Networking The Small Office
|
|
 |
Email to Friend |
 |
Print |
|
So, the resident techie comes in and says it is time to network all the PCs
in the office. All sorts of questions start running through your head. Is it
really time? What kind of network? How much will it cost? Do we need
professional assistance? The following are some of the questions you should not
only ask yourself, but answer, before taking this big step.
Is it really time to network?
Why do you need to network your PCs? The first reason to network is to share
resources. Establishing a local area network (LAN) allows you to share resources
across the office: printers, modems, CD-ROM readers, files on a hard drive,
software with limited licenses. Does your office need to share resources? If
it's just a matter of sharing a printer, it's much cheaper to buy another
printer than to network! Modems are even cheaper than printers. A customer
database, however, that needs to be accessed by more than one employee, should
be on a network. Don't make everyone walk into the library to use the computer
with the database on it. That's a waste of time -- time that you are paying for.
Second, networking allows better communications. In addition to central
database files, you can take advantage of group scheduling options and internal
email. If documents produced in your office typically go through two or three
people, networking is a great way for these individuals to review and revise
documents quickly and efficiently. Internal memos, employment policies, notices,
etc. can be quickly distributed through email, or posted in a central
(electronic) location.
What kind of network?
There are two types of LANs from which to choose: client-server and
peer-to-peer.
Client-server networks such as Novell's Netware and Microsoft's
Windows NT operate similar to the old mainframe system. In a client-server
network, software and data files are stored on a central server which individual
PC clients can access. The primary advantages of a client-server network are the
ease of backing up files (everything is stored on one single hard drive) and use
of smaller license packs for group software. (If your office has eight
employees, all of whom need to access a central database from time to time, but
not continuously throughout the day, buying a 5-pack license of the software and
placing it on a central server allows five people to use this software at any
point in time. This saves money over having to buy sufficient licenses for
everyone -- especially when they only come in packs of 5 or 10.)
The big disadvantage of a client-server network is that when the server goes
down, nobody works. While individual PCs can continue to operate software
locally (like word processing), only files stored on that user's hard drive are
accessible to that user; not files stored centrally on the server, nor files
stored on another user's PC.
Peer-to-peer networks (Microsoft's Windows for Workgroups and
Windows95 and Lantastic are the best-known), however, treat each PC on the LAN
as a "server" and a "client" at the same time (depending on
how you configure the network). Each PC can access files on every other PC on
the LAN. Group software functions such as scheduling and email work well. When
one or more PCs on the LAN go down, everyone else can continue to work (except
for accessing files on the "down" PC, of course). This type of network
is generally cheaper and easier to install, and is ideal for the small business
office.
After you choose your LAN type, you need to consider cabling. Most LANs going
in today will be based on 10bT (pronounced ten-base-tee) or 100bT Ethernet.
(Don't listen to anyone who tries to sell you a Token Ring network! The reason
for those of you that want to know more and have java enabled browsers can be
found by clicking on Ms. Mouse.)
The number 10 or 100 refers to the speed of data transmission -- if you are
small and do not produce graphics or video in your office, then 10bT will
probably be sufficient, but go for 100bT if you can spend just a few extra bucks
and like to build for the future -- unless you're in an office with a short-term
lease. If you do graphics or video work, or plan to do an awful lot of stuff on
the Web, or you own your own building and like to build for the future, consider
putting in a fiber optic network. The cable is a little more expensive. The
electronics that attach (hubs, routers, switches, network cards in the PCs) are
significantly more expensive. Still, if you're there for the duration, it might
be worth the expense. At least ask for a quote so you can compare actual
figures.
|
