Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
Internetwork Packet Exchange (IPX)
isanetworklayerprotocolthatisequivalentinfunc-
tion to IP. The suite's equivalent to TCP is the
Sequenced Packet Exchange (SPX)
pro-
tocol, which provides connection-oriented, reliable service at the transport layer.
The IPX protocols typically are used today only on networks with NetWare servers run-
ningolderversionsofNetWare.Oftentheyareinstalledalongwithanotherprotocolsuite,
such as TCP/IP. Novell has phased out its use of IPX for NetWare support and switched
to TCP/IP—along with the rest of the networking industry—starting with NetWare 5.
NetWare 5 uses IPX/SPX only for specialized operations. Most of the product uses TCP/
IP. NetWare version 6 and above use TCP/IP exclusively.
NetBEUI
NetBIOS Extended User Interface (NetBEUI)
is a protocol that was used primarily on
small Windows NT networks, as well as on peer networks based on Windows for Work-
groups and Windows 9x. It was the default protocol in Windows NT 3.1, the first version
of that OS. Later versions, however, use the TCP/IP protocols as their default.
Other Home Networking Solutions
If you are working at home or in a small office, you have an alternative to hole-drilling,
pulling specialized network cabling, or setting up a wireless network.
So-called “home” networking is designed to minimize the complexities of cabling and
wireless configuration by providing users with a sort of instant network that requires no
additional wiring and configures with little technical understanding.
The two major standards in this area are
• HomePNA (uses existing telephone wiring)
• HomePlug (uses existing power lines and outlets)
HomePNA
Other than using Ethernet (wired or wireless), the most popular form of home networking
involves adapting existing telephone wiring to networking by running network signals
at frequencies above those used by the telephone system. Because HomePNA is the
most developed and most broadly supported type of home networking, this discussion
focuses on the HomePNA standards that the Home Phoneline Networking Alliance
(
www.homepna.org
)
has created. This alliance has most of the major computer hardware
and telecommunications vendors among its founding and active membership.
The Home Phoneline Networking Alliance has developed three versions of its HomePNA
standard. HomePNA 1.0, introduced in 1998, ran at only 1Mbps and was quickly super-
