Ethernet networking for the small office and professional home office

In a local area network (LAN) or intranet, there are many pieces of hardare trying to gain access to the network transmission media at the same time (i.e., phone lines, coax, wireless, etc.). However, a network cable or wireless transmission frequency can physically only allow one node to use it at a given time. Therefore, there must be some way to regulate which node has control of the medium (a media access control, or MAC, protocol). Ethernet is a MAC protocol; it is one way to regulate physical access to network tranmission media.

Ethernet networking is used primarily by networks that are contained within a single physical location. If you need to design, install, and manage a network in such an envronment, i.e., home or small business office, then Ethernet Networking for the Small Office and Professional Home Office will give you an in-depth understanding of the technology involved in an Ethernet network.

One of the major goals of this book is to demystify the jargon of networks so that the reader gains a working familiarity with common networking terminology and acronyms.

In addition, this books explains not only how to choose and configure network hardware but also provides practical information about the types of network devices and software needed to make it all work. Tips and direction on how to manage an Ethernet network are also provided.

This book therefore goes beyond the hardware aspects of Ethernet to look at the entire network from bottom to top, along with enough technical detail to enable the reader to make intelligent choices about what types of transmission media are used and the way in which the various parts of the network are interconnected.

Author Notes

Jan L. Harrington, is a full-time faculty member in the Department of Computer Science, Information Technology, and Information Systems at Marist College

Preface	p. ix
What You Need to Know	p. xi
Acknowledgments	p. xi
Part 1 Introduction
Chapter 1 Introduction	p. 3
Anatomy of a Network	p. 3
Network Components	p. 5
Clients, Servers, and Peers	p. 7
Data Communications Protocols	p. 9
Layered Protocols	p. 11
Another Word on Protocol Stacks	p. 13
Network Operating Systems	p. 14
What Ethernet Really Means	p. 15
Types of Ethernet	p. 15
The Speed and Bandwidth Connection	p. 17
Ethernet Standards	p. 18
A Bit of Ethernet History	p. 19
Chapter 2 How TCP/IP and Ethernet Work	p. 21
Network Data Transmission	p. 22
Major TCP/IP Protocols	p. 23
The Operation of a Protocol Stack	p. 23
The Application Layer	p. 24
The Transport Layer	p. 25
The Internet Layer	p. 29
The Logical Link Control Layer	p. 31
The Ethernet MAC Protocol	p. 33
Ethernet Frames	p. 33
Ethernet Media Access	p. 35
Alternative Protocol Stacks	p. 38
Part 2 Design and Connectivity
Chapter 3 Fast and Gigabit Ethernet Media and Standards	p. 41
UTP Cabling	p. 41
UTP Standards	p. 42
UTP Cabling Lengths	p. 44
UTP Jack Wiring	p. 46
Fiber Optic Cabling	p. 47
Single versus Multimode Fiber Optics	p. 48
Fiber Optic Cable Bundles	p. 49
Fast Ethernet Standards	p. 50
Twisted-Pair Wire	p. 51
Fiber Optics	p. 51
Gigabit Ethernet Standards	p. 52
Fiber Optics	p. 52
Twisted-Pair Wire	p. 53
Chapter 4 Creating Network Segments	p. 55
Hubs (Repeaters)	p. 56
Unmanaged Hubs	p. 57
Managed Hubs	p. 59
Stackable Hubs	p. 62
Propagation Delay	p. 62
Switches	p. 64
Switch Learning	p. 66
Creating a Simple Switched Segment	p. 68
Creating Hierarchical Switched Configurations	p. 68
Cabling Issues	p. 73
Looping Issues	p. 74
Where Do You Put It? Wiring Closets, Walls, Floors, and Ceilings-Oh, My!	p. 75
Appendix Wiring RJ-45 Plugs and Connectors	p. 81
Chapter 5 Connecting to the Internet	p. 89
ISPs and IP Addresses	p. 89
Internet Connection Protocols	p. 91
Point-to-Point Protocol	p. 91
Point-to-Point Protocol Over Ethernet for Cable and DSL	p. 92
Dial-up Connections	p. 92
Modems and POTS	p. 92
Integrated Services Digital Network	p. 97
Direct Connections	p. 100
Satellite	p. 100
Cable	p. 103
Digital Subscriber Line	p. 105
Leased Lines	p. 108
Wireless	p. 109
Chapter 6 Routing	p. 111
IP Addressing	p. 112
IPv4 Addressing	p. 113
IPv6 Addressing	p. 115
Getting an IP Address	p. 117
ISPs and IP Addresses	p. 118
Static IP Addresses	p. 118
Dynamic IP Addresses	p. 122
Domain Names and DNS	p. 125
Making Routing Decisions	p. 127
Routers and the TCP/IP Protocol Stack	p. 127
Routing Tables	p. 128
Subnet Masking	p. 129
Router Capabilities	p. 130
Making Connections and Network Address Translation	p. 131
Firewalls and Port Management	p. 132
Adding Routers to an Ethernet	p. 133
Physical Connections	p. 133
Configuring the Router	p. 135
Chapter 7 Integrating Wireless Transmissions	p. 141
Wireless MAC Protocol versus Ethernet MAC Protocol	p. 142
Wireless Speeds and Standards	p. 142
Wireless Access Points	p. 144
Service Set Identifiers	p. 144
Adding Access Points to a Wired Network	p. 147
Wireless Security Issues	p. 148
WEP	p. 148
WiFi Protected Access	p. 150
Part 3 Making the Network Work
Chapter 8 Network Servers: Files, the Web, and Printers	p. 155
Client-Server versus Peer-to-Peer File Sharing	p. 156
Server Operating Systems	p. 157
File Server Services	p. 157
Widely Used Server Operating Systems	p. 158
Web Servers	p. 166
Print Serving	p. 167
Shared Printer Architectures	p. 168
Occasional Printer Sharing	p. 168
Printing through a Server	p. 174
Chapter 9 Network Maintenance, Monitoring, and Control	p. 177
Command-Line Tools	p. 178
netstat	p. 179
ping	p. 182
Sample GUI-Based Tools	p. 183
Freeware: Spiceworks	p. 184
For Very Small Networks: Network Magic	p. 186
For Larger Networks: LANsurveyor	p. 189
Real-Time Monitoring and Packet Sniffing	p. 193
Example: LANdecoder32	p. 193
Remote Control	p. 196
Making a Connection	p. 196
Observation and Control	p. 197
File Exchange	p. 200
Messaging	p. 200
Chapter 10 Security Issues	p. 203
Security Threats to Home and Small Offices	p. 204
Malware	p. 204
Denial-of-Service Attacks	p. 205
Authentication Vulnerabilities	p. 206
Employees and Other Local People	p. 207
Physical Vulnerabilities	p. 214
Basic Defenses	p. 214
Virus Detection Software	p. 214
Firewalls	p. 222
Software Patching	p. 226
Backup	p. 227
Passwords	p. 234
Enhancing Password Security with Tokens	p. 234
User Education	p. 236
Handling DoS Attacks	p. 236
Advanced Defenses	p. 241
Intrusion Detection Systems	p. 241
Virtual Private Networks	p. 244
Security Resources	p. 248
Professional Security Update Sites	p. 248
Other Sites of Interest	p. 249
Chapter 11 Network Design and Simulation Software	p. 251
Network Design Tools	p. 252
The Network Hierarchy	p. 253
Choosing and Configuring Network Devices	p. 254
Linking Network Devices	p. 263
Simulating Network Traffic	p. 267
Assigning Traffic Loads	p. 268
Running Simulations	p. 270
Documenting the Network Design	p. 272
Part 4 Ethernet Solution Examples
Chapter 12 Network Example 1: Professional Home Network	p. 277
Chapter 13 Ethernet Example 2: Small-But-Growing Real Estate	p. 281
Business Overview	p. 281
Network Plans	p. 283
Network Design Considerations	p. 284
Chapter 14 Network Example 3: Small Law Firm	p. 289
The Internet, the Backbone, and Equipment Rooms	p. 291
Between the Floors	p. 293
The Fifth-Floor Server Room	p. 294
The Fourth-Floor Wiring Closet	p. 295
Connecting End-User Devices	p. 295
Security Considerations	p. 297
Appendix A Older Ethernet Standards	p. 299
Thick Coaxial Cable (10BASE5)	p. 300
Thin Coaxial Cable (10BASE2)	p. 301
10BASE-T	p. 305
Creating 10BASE-T Network Segments with a Hub	p. 305
Appendix B TCP and UDP Ports	p. 309
Well-Known Ports	p. 309
Registered Ports	p. 314
Port List References	p. 315
Appendix C Products and Vendors	p. 317
Glossary	p. 323
Index	p. 333

Available:*

On Order

Summary

Summary

Author Notes

Table of Contents