well as television systems. The advantage of coaxial cable is in its transmission speed. Cable can transmit over 500 million bits per second and is highly dependable.
Optical fiber, or fiber-optic, is a relatively new type of hard-wire system. Fiber-optics doesn’t use electricity to transmit information like the previous two do. Instead it uses light and can transmit in the trillions of bits per second. Moreover, electromagnetic radiation, like from the sun’s solar flares, does not interrupt fiber-optic transmissions like other services are susceptible to.
Wireless Services
Terrestrial microwave use a transmitter/receiver system of antennas to transmit information. However, the transmission distance, although very secure, is limited to about thirty miles. This network service is used extensively by local police departments.
Computer And Network Maintenance
Jul 19th
Naturally this increase in networks has meant the need for computer network maintenance and/or computer network repair has gone through the roof. Aside from just getting a network, keeping your computer network maintained is equally valuable. Security is a huge issue within network. No matter at home or at work, there is also the day to day task a computer network maintenance professional must do including adding new users, ensuring proper access and usability among users, and so on. But you have other thing to do when something occur in your computer.
You can run a registry cleaner, and update the virus software and spyware check, and disk defragment as well. If your windows load a bunch of tiny programs every time you start up the machine, then the System Registry is a to do list for your computer. System Registry is a to do list for your computer.
Most people who buy a new PC get a trial version of virus software such as McAffe or Norton. But they do require a registration fee and subscription. May be you let it lapse and decided not to pay for it. Well good news again! The wizards over at gri-soft maintain an awesome virus protection application called AVG Free. It updates almost everyday
and keeps you up to date with the latest virus definitions. But they still offer some other great products
such as anti-spam and anti-spyware. Download AVG and run a scan, it will clean up any viruses that have penetrated your system.
Above are just some about pc maintenance, this should make a big difference if you are experiencing slow load times and general PC problems. And you can click here for more tips.
Related Computer Network Articles
Computer Network Terms Explained
Jul 4th
If networking terms puzzle you, this should hopefully explain some of the main ones.
ADSL – Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line, is the most popular form of internet connection in the UK
IP Transit – internet transit hosted by an ISP.
Atom – similar to RSS but is newer and offers a greater range of facilities. Still in development, but catching on. The technology is based on RSS.
Bandwidth – the total of information you can send through a connection. Bandwidth is generally measured in megabits per second.
Blog – similar to an online journal where a person or society may publish its thoughts or opinions, but can also publish facts. Often updated at least once a week and ordinarily roughly daily and is arranged chronologically in order.
Broadband refers to a connection which has more bandwidth than a modem, and tends to be a very generic term with no specific speed attached to it, but will always mean a connection to the internet rather than LAN connection.
Co-Location is where a server belongs to one person or company but is hosted on the internet by another company or person.
DHCP – Dynamic Host Configuration – distributes IP addresses to clients on a network dynamically.
DNS – domain name system is a mechanasim that takes a domain name and translates it into an IP address.
Domain Name – a unique name that is used to identify an internet site.
Domain names have three sections to them- in the centre a dot, separating the name, and at the end a tld or domain ending such as .com.
Ethernet – a standard networking method via a LAN, with varying speeds.
Firewall – protection from malicious network traffic.
Computer Network Timing Solutions
Jun 28th
Computer networks and the internet have dramatically changed the way we live our lives. Computers are now in constant communication with each other making possible transactions such as online shopping, seat reservation and even email.
However, all this is only possible thanks to accurate network timing and in particular the use of Network Time Protocol (NTP) used to ensure all machines on a network are running the same time.
Timing synchronization is crucial for computer networks. Computers use time in the form of timestamps as the only marker to separate two events, without synchronization computers have difficulty in establishing the order of events or indeed if an event has happened or not.
Failing to synchronize a network can have untold effects. Emails may arrive before they are sent (according to the computer’s clock), data may get lost or fail to store and worst-of-all, the entire network could be vulnerable to malicious users and even fraudsters.
Synchronization with NTP is relatively straight forward as most operating systems have a version of the time protocol already installed; however, choosing a timing reference to synchronize to is more challenging.
UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) is a global timescale governed by atomic clocks and is used by nearly all computer networks across the globe.
By synchronizing to UTC a computer network is essentially synchronizing the network time with ever other computer network in the world that uses UTC.
The internet has plenty of sources of UTC available but security issues with the firewall means the only safe method of receiving UTC is externally. Dedicated NTP time servers can do this using either long wave radio or GPS satellite transmissions.
Computer Network Consulting
Jun 25th
Ten considerations when choosing a Computer Network Consultant.
In today’s increasingly complex computer age finding a great computer network consultant is imperative. The life of your business depends on it. Think about what would happen if your entire system were to crash. It could literally take years to regain all the client and product information you have worked so diligently to collect. How long would it take to get business running smoothly? “Ten considerations when choosing a computer network consultant” is a guide to selecting the right consultant in which to put your trust.
1. As with any project the first order of business is to lay out an organized plan. In order to maximize both yours and the consultant’s time, be sure to set written goals and expectations, and find a consultant who has the experience and knowledge to complete the project at hand.
2. Choose a consultant who will make the necessary time for face to face communications. This is most important at the beginning of the relationship. Much time and energy wasted can be avoided by sitting with the consultant initially for the amount of time necessary to make sure there are no misunderstandings.
3. She or he needs to be open to learning your organization’s systems, in order to make the most of its strengths and minimize its weaknesses. She or he should suggest a variety of options for improvements. Throwing the entire system out and starting over from scratch might be a quick easy way to approach your network but might not necessarily be the right solution. Find a consultant who is willing to do the work and provide you with several options.
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