Introduction

Not that many years ago, TCP/IP was not the king when it came to network communication protocols. Windows NT 4.0 relied on the venerable NetBIOS Extended User Interface (NetBEUI) protocol by default and NetWare servers could be counted on to understand only IPX/SPX. With the introduction of the Internet to the masses, TCP/IP slowly started to creep into private networks of all sizes and purposes. Administrators and network designers began to see the power and flexibility that TCP/IP offered them, and Microsoft and Novell took note of the shift.

Soon all operating systems provided support for TCP/IP, but it still was not the networking protocol of choice. With the introduction of Windows 2000, Microsoft made TCP/IP and the Domain Name System (DNS) integral parts of Windows 2000 Active Directory networks. With the introduction of Windows XP on the client side and Windows Server 2003 on the server side, TCP/IP has become a mandatory networking protocolinstalled by default and not able to be removed. This chapter examines the basics of TCP/IP as it applies to you, the network administrator.