Post #3

The four benefits of using a network:

• They allow many users to access programs and data at the same time
  
• They allow users to share peripheral devices, such as printers and scanners


• They make personal communications easier
  
• They make it easy for users and administrators to back up important data files

WANs are Wide Area Networks that consist of two or more LANs connected together and are generally across a wide geographical area.

LANs are Local Area Networks of computers that are relatively near each other and are connected in a way hat enables them to communicate.

Three common network topologies are the bus, ring and star.

Network Operating System Software Examples:

• Novell NetWare


• Microsoft XP


• Linux
  
• Microsoft .NET Server
  

Client/Server Networks involves the individual computers sharing the process and storage workload with a central server.

Peer-to-Peer Networks, sometimes called workgroups, all nodes on the network have equal relationships to all others and they all have similar types of software that support the sharing of resources.

The difference between the two is that Client/Server Networks work individually while Peer-to-Peer Networks work in groups.