PLANNING

2

Windows Networking Concepts Overview• Two different security models used in

Windows environments• Workgroup

• Domain

• Three roles for a Windows Server 2003 system in a network

• Standalone server

• Member server

• Domain controller

Workgroups

• A workgroup is a logical group of computers• Characterized by a decentralized security and

and administration model

• Authentication provided by a local account database – Security Accounts Manager (SAM)

• Limitations• Users need unique accounts on each workstation

• Users manage their own accounts (security issues)

• Not very scalable

4

Domains

• A domain is a logical group of computers• Characterized by centralized authentication and

administration

• Authentication provided through centralized Active Directory

• Active Directory database can be physically distributed across domain controllers

• Requires at least one system configured as a domain controller

Advantages of Domain over workgroup:

• Centralized administration

• User can log on at any workstation and access domain resources.

• Security of data, user and groups

• Runs on Windows 2000 and 2003 Server or advance support for server configuration

• File, folder & user and group permission can be assigned.

Workgroup Domain

Network type Peer-to-peer

Windows computer

network

Client/server network

Log in User needs to have

separate log in id

and password at

each workstation

User can log on at any

workstation via their

account and access

domain resources

Workstations Computers are

limited to maximum

10

There can be up to 2000

computers

Administrator Each user controls

the resources and

security locally on

their PC's

One administrator to

administer the domain

and its users and

resources.

Location All computers must

be on the same local

network or subnet.

The computers can be on

different local networks,

i.e. anywhere in the

world.

Computer's

settings

Each user controls

the settings on their

own computer. No

central settings.

One can make only

limited changes to a

computer's settings

because network

administrators often

want to ensure

consistency among

computers.

Changes Each computer

must be changed

manually or once

changed must be

transferred to each

computer.

Changes made to one are

automatically made to all

computers

WINDOWS NETWORKING PROTOCOCLS• Windows NT supports several network

protocols, and the protocol you use can affect your network performance significantly.

• To choose the best protocol for your network, you must understand the protocols NT supports, how each works, and where each protocol is most effective.

NetBEUI

• The name NetBEUI comes from NetBIOS Extended User Interface, and this name has created confusion since NetBEUI's introduction.

• NetBIOS is a programming interface, and NetBEUI is a transport protocol.

• Most Microsoft software and many other packages that run on Windows platforms use the NetBIOS programming interface.

NWLink

• Networks with Windows clients that access Novell servers use NWLink: for example, a client/server application in which the client runs on NT Workstation or Win95 and the server component, such as a database, runs on a Novell server.

• Small networks can use NWLink, even without connectivity to a Novell server.

• NWLink requires less configuration than TCP/IP does. Like TCP/IP, NWLink is routable.

• A common problem with NWLink is having the wrong frame type, especially in a mixed-frame environment.

• A frame is a package of information transmitted as a unit from one network device to another.

TCP/IP

• The corporate world prefers TCP/IP, and you must use it to connect to the Internet, so it's becoming the industry standard.

• TCP/IP uses more memory and system resources than NWLink or NetBEUI uses; thus it might not be the best choice for small networks.