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Network Solutions
For many many years networked systems resided solely within the realms of large corporate
businesses. However over the last few years the cost of networking hardware has fallen
dramatically, network operating systems require less regular user intervention, and various
improvements to client operating systems have resulted in greater ease of use for the end
user. The result of these developments is that more and more small businesses, and even
home users with more than one PC system, are benefiting from the use of networked
systems rather than a series of stand-alone PCs.
Networking & Maintenance Services Pricing Tariff
There are two basic types of network, each suited to different requirements. These are known
as 'Peer-to-Peer' and 'Client-Server' networks, a very brief explanation of each is detailed
below.
Peer-to-peer networks:
Generally best suited to a small office or domestic environment where the amount of data to
be shared is not great, but the sharing of other resources such as printers (see information
below) is highly beneficial. The peer-to-peer network consists of a number of PCs linked
together to allow users to share data with each other, without the need for a file server, but is
not really suited to running applications across the network.
This system can then be configured so that all of the PCs are capable of accessing data from
all of the other PCs within the network, or by configuring one of the systems as a master
workstation or pseudo-server and centralising shared data on this PC.
Client Server Networks:
The major difference here is the introduction of a dedicated File-Server, this is a computer
running a Network Operating System (NOS). The benefits of basing the network around a
server include, faster file access times, increased scalability, greater control over access
rights, improved stability and easier management. Each of the PCs attached to the server
(the 'clients') can then be configured to connect to particular data sources on the server.
The Client-Server network is also far more suited to running network based software
applications. Please be aware that you must still possess a software license for each of the
client systems that you intend to run an application on, for instance you cannot install a single
copy of Microsoft Office™ onto your file server, and then allow ten client systems to run the
application without appropriate licenses.
Most of the networks that we supply are really a combination of the above systems, where
the main network structure is Client-Server based, but Peer-to-Peer may also be incorporated
to enable additional file and printer sharing, and rapid reconfiguration 'on-the-fly'.
As well as the obvious benefit of sharing information between users in real-time a networked
system offers many other benefits.
Reduced ongoing hardware costs
Because it is possible to share certain hardware resources within a network, capital
expenditure on printers and peripheral devices can be greatly reduced. For instance a ten
user network might require only two workgroup level printers to cope with all ten users
printing requirements, rather than ten personal printers. This would not only result in a lower
initial cost, but would reduce ongoing expenses for consumable items, as larger printers tend
to be more cost efficient on a price per print basis. A knock-on effect of this type of scenario
might be that a single colour printer that was previously used for the occasional mail-shot and
only accessible from one system, could now be utilised fully from any system within the
office.
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