Networking A Small Business
It would be easy to choose to network several PC's on one site without
knowing what is the best option. For many small installations, Windows
networking with Win XP Pro will be all that is needed. There are however,
a number of aspects to networking that need to be considered.
What level of
security do I need.
What sort of
cabling is required.
What about wireless.
Do
I want or need an internal email service.
How
much time will be spent on administration
We have found that networking separate computers together,
particularly with a dedicated server, is one of the most
effective productivity gains for small offices, as long as the
right choices are made at the start.
What
level of security do I need.
This is dependant on several things;
1. Do you have personal or confidential information that you
wish kept between you and the subject(s).It is required
by law that any information kept on computer, be
disclosed to the subject of that information on request,
but you must keep personal information confidential.
2. Do people other than staff members have access to files
across the network.
3. Do you have internet connection to one of the network
computers.
Originally Windows networking had little in the way of
security for individual computers, but even so could still limit access to disks and
directories shared over the network. As Windows Operating Systems developed to specifically
allow simple networking, it became a lot easier to set up a small workgroup network which
was more secure. As long as the option to logon to the computer is chosen rather than
switching between users or worse still no defined users or logon, then most would-be
intruders would give up. The thing to remember with Windows is that by and large, ease
of use tends to equate to lack of security.
If you have a full server based network, such as Windows Server 2008,
NetWare and Unix, the degree of control of access is much better, but with higher
capital and running costs, with the exception of Linux which can be free. If you want
to go down the Linux route then Ubuntu
is probably your best bet, although you need to know it's a very steep learning curve if you have
been brought up on Windows. Having said that, a client has a database written in php, using MySQL
and running on Apache on Ubuntu which they access internally via their web browser. Which means
that any changes made to the interface are made on the server rather than having to be rolled
out to all the clients. It's neat and it works, although a tad off-topic!
In the end, the choice comes down to the cost versus security
need. Often the cost wins out initially, only for the savings to
be wiped out by needing to change the whole network at a later
date, due to expansion or increased security requirements. As
with most I.T. taking time to plan in future requirements can
save a lot of money further on down the line.
What sort of
cabling is required.
The four main types of network cabling are known as 10Base2, 10BaseT, 100BaseTX and GbE.
The first two are really obselete, but for the sake of completeness, in order they are;
- 10Mbits throughput using thin coaxial cable - this is
daisy-chained from one computer to the next with
terminators on the end. Requires one card with T piece in
each computer, co-ax cable, and two Ohm Terminators. The
cheapest option but if you are still using it, you really
shouldn't unless you have very compelling reasons such as
maybe a hostile environment.
- 10Mbits throughput using UTP (Telephone-like) cable -
Requires one card in each computer, a hub to wire all
computers back to, and Cat3 or 5 cable. Normally this
will be connected through wall plates with hidden
cabling. If only two computers are to be connected, a hub
is not required, but a specially wired cross-over cable
is. Less prone to cable problems than 10Base2 but with no advantages over 100BaseTX.
- 100Mbits throughput using UTP (Telephone-like) cable -
Requires one card in each computer, a hub to wire all
computers back to, and Cat5 or Cat6 cable. All the components are
more expensive, and the cabling has to be installed to
at least Category 5 standards, not really a DIY job.
- 1000Mbits throughput using several different cable types,
including optical fibre (1000BASE-X), twisted pair cable (1000BASE-T),
and balanced copper cable (1000BASE-CX). Unless you have the need to
move a lot of information quickly and are willing to pay for the privilege,
you probably won't be looking at this option.
Which you are using depends on what you inherited, because if
you are not using 100BaseT as a minimum you really should be.
What about wireless.
Having a wireless office is a viable option, although for a number
of reasons, not necessarily the best. The potential issues start with security.
Most wireless hubs come with some sort of security switched on as a default. If
you use wireless networking you absolutely must make sure that your security is
switched on. By security, I mean that you should have an absolute minimum of WPA
enabled. If all you have is WEP then it's just about better than nothing as long
as you realise that it's not too hard to crack and apply other security measures.
Other measures would include MAC filtering and turning off the SSID Broadcast.
These cause issues of their own, particularly if you have visitors with their own
laptops, iPhones etc who want to connect to the wireless network.
Although it's getting better, speed is still an issue. You won't get the same
throughput with wireless that you will get with a 100BaseT wired network. It is
getting faster with every new ratified standard, but isn't there yet.
As previously mentioned, connecting to a WiFi access point can be tricky as
there are no standard ways to do it. It sometimes seems that every computer
manufacturer has their own way of enabling and configuring wireless access. There
is one thing I have found, if you can't connect using the manufacturers utility,
then letting Windows manage the connection will normally work. And vice versa.
Finally you will sometimes find that it just plain doesn't work for no good
reason other than the kit from two different manufacturers won't talk to each other.
Fortunately this happens less now and tends only to be an issue when you are adding
WiFi to a non-enabled computer.
Do
I want or need an internal email service.
Depends entirely on the size of the current site, and whether
all staff members are in the office at the same time. Can be
easily set up on a network of Windows computers. Main benefits are
time-lapse communication, staff pick up email when they are in
the office, and messages are held until deliberately deleted.
Main disadvantage is that you will need to keep a computer on all
the time during office hours to achieve the benefits, not a
problem if you have a server, but accesses from other computers
will slow down a computer used for regular work as well.
How
much time will be spent on administration
This is another of the 'How long is a piece of string?' type
questions. A simple network, once installed and running, should
not normally give any administrative problems. Having said that
we don't discount the unfailing ability of computers to do things
they shouldn't! Depending on the Operating System, areas where
administration may be needed are;
- Setting up and maintaining email accounts.
- Backing up any centrally held files.
- Adding or changing user rights and passwords.
