Chapter Summary

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The following points summarize the key concepts of this chapter:

Making Networks Secure

• Network planning must include plans for security.
• The level of security needed depends on the size of the organization and the sensitivity of the data.
• The two security models that keep data and hardware resources safe are password-protected shares and access permissions.
• Merely requiring users to log on does not, in itself, ensure the security of the network.
• The best way to assign permissions is through setting up groups. Administrators can then assign permissions to the group rather than to individuals.
• Ways to enhance security include use of auditing, diskless computers, data encryption, and virus protection.
• Building in virus prevention and recovery policies should be part of a network strategy.

Maintaining a Healthy Network Environment

• When assessing network environmental conditions and requirements, it is important to consider components that are out of sight, such as wiring, as well as visible components, such as computers.
• Controlling temperature and humidity are key factors in maintaining a user-friendly environment.
• The accumulation of material on and around computers can lead to network failures.
• It is important to be aware of the environmental stresses placed on hidden network components, as well as components in plain view.

Avoiding Data Loss

• Planning for a disaster is an essential part of implementing a successful network.
• A network disaster plan should encompass the loss of hardware and data.
• Tape backup is the most common method of preventing data loss.
• Loss of electrical power can causes files to become corrupted, and any data being held in RAM to be lost.
• An uninterruptible power supply provides temporary power so that critical data can be properly stored before the network or computer goes down.
• Fault tolerance is the automatic duplication of data to prevent loss.
• Fault tolerant strategies are called redundant arrays of independent disks (RAID) and include disk striping and disk mirroring.
• Sector sparing is an advanced method of fault tolerance.