Networking For Dummies, 11th Edition

Networking For Dummies, 11th Edition

by Doug Lowe
Released May 2016
Publisher(s): For Dummies
ISBN: 9781119257769

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Book description

The #1 bestselling beginner's guide to computer networking—now in a new edition

Need networking know-how, but don't know where to turn? Run—don't walk—to the no-nonsense networking guidance offered in this friendly guide! Whether you're a networking administrator or an everyday computer user looking to set up a network in your home or office, Networking For Dummies seamlessly gets you connected with the basics and gives you the knowledge to work out whatever kinks may come your way—in no time.

A network can make everything in your home or office run more smoothly and easily, but setting one up can be challenging for even the most computer-savvy people. Well, relax—this bestselling guide has you covered! Inside, you'll find step-by-step instructions on setting up and maintaining a network, working with broadband and wireless technologies, ensuring you're following best practices with storage and back-up procedures, building a wired or wireless network, and much more.

  • Set up a network for all major operating systems
  • Secure, optimize, and troubleshoot your network
  • Create an intranet and use the Cloud safely
  • Make sense of the latest updates to Windows 10

Don't let a thorny networking issue get the best of you! Heed the simple guidance in this friendly guide and effectively network your way to more effective shared data and resources.

Table of contents

    1. Cover
    2. Introduction
      1. About This Book
      2. Foolish Assumptions
      3. Icons Used in This Book
      4. Beyond the Book
      5. Where to Go from Here
    3. Part 1: Getting Started with Networking
      1. Chapter 1: Let’s Network!
        1. Defining a Network
        2. Why Bother with a Network?
        3. Servers and Clients
        4. Dedicated Servers and Peers
        5. What Makes a Network Tick?
        6. It’s Not a Personal Computer Anymore!
        7. The Network Administrator
        8. What Have They Got That You Don’t Got?
      2. Chapter 2: Life on the Network
        1. Distinguishing between Local Resources and Network Resources
        2. What’s in a Name?
        3. Logging On to the Network
        4. Understanding Shared Folders
        5. Four Good Uses for a Shared Folder
        6. Oh, the Network Places You’ll Go
        7. Mapping Network Drives
        8. Using a Network Printer
        9. Logging Off the Network
      3. Chapter 3: More Ways to Use Your Network
        1. Sharing Your Stuff
        2. Sharing a Folder
        3. Using the Public Folder
        4. Sharing a Printer
        5. Using Microsoft Office on a Network
        6. Working with Offline Files
    4. Part 2: Setting Up a Network
      1. Chapter 4: Planning a Network
        1. Making a Network Plan
        2. Being Purposeful
        3. Taking Stock
        4. To Dedicate or Not to Dedicate: That Is the Question
        5. Choosing a Server Operating System
        6. Planning the Infrastructure
        7. Drawing Diagrams
      2. Chapter 5: Dealing with TCP/IP
        1. Understanding Binary
        2. Introducing IP Addresses
        3. Classifying IP Addresses
        4. Subnetting
        5. Understanding Network Address Translation
        6. Configuring Your Network for DHCP
        7. Managing a Windows Server 2016 DHCP Server
        8. Configuring a Windows DHCP Client
        9. Using DNS
        10. Working with the Windows DNS Server
        11. Configuring a Windows DNS Client
      3. Chapter 6: Oh, What a Tangled Web We Weave: Cables, Switches, and Routers
        1. What Is Ethernet?
        2. All about Cable
        3. Working with Switches
        4. Daisy-Chaining Switches
        5. Using a Router
      4. Chapter 7: Configuring Windows Clients
        1. Configuring Network Connections
        2. Joining a Domain
      5. Chapter 8: Connecting Your Network to the Internet
        1. Connecting to the Internet
        2. Securing Your Connection with a Firewall
      6. Chapter 9: Setting Up a Wireless Network
        1. Diving into Wireless Networking
        2. A Little High School Electronics
        3. Eight-Oh-Two-Dot-Eleventy Something?: Understanding Wireless Standards
        4. Home on the Range
        5. Using Wireless Network Adapters
        6. Setting Wireless Access Points
        7. Roaming Capabilities
        8. Configuring a Wireless Access Point
        9. Connecting to a Wireless Network
        10. Paying Attention to Wireless Network Security
      7. Chapter 10: Virtual Networking
        1. Understanding Virtualization
        2. Understanding Hypervisors
        3. Understanding Virtual Disks
        4. Understanding Network Virtualization
        5. Looking at the Benefits of Virtualization
        6. Introducing Hyper-V
        7. Enabling Hyper-V
        8. Getting Familiar with Hyper-V
        9. Creating a Virtual Switch
        10. Creating a Virtual Disk
        11. Creating a Virtual Machine
        12. Installing an Operating System
    5. Part 3: Working with Servers
      1. Chapter 11: Setting Up a Server
        1. Server Operating System Features
        2. The Many Ways to Install a Network Operating System
        3. Gathering Your Stuff
        4. Making Informed Decisions
        5. Final Preparations
        6. Installing a Server Operating System
        7. Configuring Your Server
      2. Chapter 12: Managing Windows User Accounts
        1. Understanding Windows User Accounts
        2. Creating a New User
        3. Setting User Properties
        4. Resetting User Passwords
        5. Disabling and Enabling User Accounts
        6. Deleting a User
        7. Working with Groups
        8. Creating a Logon Script
      3. Chapter 13: Managing Network Storage
        1. Understanding Network Storage
        2. Understanding Permissions
        3. Understanding Shares
        4. Managing Your File Server
      4. Chapter 14: Managing Exchange Server 2016
        1. Creating a Mailbox
        2. Managing Mailboxes
        3. Configuring Outlook for Exchange
      5. Chapter 15: Creating an Intranet
        1. Defining an Intranet
        2. Identifying Intranet Uses
        3. Setting Up an Intranet
        4. Setting Up an IIS Web Server
        5. Understanding the Default Website
        6. Creating Websites
    6. Part 4: Managing and Protecting Your Network
      1. Chapter 16: Welcome to Network Management
        1. What a Network Administrator Does
        2. Choosing the Part-Time Administrator
        3. The Three “Ups” of Network Management
        4. Managing Network Users
        5. Acquiring Software Tools for Network Administrators
        6. Building a Library
        7. Pursuing Certification
        8. Helpful Bluffs and Excuses
      2. Chapter 17: Solving Network Problems
        1. When Bad Things Happen to Good Computers
        2. Fixing Dead Computers
        3. Ways to Check a Network Connection
        4. A Bunch of Error Messages Just Flew By!
        5. Double-Checking Your Network Settings
        6. Using a Windows Troubleshooter
        7. Time to Experiment
        8. Who’s on First?
        9. Restarting a Client Computer
        10. Booting in Safe Mode
        11. Using System Restore
        12. Restarting Network Services
        13. Restarting a Network Server
        14. Looking at Event Logs
        15. Documenting Your Trials and Tribulations
      3. Chapter 18: Backing Up Your Data
        1. Backing Up Your Data
        2. Choosing Where to Back Up Your Data
        3. Backing Up to Tape
        4. Understanding Backup Software
        5. Comparing Types of Backups
        6. Choosing between Local and Network Backups
        7. Deciding How Many Sets of Backups to Keep
        8. Verifying Tape Reliability
        9. Keeping Backup Equipment Clean and Reliable
        10. Setting Backup Security
      4. Chapter 19: Securing Your Network
        1. Do You Need Security?
        2. Two Approaches to Security
        3. Physical Security: Locking Your Doors
        4. Securing User Accounts
        5. Managing User Security
        6. Securing Your Users
      5. Chapter 20: Hardening Your Network
        1. Firewalls
        2. The Many Types of Firewalls
        3. The Built-In Windows Firewall
        4. Virus Protection
        5. Patching Things Up
      6. Chapter 21: Network Performance Anxiety
        1. Why Administrators Hate Performance Problems
        2. What Exactly Is a Bottleneck?
        3. The Five Most Common Network Bottlenecks
        4. Tune Your Network the Compulsive Way
        5. Monitoring Network Performance
        6. More Performance Tips
    7. Part 5: More Ways to Network
      1. Chapter 22: Life in Cloud City
        1. Introducing Cloud Computing
        2. Looking at the Benefits of Cloud Computing
        3. Detailing the Drawbacks of Cloud Computing
        4. Examining Three Basic Kinds of Cloud Services
        5. Public Clouds versus Private Clouds
        6. Introducing Some of the Major Cloud Providers
        7. Getting Into the Cloud
      2. Chapter 23: Managing Mobile Devices
        1. The Many Types of Mobile Devices
        2. Considering Security for Mobile Devices
        3. Managing iOS Devices
        4. Managing Android Devices
      3. Chapter 24: Connecting from Home
        1. Using Outlook Web App
        2. Using a Virtual Private Network
    8. Part 6: Networking Beyond Windows
      1. Chapter 25: Networking with Linux
        1. Comparing Linux with Windows
        2. Choosing a Linux Distribution
        3. Installing Linux
        4. On Again, Off Again
        5. Using GNOME
        6. Getting to a Command Shell
        7. Enabling the SUDO Command
        8. Managing User Accounts
        9. Network Configuration
        10. Doing the Samba Dance
      2. Chapter 26: Mac Networking
        1. Basic Mac Network Settings
        2. Joining a Domain
        3. Connecting to a Share
    9. Part 7: The Part of Tens
      1. Chapter 27: Ten Networking Commandments
        1. I. Thou Shalt Back Up Thy Hard Drive Religiously
        2. II. Thou Shalt Protect Thy Network from Infidels
        3. III. Thou Shalt Keepeth Thy Network Drive Pure and Cleanse It of Old Files
        4. IV. Thou Shalt Not Tinker with Thine Network Configuration Unless Thou Knowest What Thou Art Doing
        5. V. Thou Shalt Not Covet Thy Neighbor’s Network
        6. VI. Thou Shalt Schedule Downtime before Working upon Thy Network
        7. VII. Thou Shalt Keep an Adequate Supply of Spare Parts
        8. VIII. Thou Shalt Not Steal Thy Neighbor’s Program without a License
        9. IX. Thou Shalt Train Thy Users in the Ways of the Network
        10. X. Thou Shalt Write Down Thy Network Configuration upon Tablets of Stone
      2. Chapter 28: Ten Big Network Mistakes
        1. Skimping on Hardware
        2. Turning Off or Restarting a Server Computer While Users Are Logged On
        3. Deleting Important Files on the Server
        4. Copying a File from the Server, Changing It, and Then Copying It Back
        5. Sending Something to the Printer Again Just Because It Didn’t Print the First Time
        6. Assuming That the Server Is Safely Backed Up
        7. Connecting to the Internet without Considering Security Issues
        8. Plugging In a Wireless Access Point without Asking
        9. Thinking You Can’t Work Just Because the Network Is Down
        10. Running Out of Space on a Server
        11. Always Blaming the Network
      3. Chapter 29: Ten Things You Should Keep in Your Closet
        1. Duct Tape
        2. Tools
        3. Patch Cables
        4. Cable Ties
        5. Twinkies
        6. Replacement Parts
        7. Cheap Network Switches
        8. The Complete Documentation of the Network on Tablets of Stone
        9. The Network Manuals and Disks
        10. Ten Copies of This Book
    10. About the Author
    11. Connect with Dummies
    12. End User License Agreement

Product information

  • Title: Networking For Dummies, 11th Edition
  • Author(s): Doug Lowe
  • Release date: May 2016
  • Publisher(s): For Dummies
  • ISBN: 9781119257769