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Answer from our Guest Expert John Klinger of Call A Techie - page 2 A "normal" network is a client/server model where you have client computers, typically your Windows or NT workstations, and various servers. (NT stands for New Technology, which is the "real" name of Microsoft's operating system for networking.) The servers usually house shared applications, databases, files, printers and so on. The client computer must log onto the network to access these resources. This model is the preferred network model for networks of more than ten or so machines or networks where centralized security is a high priority. For small or home offices, however, a peer-to-peer network may be a better solution. Okay, with that said, let's move on and discuss some of the features of peer-to-peer networks, plus some of the options you must enable in Windows to make them work well. Make the Physical Connections A peer-to-peer network is basically a network of equals. At the bare minimum, you need two machines and a way to physically connect them. Traditionally, the machines are connected via a LAN cable and Ethernet cards. However, Ethernet cards are not always necessary nowadays. Other methods to connect machines are dial-up connections through a modem, direct cable connect through serial ports and new networking kits that use the telephone lines in a house or office to act as a LAN cable. (LAN basically stands for Local Area Network, meaning a group of PCs in one location that are connected.) Windows really doesn't care how the connection happens, as long as data can get from machine A to machine B. Page 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 Enter your search terms Submit search form       Search Idea Cafe Web Small Business Tax Center • Idea Cafe Home • Sign Up • Biz Grant Center • CyberSchmooz •Coffee Talk with Experts • People in Biz Profiles • Starting Your Biz • Biz Planning • Running Your Biz • FREE Trade Publications • Marketing • Financing Your Biz • Human Resources • Legal & Biz Forms • Managing Your Biz • eCommerce • You and Your Biz • Gen X • Work@Home • The Fridge • De-Stress • Send an Award • Send an eGreeting • Yoga @ Your Desk • Web Guide • Idea Cafe in the News • About Idea Cafe • Advertise on Idea Cafe • Contact Us • Privacy Policy • Site Map • Small Biz News Copyright 1995-2024, Idea Cafe Inc. Downloads are for personal use only, not for resale to others, and may not be reprinted in any form without written permission from Idea Cafe Inc. DISCLAIMER: We hope whatever you find on this site is helpful, but be cautioned that it may not apply to your own situation, or be totally current at any given time. Idea Cafe Inc. and all of its current and past experts, sponsors, advertisers, agents, contractors and advisors disclaim all warranties with regard to anything found anywhere on this family of websites, quoted from, or sent from Idea Cafe. and its related sites, publications and companies. We also take no responsibility for comments published by others on these pages. TRADEMARKS: The following are Registered Trademarks or Servicemarks of DevStart, Inc.: Idea Cafe®, Online Coffee Break®, The Small Business Gathering Place®, Take out Info®, Biz Bar & Grill®, Complaint-O-Meter®, A Fun Approach to Serious Business™, CyberSchmooz™, and BizCafe™.