Network Interface Cards White Papers

Home and Small Office Network Topologies

• Tags:
• network interface cards,
• connection,
• connecting,
• configuration

Overview Home and small office networks can be set up in a variety of configurations. The following factors can affect the ultimate network configuration:

Equipment availability and cost—In many cases, the financial support to connect a set of machines together in a network to share files, printers, and the Internet is limited. Consider the costs of acquiring and installing network adapters, hubs, other network devices such as residential gateways, and cabling.

Internet access availability—The network configuration can also be limited by the available options for connecting to the Internet. While standard modems and dial up access is available to nearly everyone and requires little additional investment, higher bandwidth needs might require a broadband link such as Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) or cable. Depending on the broadband provider, you might be required to use additional equipment such as a cable or DSL modem or a residential gateway.

Configuration simplicity—Most home or small networks are not managed by an information technology (IT) department. The configuration that is eventually chosen must match the resources available to install and maintain it. With the right configuration, anyone can do this.

The environment of the network—Whether the network is being set up in a business or home, environmental factors can affect the choices available. For example, some buildings might have restrictions on installing cabling or requirements to use existing cabling. Other locations might restrict the use of wireless network devices due to electrical shielding or interference.

Security for the Internet connection—The Internet connection, the physical method of connecting one or more of the computers on your internal network, must be protected from Internet attacks. This can be done using a combination of translation and firewall technologies.

Preferences and knowledge of installer—The network configuration is invariab

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