Computer & Networking 101, LLC

Network Services 101

Since the advent of the Internet, computer networking has become a very common practice. What once was reserved for the enterprise business sector has invaded the small business and the small office / home office (SOHO) and for good reason. The whole point behind networking is to share resources among two or more computers or users. This can be an Internet connection, printer, network addressable storage (NAS), folders and files or any other sharable item located on the network.

The most common network protocol is TCP / IP and the two most common types of networks are local area network (LAN) and wide area network (WAN). A LAN can be thought of as any network located at a single physical site (local). It can have any number of segments and machines connected to it, but as long as it doesn't connect to another external network, it is considered a LAN. A WAN on the other hand connects one or more LAN networks together via a dialup connection, dedicated point-to-point link, or more commonly, the Internet and any number of virtual private network (VPN) services.

We are experts at designing and installing small network issues including the following types:

Type of networks

Wireless a/b/g/n (LAN / WAN)
Wired Category 5, 5e, 6 (LAN / WAN)

Benefits of networking

Increased productivity & security
Decreased total cost of ownership (TCO / COO)
Increased return on investment (ROI)

We offer the following services:

Design and installation of wired Cat 5, 5e and 6 (gigabit) networks from 1-100 users
Design and installation of wireless a / b / g / n networks and access points
Wireless bridges and access points for hybrid networks
Router, switch, hub, firewall and NIC installation and maintenance
Administration and maintenance of the Microsoft family of operating systems and IIS
(Includes all versions of Windows including 2000, 2003 and 2008 server)
Cisco PIX / ASA series firewall installation and administration
Cisco Aironet wireless access point installation and administration
Dedicated network print servers and network addressable storage (NAS)
Ethernet based KVM switches (including DVI capable)
DSL / Cable modem installation and setup

Networks are not a one size fits all proposition

Correct installation and management of a network can be a very daunting task for those not schooled in the finer points. Add together the various hardware configurations dealing with routers, switches, firewalls, hubs, cabling and then layer on the various protocols and technologies including TCP / IP, NAT, DNS, DHCP, IP addressing, subnet masking and more and you're still just scratching the surface of all there is to know about networking.

Luckily, if set up correctly, most small networks are easy to maintain!

The software side of networking

Less we forget that somewhere along the line, software comes into play. Our experience is limited to networking the various versions of Microsoft Windows.

Windows 95
Windows 98, 98se
Windows Millennium (ME)
Windows 2000 Professional & Server
Windows XP Professional
Windows Vista
Windows 7
Windows 2003 Server
Windows 2008 Server

Needless to say, Microsoft has many a gotcha embedded in their networking solutions and we've seen most of them. Sorry to say we don't handle Novell or Linux (soon), but if you need a qualified technician for these network types, we'll be glad to help find one for you.