Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
increases. In addition, Microsoft imposes a limit of only 5, 10, or 20 concurrent client connections to
computers running Windows. This means that a maximum of 20 (or fewer) systems will be able to
concurrently access shared files or printers on a given system. This limit is expressed as the
“Maximum Logged On Users” and can be seen by issuing the
NET CONFIG SERVER
command at a
command prompt. This limit is normally unchangeable and is fixed in the specific version and edition
of Windows as follows:
•
5 users
—Windows XP Home, Vista Starter/Home Basic
•
10 users
—Windows NT, 2000, XP Professional, Vista Home
Premium/Business/Enterprise/Ultimate
•
20 users
—Windows 7 and 8 (all editions)
When more than the allowed limit of users or systems try to connect, the connection is denied and the
client sees one of the following error messages:
Operating system error 71. No more connections can be made to this remote com-
puter at this time because there are already as many connections as the computer
can accept. System error 71 has occurred. This remote computer has reached its
connection limit, you cannot connect at this time.
Although it is called a “Server” OS, Windows Home Server also has the same 10-connection limit as
the non-Home client Windows versions of XP and Vista. If you need a server that can handle more
than 10 or 20 clients, I recommend using a Linux-based server OS (such as Ubuntu Server) or one of
the professional Windows server products (such as Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2008
R2 Essential Business Server, or Small Business Server). Peer-to-peer networks are more common
in small offices or within a single department of a larger organization. The advantage of a peer-to-
peer network is that you don't have to dedicate a computer to function as a file server. Instead, every
computer can share its resources with any other. The potential disadvantages to a peer-to-peer
network are that typically less security and less control exist because users normally administer their
own systems, whereas client/server networks have the advantage of centralized administration.
Note that the actual networking hardware (interface cards, cables, and so on) is the same in
client/server versus peer-to-peer networks; it is only the logical organization, management, and
control of the network that varies.
Comparing Client/Server and Peer-to-Peer Networks
Client/server LANs offer enhanced security for shared resources, greater performance, increased
backup efficiency for network-based data, and the potential for the use of redundant power supplies
17.1
compares client/server and peer-to-peer server networking.
Table 17.1. Comparing Client/Server and Peer-to-Peer Networking
