August 6, 2001

Networking is a subject which comes up fairly often.  I'm sure that many of you have worked for large corporations which have VAX or NT systems set up to run specialized applications, but here on Maui, most business are smaller and the needs tend to be more in the line of file sharing rather than true networking.  It has always been my feeling that you want to keep things as simple and uncomplicated as possible.  I have seen many people who have fallen into the trap of getting a server, complete with Novell or Windows NT and the next thing you know, they are paying someone to administer the network for them.  This can get expensive for the customer and also creates vulnerability.  You are pretty much stuck with the person who set it up and whatever they want to charge you.

I only feel you need a network for one of two reasons, either you need a very high level of security or you have an application which requires Novel or NT.  If neither of these criteria pertains to you, don't get a network.  You have to have one machine which is dedicated to being the server and you still need to be adamant about doing backups.  If the server goes down, the whole network is down. 

If you just need to share files between computers you can just setup networking through Windows.  All the computers are setup to access the common files on one computer, and for safety sake, another machine can be setup to mirror the files in the case of equipment failure on the machine usually used to hold the files.  I recently had a client who was talked into purchasing a machine as a server to do backups.  This was rather amusing to me since the system was setup to do backups over the network from a machine with a re-writable CD-ROM.

There are two different ways to wire a network.  I don't know why but the majority of the networks are wired using twisted pair cabling, also know as Ethernet. This cable is similar to a telephone cable only a little larger. With this type of wiring you need to run a cable from each computer to a hub.  You may need more than one hub depending on how many computers you have.  The way I prefer to setup the network is using cable which looks similar to the cable going to your TV.  The nice part about this type of wiring is you don't need any hubs and the wiring goes from one computer to another, so you don't need to run a separate cable from each computer to a hub, possibly in another room.  This makes it much easier to add a computer especially if it is in a room with another computer.  You will need a combo NIC card to use this type of cable.  Here again, this card can be used with both types of cable. 

You can setup passwords and share only the directories you want so there is a lot of versatility in setting up your file sharing.  You can also share printers which is one of the best reasons to network.  Another reason to network, if you are in an area with ADSL Internet service, it is very easy to have one modem and share it so that all the computers on the network have Internet access and they're all fast.  Unlike dial-up connections, you pay only for the one connection.  In a business you have a lot more control of documents and data when you network computers together.  Also the chances of duplicate files and keeping all the files updated is enhanced when everyone is accessing the same directories and data.  Setting up file sharing networking is not a big project and is much cheaper than setting up a network which you will have to pay someone to administer.  A little planning and discussion prior to purchasing can save a lot of money and frustration in the future.

If you would like more information or have any comments please