Networking Trends

 The earliest micro Local Area Networks were easy to install. Telephone wires were strung between the micros or coaxial cable was installed behind a wall. Each micro needed a Local Area Network adapter card on its main bus, which translated requests into network packets and vice versa. These early networks were used primarily to share devices such as laser printers and plotters. The network software was installed on a micro that was hooked to the shared devices. This machine becomes known as the server.

The next logical step was to allow users to share data. Early implementations transferred data as complete files. When a user requested information from a file, the whole file was sent over the network to their machine. The file was locked and was not available to any other user. Software advances modified the procedure so that files were accessed for query only, thereby not locking other users out. However, complete files were still sent over the network, Software advances have now taken the locking down to the record level, eliminating the need to send entire files over the network.

The network is the least widely understood component of client/server computing. Many users and developers understand and comfortable with the front-end and back-end hardware and software. When implementing client/server technology, it is important to have an understanding of the mechanics of networking.

A network is an inter process communication system that lets data and messages be transferred between processes. It must be transparent to the users. The network and the distributed applications must be as reliable as if they were running on a single computer. Network architecture has rules for how transfers occur within that architecture. Different hardware and software can communicate as long as they use the same protocols and data formats.

Networks have operating system software and management software. The network operating system manages the communication services of the server and shields the application programs from direct communication with the server. The network operating system is installed on the server machines but a portion of it runs on each connected client machine as well. Each network operating system has its own protocol.

Management of interconnected Local Area Networks is complicated by the multiple protocols, multiple operating systems and multiple hardware platforms that must be supported. It is further complicated by the fact that these nodes are usually geographically dispersed. Most Local Area Network management products focus on providing reliable service and minimizing traffic bottlenecks and downtime.

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