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Not satisfied with DNS, Microsoft invented another naming service for Windows, called WINS (Windows Internet Name Service). WINS is a Windows-specific name service for TCP/IP and is meant for networking geographically distant Windows computers (it typically isn’t used on a local area network). WINS not only maps names of servers but also maps names of workgroups and NT domains.
It’s unlikely that WINS will be around in the next generation of Windows machines (although it’s still around in Windows 98); Microsoft is taking a page from the competition’s automatic name services and directory services and will be rolling TCP/IP name services together with their username and password services. This will be called Active Directory.
The notion of a directory is similar to the name services concept, but it goes one step further: Instead of simply resolving a name to a number, directory services offer many pieces of vital data on the network. In particular, directory services allow users from all over to log in to the network rather than into a specific server; each server on the network relies on the directory services to assign security rights, and so on.
This is terrific because administrators no longer need to update multiple servers with username and password information; instead, they can administer updates from one point and distribute them throughout the network. Although the long-term goal has been simplification, which makes troubleshooting easier, beware of early implementations. Even Novell’s NDS—arguably the “best” directory service around (it’s been around a number of years and has a lot of support)—had a lot of problems out of the gate.
Some sort of directory service—whether it’s Microsoft’s, Novell’s, or Acme’s—is definitely in your future.
This hour is a reasonably complete introduction of most of the networking concepts you’ll run into. However, as they say, the devil’s in the details. This hour will serve as a good foundation on which you can build your troubleshooting knowledge as you read on.
Here are some things to remember:
Q Do Apple Macintosh networks work like a telephone network, too? What about AppleTalk?
A I don’t talk about Macs specifically in this book. However, all of the general concepts of networking apply. You still have a network interface, shared media, network numbers, name services, and so on—the specifics are just different. AppleTalk is a protocol and has its own rules and regulations, just like TCP/IP or IPX/SPX.
Q Shouldn’t I learn more about TCP/IP? Don’t I need to be a TCP/IP whiz to troubleshoot TCP/IP problems?
A Learning more is never a waste, but as you’ll see in later hours, dealing pragmatically with most TCP/IP problems doesn’t really require a deep knowledge of the protocol itself—just a knowledge of workstation configuration and general troubleshooting techniques.
Q My networking buddy says that switches and routers and bridges are all the same thing. Are they?
A It depends on who you ask. Certainly, they all take network conversations (traffic) in on one port and spit them out on another. They are also all ways of connecting different segments together. It used to be that switches and bridges were always MAC oriented and only looked at traffic on a DLC level, because handling a routable protocol such as TCP/IP tended to involve calculations, which made things slower. Recent innovations in routing and switching technology have created Layer 3 switches (which refers to a protocol rather than DLC) that can act as wire-speed routers. In other words, they take in packets of any kind and spit them out as fast as possible. However, the line does tend to blur with hybrid, high-end equipment. Of course, switch or router behavior depends very much on the manufacturer’s specifications; check your manual if you have questions about your switch or router.
Q How does the concept of intranet versus Internet apply to the telephone analogy?
A Just think of an intranet as your internal phone system, and the Internet as the world’s phone system.
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