By Joseph Cheek
Computers open up a world of information and communication.
A single computer can assist with managing finances, advertising
a business, providing hours of entertainment, and interacting
with people around the world with unprecedented ease.
When these tasks are taken to a larger scale, however,
a single computer cannot provide all the necessary resources.
Computer networks provide ways for otherwise separate
computers to talk to each other, so that all the computers
can work together on the tasks given them.
An example of a benefit of networks is printing. An office
with three computers has two choices if every employee
with a computer needs to print documents. First, printers
can be purchased for every computer. Buying many printers
can be expensive, and chances are that the printers will
sit unused most of the time. Second, printers can be purchased
for only one or two computers, and the employees that
aren't lucky enough to get a printer on their desk must
borrow one of the other computers to print. This means
they get to save their work on a floppy disk, walk to
the other computer, hope no one is using it, load up their
document on this computer, and finally print. What a waste
of time and productivity!
One printer can be purchased, and placed in a central
location. Each employee can use that single printer as
though they each had their own printer! The savings gained
with increased productivity and fewer printers to purchase
will pay for a small network immediately. Networks provide
other services also, such as file sharing, centralized
faxing, intra-office e-mail and time scheduling, direct
Internet access, centralized PC management, file security,
and more.
This article will discuss available network solutions
from different vendors. Ease of use, price, and functionality
will all be discussed here for three major network operating
systems: IntranetWare from Novell, Windows 95 and Windows
NT from Microsoft, and UNIX, available from various vendors.
Keep in mind that no decision has to be absolute; networks
can include all three operating systems, as well as parts
from many other vendors.
Novell has the lion's share of the PC networking market;
Novell has sold more copies of its product than any other
vendor has. IntranetWare, the latest offering, is server-based;
this means that it runs on its own machine, which is used
exclusively to provide network services. The good news
is that this allows a high degree of security and stability;
the bad news is that it requires an extra PC; placing
five computers on an IntranetWare network requires six
PC's.
Novell's systems have several benefits. Their security
is the best in its class. Many third-party programs integrate
well with IntranetWare because of the market share it
controls. A single high-end server PC can accommodate
thousands of users. System-wide management tools are available,
making it easy to manage both the network itself and the
PC's on the network. Its messaging package has been consistently
rated best of class for years. With all of these added
features, it still handles the basics extremely well.
Novell's systems have a downside, and that is the cash
required up front. While Novell has recently introduced
a less expensive small business version, costs are still
higher than that of some other systems. Compared to a
car, I see Novell as a Cadillac.
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