Developments in communication systems, networks, and the Internet have allowed a lot of employees to do their work from the comfort of their homes. This is not only convenient for the worker but also is a cost cutting measure from the companys perspective. Many such workers prefer to have a computer personally for them. The drop in computer prices too, has played a major role in allowing people to have more than one computer at home. This calls for computer network services that provide a direct link between all the computers in the perimeter of a home, office, and building.
Computer network services usually operate on a Local Area Network (LAN) to provide high security and a user-friendly operation. It is their responsibility to make sure that the LAN runs smoothly at all times and if any faults do arise, it is up to them to rectify it as soon as possible. It would be ideal if these rectifications are done before the faults affect the users. Each computer on the server is given an IP address and a DNS (Domain Naming System) to avoid conflicts between the PCs. Names are preferred over IP addresses because people find it easier to remember a name like “d.lin” or PC1, PC2, etc, compared to a 12 digit number, such as 192.168.100.123.
The various services that come along with networking solutions include – Authentication, Directory services, DNS, email, printing, DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) and network file system. To prevent access of information by unauthorized users, authentication of the user is done before he or she logs onto the network. Authentication can be of three classes. The first class includes a mere log in ID and password. Second level of authentication is done by checking for an item possessed by the user, for example, an ATM card or a pass key. The most secured authentication service will ask for a retinal or fingerprint scan before allowing the user to connect to the network.
Directory services allow the users of the network to gain access to any private information of the network, which may be present as a database. This usually requires software which will accept, organize and save the data given by different users into one main database which can be viewed by every other user. Internal boundaries can be provided to restrict the information to certain users only.
One of the pre requisites of computer network services in large offices is the email facility. Each user is provided with an email ID on the server. The user can send and receive mails from this ID only if he or she is using a PC that is networked to the server. The account cannot be accessed from outside the server. Sharing of hardware components like printers, scanners, etc. is a common service used in several homes and offices. Networking solutions provide several other features that are quite helpful in saving time and improving the efficiency of all working people.