Network Configurations 1

Module 1/Case Assignment: Network Concepts

Your Name

CSC412 Client Server Networks

Name of your University

Professor: Professor Name

 Network Configurations 2

Benefits and Pitfalls of Various Potential Network Configurations

Network, is the logical and structural layout of the network consisting of transmission

equipment, software and communication protocols and infrastructure (wired or wireless)

transmission of data and connectivity between components. Various hardware and software

architectures exist that are usually used for distributed computing. At a lower level, it is

necessary to interconnect multiple CPUs with some sort of network, regardless of that network

being printed onto a circuit board or made up of several loosely-coupled devices and cables. At a

higher level, it is necessary to interconnect processes running on those CPUs with some sort of

communication system. Most networks can be classified into one of five different types. These

include Wide Area Networks (WAN), Local Area Networks (LAN), Virtual Private Networks

(VPN), client/server networks, network computing, and peer-to-peer network (Wikipedia, 2009).

Local Area Network

LAN (Local Area Network) is network architecture where the computers can be

connected up to limited area. LANs employ a single communication link and special routing.

Approximately, this network can be configured well up to 100 meters distance. The computers

are connected through devices like switches. These kinds of networks are limited to a building

or campus. The users can share the network resource and securities can be implemented only

within the network. LANs are traditionally used to connect a group of people who are in the

same local area. However, the working groups are becoming more geographically distributed in

today's working environment. There, virtual LAN (VLAN) technologies are defined for people

in different places to share the same networking resource. LAN protocols are mostly at data link

layer. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is the leading organization
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defining most of the LAN protocols (Edraw Soft, 2009). “Until recently, few organizations used

wireless LANs because they cost too much, their data rates were too low, they posed

occupational safety problems because of concerns about the health effects of electromagnetic

radiation, and the spectrum used required a license. Today, these problems have largely

diminished, and wireless LAN popularity is skyrocketing. Wireless LANs must meet

requirements typical of any LAN. They must also meet requirements specific to their intended

environment” (Stallings, 2001).

Advantages of connecting computers in a LAN:

• Workstations can share peripheral devices like printers.

• Workstations do not necessarily need their own hard disk or CD-ROM drives
which make them cheaper to buy than stand-alone PCs.
• User can save their work centrally on the network’s file server. This means that they can
retrieve their work from any workstation on the network.
• Users can communicate with each other and transfer data between workstations very
easily.
• One copy of each application package such as a word processor, spreadsheet etc. can be
loaded onto the file and shared by all users.

Disadvantages of connecting computers in a LAN:

• Special security measures are needed to stop users from using programs and data that
they should not have access to;
• Networks are difficult to set up and need to be maintained by skilled technicians.
• If the file server develops a serious fault, all the users are affected, rather than just one
user in the case of a stand-alone machine.
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Wide Area Network

WAN (Wide Area Network) connects two or more LANs and other networks so that

computers at one location can communicate to the computers at far away some other locations.

The Internet is certainly the largest WAN, spanning the entire earth and beyond. Some WANs

are built by private companies and only works for them and other are built by some Internet

Service Providers. WANs are usually built through leased lines and routers are used to connect

the network at one place to the network at other place. For example, a company has a network in

UK. The company wants to open its office in USA. In order to connect the two offices in UK and

USA, we have to install routers at both ends for communication.

We can have unprecedented benefits from WAN. By sitting at one city or country the

user can share the resources of the network in other city or country. For example, the user can

print the document or send an instant message by just one click. The users can use online

softwares for communication and can work at the same time on the server database. The benefits

are unlimited and it is up to the organization to what extent they need it for them. We use WAN

in those cases where LAN cannot be used. When more than two computers are involved in the

application, a switched communication facility is used to enable all the computers to

communicate with one other at different times.

You can simply define WAN as any form of network (public, private) that covers a wide

geographical area. Type of WAN used depends on the nature of network. For example, there are

100 computers in a network and all computers belong to the same site. We want to send data

between sites. So, one method is to lease transmission lines from the public carriers. We will also

install a private switching system at each site. One of the advantages of a WAN is that we can
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use this network to connect computers distributed over a large area. As LAN is limited to an

office or home and does not provide services for long distance. For exchanging data between

sites, services provided by wide area network are sufficient and up to the mark.

Advantages of a WAN:

• Covers a large geographical area so long distance businesses can connect on the one

network

• Shares software and resources with connecting workstations

Disadvantages of a WAN:

• Are expensive and generally slow

• Need a good firewall to restrict outsiders from entering and disrupting the network

Virtual Private Network

A virtual private network (VPN) is a network that uses a public telecommunication

infrastructure, such as the Internet, to provide remote offices or individual users with secure

access to their organization's network. A VPN can be contrasted with an expensive system of

owned or leased lines that can only be used by one organization. The goal of a VPN is to provide

the organization with the same capabilities, but at a much lower cost (Search Enterprise WAN,

2009). A VPN works by using the shared public infrastructure while maintaining privacy through

security procedures and tunneling protocols such as the Layer Two Tunneling Protocol (L2TP).

In effect, the protocols, by encrypting data at the sending end and decrypting it at the receiving

end, send the data through a "tunnel" that cannot be "entered" by data that is not properly

encrypted. An additional level of security involves encrypting not only the data, but also the
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originating and receiving network addresses. Compared to other technologies, VPNs offers

several advantages, particularly benefits for wireless local area networking.

Advantages of a VPN (Mitchell, 2009):

• A VPN offers two main advantages over alternative technologies: cost savings, and

network scalability. To the clients accessing these networks, VPNs also bring some

benefits of ease of use.

• With a VPN, you use public network infrastructure including the Internet to make these

connections and tap into that virtual network through much cheaper local leased lines or

even just broadband connections to a nearby Internet Service Provider (ISP).

• A VPN also can replace remote access servers and long-distance dialup network

connections commonly used in the past by business travelers needing to access to their

company intranet.

• VPN technology also works well with Wi-Fi local area networking. Some organizations

use VPNs to secure wireless connections to their local access points when working inside

the office. These solutions provide strong protection without affecting performance

excessively.

Advantages of a VPN (Mitchell, 2009):

• VPNs require detailed understanding of network security issues and careful installation /

configuration to ensure sufficient protection on a public network like the Internet.

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• The reliability and performance of an Internet-based VPN is not under an organization's

direct control. Instead, the solution relies on an ISP and their quality of service.

• Historically, VPN products and solutions from different vendors have not always been

compatible due to issues with VPN technology standards. Attempting to mix and match

equipment may cause technical problems, and using equipment from one provider may

not give as great a cost savings.

Client/Server Network

Client/server networks allow the network to centralize functions and applications in one

or more dedicated file servers. The file servers become the heart of the system, providing access

to resources and providing security. Individual workstations (clients) have access to the

resources available on the file servers. The network operating system provides the mechanism to

integrate all the components of the network and allow multiple users to simultaneously share the

same resources irrespective of physical location. Novell Netware and Windows 2000 Server are

examples of client/server network operating systems.

Advantages of a Client/Server Network:

• Centralized - Resources and data security are controlled through the server.

• Scalability - Any or all elements can be replaced individually as needs increase.

• Flexibility - New technology can be easily integrated into system.

• Interoperability - All components (client/network/server) work together.

• Accessibility - Server can be accessed remotely and across multiple platforms.

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Disadvantages of a Client/Server Network:

• Expense - Requires initial investment in dedicated server.

• Maintenance - Large networks will require a staff to ensure efficient operation.

• Dependence - When server goes down, operations will cease across the network.

Peer-To-Peer Network

A peer-to-peer network allows two or more PCs to pool their resources together.

Individual resources like disk drives, CD-ROM drives, and even printers are transformed into

shared, collective resources that are accessible from every PC. Unlike client-server networks,

where network information is stored on a centralized file server PC and made available to tens,

hundreds, or thousands client PCs, the information stored across peer-to-peer networks is

uniquely decentralized. Because peer-to-peer PCs have their own hard disk drives that are

accessible by all computers, each PC acts as both a client (information requestor) and a server

(information provider). Because drives can be easily shared between peer-to-peer PCs,

applications only need to be installed on one computer. If users have one copy of Microsoft

Word, for example, it can be installed on user A's computer and still used by user B (Free PC

Tech, 2009).

The advantages of peer-to-peer over client-server include (FCIT, 2009):

• No need for a network administrator

• Network is fast/inexpensive to setup & maintain

• Each PC can make backup copies of its data to other PCs for security.
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• Easiest type of network to build, peer-to-peer is perfect for both home and office

use.

• Less initial expense - No need for a dedicated server.

• Setup - An operating system (such as Windows XP) already in place may only

need to be reconfigured for peer-to-peer operations.

Disadvantages of a peer-to-peer network (FCIT, 2009):

• Decentralized - No central repository for files and applications.

• Security - Does not provide the security available on a client/server network.

Conclusion

There are really a lot of challenges to overcome when designing a distributed system

successfully. These challenges or complexity is due to problems that are common to systems

exhibiting distribution behavior: The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Nonetheless a

system that runs on this kind of computer arrangement is more fault-tolerant and more powerful

than many combinations of standalone systems, because distributed system architecture is more

resilient, secured and has better performance.

Distributed systems offer many advantages that are practically impossible to get from

standalone systems. The flexibility of distributed system architecture allows it to grow, accept

new members, interact with them and modify its parts efficiently. System reliability (availability,

security and fault tolerance) is also better because if a computer fails, another one takes its place

to complete the specific task without affecting the overall performance. But the single most

salient characteristic of distributed systems is that as more and more computers become
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interconnected we can create whole new types of applications that expand not only many

geographical points but even different industries and government agencies.

References

Edraw Soft (2009). Local Area Network Technologies. Retrieve Dec 31, 2009, from

http://www.edrawsoft.com/Local-Area-Network.php

Florida Center for Instructional Technology (FCIT) (2009). An Educator’s Guide to School

Networks. Retrieve Dec 31, 2009, from http://fcit.usf.edu/Network/chap6/chap6.htm

Free PC Tech. (2009). Peer to Peer vs. Client/Server Networks. Retrieve Dec 31, 2009, from

http://freepctech.com/pc/002/networks007.shtml

Mitchell, B. (2009). What Are the Advantages and Benefits of a VPN? Retrieve Dec 31, 2009,

from http://compnetworking.about.com/od/vpn/f/vpn_benefits.htm

Search Enterprise WAN (2009). Wide Area Network (WAN) Definitions: Virtual Private

Network. Retrieve Dec 31, 2009, from

http://searchenterprisewan.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid200_gci213324,00.html

Stallings, W. (2001). IEEE 802.11: Moving Closer to Practical Wireless LANs. Retrieve Dec

31, 2009, from http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/freeabs_all.jsp?

tp=&arnumber=939970&isnumber=20349
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Wikipedia (2009). Telecommunications Network. Retrieve Dec 31, 2009, from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telecommunications_network