Networking tools

Task 4 Unit 5 (P2) & Unit 9 (P5)

Outline the purpose of networking tools.

Networking tools

Directory

The purposes of networking tools are so that the network manager can have complete control over the network, and this is done by using such tools as a directory, account management, authenticity management, active directory and DNS.

Account  

The purpose of this tool is to allow the administrators of the network to ensure that there is appropriate account management for groups and users.

User Groups/ accounts

User groups are set up to make it easier to set up lots of accounts, but it also provides a big advantage as if you need to allow a group of users to have access to something it makes it easy to do so. Groups can be set to only have rights to access certain areas such as files, directories, printers or servers. User groups allow users to move from one computer to another and keep their privileges.

Authenticity

When a request is made it usually needs to be authenticated first, this isn’t only on user accounts but through internet ecommerce and secure web pages where SSL is used to insure that what is being sent is encrypted and from a secure site, this is done by using a public and private key to insure that the page is as it says. With user accounts a password and username are used to authenticate the user.

DNS

Domain name server is a server that is used to change domain names into corresponding IP address. When the user searches for the domain name the computer will check the cache to see if the use user has access the page before and saved a location directory, if the directory isn’t there then it will go to the DNS sever and find the page.

Files

File transfer

A networked system allows users to share files; this is referred to as FTP. This allows users to share and receive files an example of software for this is Filezilla. FTP can also be used to allow users to download files without creating an account or password.

File Sharing

This type of file transfer is becoming more popular as it offers increased speed and security as you are paying for the service that you receive. The files that you download require a password and user account, you can also download multiple files at once.

Application services

Proxy server

A proxy is the middle man in trying to connect to the specified server, this is done so that the user can be directed to the correct place, and if the user has accessed the specified location before the proxy would remember and direct it quicker to the correct place. 

Storage space

Users can store there data in many different ways such as on a cloud, on a HDD or Portable media. Each of these have their benefits and flaws, for example if you store all of your data on a cloud, it is more prone to getting attacked by a virus or hacker, however if you have it on a HDD it could become corrupt and unusable.

VoIP

This is the protocol that allows users to send voice over the internet; this converts the voice into a digital medium and sends the data in packets to the recipient.

Telecommunication

IRC

This is a service that allows multiple people to connect together and chat, this is done through an IRC client server, and all the data is then sent in packets to this server and sent to everyone so that they all get the information. This is a useful service as it allows people from all around the world to connect together and talk.

Remote access

Remote access is when you can access a network from a different location, this can be on mobile devices such as a smart phone or even a laptop; however it can be quite a heavy program and could be quite demanding on hardware, this means that a desktop would be the best choice for remote accessing another system.