Part I: Laying the Network Foundation

Chapter 1: Making Networks Make Sense

Chapter 2: Networking the Client/Server Way

Chapter 3: Matters of Protocol

Chapter 4: My Kingdom for a Topology!

In this part

I n this introductory part of the book, you get background material about local area networks, or LANs. We present the barest essentials: how computers communicate with each other, why communication isn't a bad thing, and what makes networks work. We also cover vital concepts, including protocols , which are the rules of communication that computers use to exchange information, and topologies , which are the ways in which network wiring can be arranged.

Along the way, you discover all kinds of basic network terminology and concepts that you may never have heard of but that everyone, including Microsoft, assumes that you know when you work with Windows Server 2003.

Each chapter presents its information in small, easy-to-read sections. If information is really technical (mostly worth skipping, unless you're a glutton for punishment ), it's clearly marked as such. Even so, we hope you find this information useful and maybe even worth a giggle or two.