Remote Access in Computer Networking

Question: What Is Remote Access in Computer Networks?

Answer: In computer networking, remote access technology allows operating a system as an authorized user without any physical presence on the system. It is commonly used in computer networks but can find its applications on home networks.

Remote Desktop

The most complicated form of remote access allows user on one computer to see and operate the desktop user interface of another computer. Configuring remote desktop support can be done by configuring software on both the host and target. After installation of the software we can get a view of the target computer on the host.

Presently we have current versions of Microsoft Windows as Remote Desktop connection software. However, this software only support target computers that run Professional, Enterprise or advanced versions of the O/S which make it unsuitable for  use with home networks. For Mac OS X computer, Apple Remote Desktop software package is available and that too for business networks. For Linux operating system we can see various remote desktop software available as of now.

Many of the remote desktop solutions work on Virtual Network Computing technology. Softwares based on VNC works in multiple operating systems. The speed of VNC and other remote desktop software can differ, where it performs effectively same as the local computer, but at other times it exhibit sluggish responsiveness due to network latency.

Remote Access to Files

Basic remote network access enables files to be read from and written to the target, without any support of desktop capability. With the help of Virtual Private Network (VPN) technology one can have remote login and files access functionality over wider area networks (WANs).

VPN need client software to be present on host system and VPN server technology installed on the target computer. In absence of VPN, client/server software can also be used for remote file access. SSH help to provide a command line interface to the target system.

File sharing in home or other local area network is not considered for a remote access environment.

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Operating systems in computer networks

Computers use operating system to build and run programs. Operating system software not only runs on laptop computers but also on network routers, cell phones and other embedded devices.

Types of operating system

The operating systems used on computers are

·     Microsoft Windows

·     Linux

·     Mac OS X

Some other types of operating system used for various types of equipment are

·     Google Android and Symbian- for cell phones

·     DEC VMS (Virtual Memory System)- for mainframe computers

·     Solaris, DG-UX, HP-UX and other types of Unix- for server computers

Network Operating system

A modern operating system has built in software to simplify networking of a computer. In Operating system software, there is an implementation of TCP/IP protocol stack and utility programs like traceroute and ping. This consists of necessary device drivers and other software to automatically enable a device Ethernet interface. Mobile devices provide the programs to enable Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and other wireless connectivity.

Early versions of Microsoft Windows don’t offer any computer networking support. Microsoft has added basic networking properties into its operating system like Windows 95 and Windows for Workgroups. Microsoft also comes with internet connection sharing feature in Windows98 Second edition.

In comparison to UNIX, which was designed with more emphasis on networking. Any consumer operating system today can be categorized as a network operating system due to the growing popularity of internet.

Embedded Operating systems

Embedded system supports no or limited configuration of its software. For e.g. embedded systems like routers typically consist of a pre-configured Web server, DHCP server and some of the utilities but do not allow the installation of new programs. Some of the examples of embedded operating system for routers include

·        Cisco IOS (Internetwork operating system)

·        Juniper Junos

·        DD-WRT

You can find embedded operating system inside the consumer gadgets like phones (iPhone OS), digital media players and PDAs. 

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How computer networking works

During the past 25 years, every sphere of industry has been covered by computer network of various types. Learning the basic of how these computer network works help us to better use them and also increases our knowledge of changing world around us.

What is network device?

A network device consists of special communication hardware so as to make the physical connections to other device. Most of the modern network devices have communication electronic built onto their circuit boards.

Some of the PCs, older Xbox consoles, and older devices don’t have the communications hardware but it can be set up by plugging in separate network adapters in the form of USB peripheral.

Some old desktop PCs need physically inserting large add-in cards on the system motherboard which gives origin to the term Network Interface Card.

New generation of consumer appliances and gadgets are being built as network devices whereas older devices were not.

Roles of devices on computer networks

Devices on computer networks function in different ways. The two common roles are clients and servers. PCs, phone, tablets and network printers are common examples of clients. Clients make request and use data stored in network servers. Servers include devices with large amount of memory and high performance processor to support clients. Examples of network servers are Web servers and game servers. Network generally supports many clients than servers. Clients and servers are also called network nodes.

Network devices are capable of working as both clients and servers. For e.g. in a peer to peer networking a pair of devices share data with each other, in this process one acts as a server hosting data while simultaneously working as a client to request data from peer devices.

Special purpose network devices

Server and client nodes can be added or removed from the network without blocking communication between other devices. However other types of network hardware still exist for allowing a network to run

·        A network hub allows any node connected to it directly send data to other

·        Network switches function as same as hubs but they include additional hardware logic that opens up multiple communication paths that enables multiple connected nodes to send data to each other

·        Network routers further increase the capabilities of network switches by allowing connections outward from itself to other networks and joining them together without disturbing the functionality of each of them individually.

·        A network repeater accepts the physical signals sent across a network connection and increase their strength so that the signal can travel longer distance.

·        Network bridge connects two different types of physical networks links together 

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The most incredible article about Basics of Networking you'll ever read

Networking is the process of connecting two or more computing devices with each other for sharing data. Computer networks are constructed using hardware and software.

Area Networks

Computer networks are categorized in various different ways. According to one approach the networks are defined on the basis of geographic area which it covers.

Local Area Networks( LANs) is used to connect  a single home, small office building, school whereas wide area network(WANs) is able to connect cities, states or more wider areas. Internet is considered as world largest public WAN.

Network design

Computer networks can also be defined on the basis of design approach. The two most common form of network design are client/server and peer to peer. Client server network comprises centralized server computer that can store email, files, web pages and applications. On the other hand in a peer to peer network, all computers will be able to support the same functions. Client server networks find its application in business whereas peer to peer networks are most commonly used in homes. 

A network topology defines its structure and layout from the point of view of data flow. In bus network, for example, all the computers communicate and share across one common conduit. While in a star network all the data flow takes place through one centralized device.

Common network topologies are bus, ring network, star and mesh networks.

Network Protocols

Computer devices use communication languages which are called network protocols. The set of protocols that computer network support is another way to classify them. Networks often use multiple protocols and each of them supports specific applications. One of the popular protocol is TCP/IP which is also the most common protocol found on the internet and in home networks.

Home Networking

Home Networks are managed by ordinary homeowners with little or no technical knowledge. Broadband router hardware produced by various manufactures has been designed to simplify home network setup. With the help of home broadband routers; devices in different rooms can efficiently share a broadband internet connection and that allow people to easily share the files and printer within a particular network and increase overall network security.

Home networks have grown with each generation of new technology. Earlier people commonly use home network to connect a few PC, and share some of the documents, but now there is increased usage of network game consoles, smart phones for streaming video and sound and digital video recorders. Home automation systems have grown in popularity with arrival of practical system for controlling lights, appliances and digital thermostats.

Business Networks

Often businesses require an additional communication, security and data storage therefore a business network contain multiple LANs. Companies with large set up uses wide area networking to connect various branch offices together. Voice over IP communication, back up technologies and network storage are most common in businesses. Some of the big companies also have their internal websites called intranets for connecting to other employees.

Internet and Networking

Computer networking has gained immense popularity with the introduction of World Wide Web (www) in the 1990s. Public web sites, peer to peer file sharing systems and a large no. of services run on internet servers all over the world.

Wired and Wireless Networking

Most common network protocols like TCP/IP, has its efficiency in wired and wireless networks. Networks with Ethernet cables are more commonly used in businesses, homes and schools for the several decades. Wireless networking has emerged as the popular technology for building new computer networks which include smartphones and other wireless gadgets that have contributed to the rise of mobile networking.

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