Structure

A network or LAN is made up of several parts (Campbell, 1996). Standards determine the specifications by which networks physically and logically operate. Architectures determine the fashion in which computers communicate with each other and can be either "peer to peer", or "client/server". Networks can have a certain topology, again physical or logical.

Physical topology describes how the computers connect to each other physically. Included as part of the physical topology is the would be the cables, connectors, Network Interface Cards (NICS), and other connecting devices. Logical topology describes how packets pass between network computers, or how information passes from node A to node B.

Networks also have a variety of access methods or logical topologies, but the most common is carrier-sensing multiple access with collision detection (CSMA/CD) which was one standard established by the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). The standard is known as Ethernet and it has a variety of speeds and cable types that determine the classifications.

Networks also need connecting devices to allow the cables to connect between the nodes and other networks. These devices can be repeaters, bridges, routers, gateways, hubs, Ethernet switches, and Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) switches and all have issues of security performance related with them (Breeding, 1997).

Operating systems are also an important part to the structure of a network. There are the network operating systems (NOS) which run on the server computer and there are the computer operating systems (OS) which run on the client computers and the server computers. Many NOS are dependent on the kind of computer OS in order to work (example: Novell NetWare must be loaded onto a machine with a PC OS (Campbell, 1996).)

The final characteristic of the network environment and the term which encompasses most of the network's investment is hardware. Hardware is the computers that make up the network and include all the items which provide the means to communication; Client and Server.

A client is a machine that has the ability to provide input to the network and is able to do computing on its own. Client often refers to personal computers (PCs). A server is a centralized depository for a specific function and often the server is named after the function that it performs. All servers have one common characteristic: they all perform a centralized service for the network that they occupy (Campbell, 1996). Together these two aspects of the network make up what is referred to as client/server architecture and it is often in these sorts of network environments that Intranets are found. Intranets are simply the use of network technology infrastructure to perform the private communication needs of an organization. Intranets simply incorporate the architecture and standards of the network to facilitate their existence.

Contents

Table of Contents

Part 1: Intranets Philosophy Structure Part 2: Intranet Installation Basic Network Configuration Server Client Publishing Applications Security Conclusion References