Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
The focus of this topic is on Active Directory and the many related roles
and services that Windows Server 2008 provides. No matter how well you have designed and
configured your Active Directory environment, file system, and group policies, however, their
value to users and computers is limited without a smoothly running network.
This chapter covers configuring Windows networking components from the perspective of
keeping Windows servers connected and available to network clients. Windows Server 2008 adds
several new tools and network enhancements, covered in this chapter, to help with that goal.
A key to understanding any network today is solid knowledge of the TCP/IP protocol and
the tools for configuring and troubleshooting it. This chapter covers TCP/IP, IPv4 addressing,
and IPv6. Your understanding of IPv4 addressing in particular is critical to understanding how
to configure sites in Active Directory.
A main objective of the 70-640 certification exam is configuring the Domain Name System
(DNS) infrastructure to support Active Directory. DNS is a protocol in the TCP/IP suite, so
understanding Windows networking and TCP/IP prepares you for the extensive coverage of this
topic in Chapter 9.
Before Windows Server 2008 and Vista, users' view of the network to which their computers
were connected was mostly limited to the status of network connections in the Network
Connections window and My Network Places. Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 offer
the Network and Sharing Center that visually depicts the networks your computer has a con-
nection to and shows status information for each network. Discovered networks are categorized
by security access level (public, private, or domain) so that security settings can be applied
according to the network connection. The focus on security makes working with Windows
Server 2008 and Vista networks both easier and more complex. Configuring basic network set-
tings without having to worry as much about security makes networking easier for novices, but
the more advanced settings of Windows networking involve more complex tools.
In the following sections, you examine the Network and Sharing Center and then learn about
the enhancements made in Windows networking since Windows Server 2003 and XP. Before you
get started, however, a discussion of the networking terms used in Windows is in order.
Most OS vendors use a set of terms to describe networking components and processes, and
Microsoft is no different. Some terms are standard for the industry, but others might not be. You
learned some of these terms in Chapter 1, but the following list should be helpful in this chap-
ter's discussion on networks:
This list of terms is by no means complete. Entire topics are written on net-
work terminology and concepts, such as
Guide to Networking Essentials,
Fifth Edition
(Course Technology, 2006, 1-4188-3718-0).
•
Network media
—The cables (or airwaves, with wireless networks) through which network
signals travel to communicate from one computer or device to another.
•
Network interface card (NIC)
—The hardware that connects a computer to the network
media. The NIC is often part of the motherboard but can also be an add-on card.
Microsoft usually refers to the NIC as the “network adapter.”
•
NIC driver
—Software that communicates between a NIC and the OS. To function, every
NIC must have a driver installed that's specific for its model.
•
Hub or switch
—The device that connects a computer to the rest of the network. In a wired
network, one end of the connection medium is plugged into a computer's NIC and the
other end into the hub or switch. In a wireless network, this device is called an access point.
•
Router
—A network device that forwards communication packets from one network to
another. Routers are the basis for the Internet.
•
Network protocol
—The rules and syntax that computers use to communicate with one
another. TCP/IP is the most well-known protocol.
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