Wireless Home Networking - Index of

Chapter 2: From a to n and b-yond
Some networks also have servers, which are special-purpose computers or
other devices that provide one or more services to other computers and
devices on a network. Examples of typical servers include
� Windows Home Server: Microsoft and its hardware partners (companies
such as HP) have created a new specification for hardware and
software known as Windows Home Server. Essentially, Windows Home
Server is a stripped-down version of the Windows OS that is designed
to run on a small device that sits in your network and provides file and
media storage for all the computers in your home (and remote access
to your stuff over the Internet while you’re out of the house). Windows
Home Servers are a lot like the NAS devices discussed in the next bullet
point, but use a special Windows OS. You can read more at www.
microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/windowshomeserver/
default.mspx.
� Network Attached Storage (NAS) Server: A specialized kind of file server,
an NAS device is basically a small, headless (it doesn’t have a monitor or
keyboard) computing appliance that uses a big hard drive and a special
operating system (usually Linux) to create an easy-to-use file server for
a home or office network. The Buffalo Technology LinkStation Network
Storage Center (www.buffalotech.com) is a good example of an NAS
device appropriate for a home network.
� Print server: A print server is a computer or other device that makes it
possible for the computers on the network to share one or more printers.
You don’t commonly find a print server in a home network, but
some wireless networking equipment comes with a print server feature
built in, which turns out to be very handy.
� E-mail server: An e-mail server is a computer that provides a system for
sending e-mail to users on the network. You may never see an e-mail
server on a home network. Most often, home users send e-mail through
a third-party service, such as America Online (AOL), EarthLink, MSN
Hotmail, and Yahoo!.
� DHCP server: Every computer on a network, even a home network, must
have its own, unique network address to communicate with the other
computers on the network. A Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)
server automatically assigns a network address to every computer on a
network. You most often find DHCP servers in another device, such as
a router or an AP.
You can find many types of client computers — network-aware devices — on
your network, too. Some examples include
� Gaming consoles: The Microsoft Xbox 360 (www.xbox.com), Sony
PlayStation 3 (www.playstation.com), and Nintendo Wii (www.nintendo.
com) have adapters for network connections or multiplayer gaming and
talking to other players while gaming. Cool! Read more about online
gaming in Chapter 11.
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