| Q:
Is Wireless Good?
A: In
general terms, Wireless networks are awesome.
They provide flexibility and convenience.
However, the downside is that Wireless
is generally slower than wired networks,
and the bandwidth is shared among users.
What I recommend is being conservative
when adding Wireless devices into your
current wired network. It's not a problem
to have a few wireless devices as needed
but don't overdo it.
Q:
Can I have a network between two office
locations?
A: Yes, but without more
detail it's difficult to tell you exactly
how to do it. In simple terms, you need
a communications link between the two
offices. Typically this link would be
called a WAN link. Virtually every network
operating system supports WANs. Once the
link is in place, your existing networks
at both locations can be configured to
work together to share resources in whatever
way you need. Hopefully you are using
Novell NetWare on both sides (or you could
install it). Novell NetWare is centrally
managed, so you can integrate both locations
into one Novell tree and manage users,
printers, file shares, and other resources
from a single administration point.
Q:
Do I need a server?
A: Probably.
Two main reasons for having a server are
the ability to manage printers and the
ability to share files on a dedicated
file system. Networks that don't have
servers are called "Peer-to-Peer."
For some small companies, Peer-to-Peer
systems may work okay, but having a server
helps to keep everything in a centralized
location. With Peer-to-Peer, it's difficult
to manage users, passwords, document storage,
etc. Furthermore, you don't have good
security with Peer-to-Peer networks. A
server based solution will make things
easier to manage and more secure. |
|
Q:
Do I really need Anti-Virus software on
my network?
A: Without a doubt. With
so many viruses running around, you're
crazy not to have anti-virus software.
When working in a networked environment,
it's even more important. You should have
Anti-Virus software on every piece of
equipment that could be used to spread
a virus.
Consider this scenario
- A user receives an infected email, but
the virus definition files on the workstation
were out of date (very common). Because
of this, the software does not catch the
virus. The user has access to several
network shared folders. The virus propagates
and infects all .DOC and .EXE files it
can find on the network shares. It also
creates bogus files (named after various
song titles) in every folder and sub folder
it can access. Thousands of files are
damaged, and numerous other people access
the infected files and also become infected.
The virus spreads out of control. A significant
amount of damage has been done to the
file system. Most likely it will require
hours to repair.
The scenario that
I mentioned is actually a real-world example
that I witnessed at a very large company.
If the file server would have had an anti-virus
software installed and configured correctly,
it could have prevented the virus from
infecting thousands of files and creating
all of the bogus files on their server.
It cost the company a lot of time and
money before the virus could be completely
eradicated. When it comes to viruses,
prevention is ALWAYS the best solution.
Do you have a question?
I try to answer all questions by email,
and will post some of the better questions
and answers in upcoming issues of REDJUJU.
Send
your question here. |
