Whenever you use a computer network, you need to know which resources are local resources (belong to you) and which are network resources (belong to the network). In most networks, your C: drive is a local drive, as is your Documents folder. If a printer is sitting next to your PC, it's probably a local printer. You can do anything you want with these resources without affecting the network or other users on the network (as long as the local resources aren’t shared on the network). Keep these points in mind:
You can’t tell just by looking at a resource whether it’s a local resource or a network resource. The printer that sits right next to your computer is probably your local printer, but then again, it may be a network printer. The same statement is true for hard drives: The hard drive in your PC is probably your own, but it (or part of it) may be shared on the network, thus enabling other users to access it.
Because dedicated network servers are full of resources, you may say that they’re not only dedicated (and sincere), but also resourceful. (Groan. Sorry. This is yet another in a tireless series of bad computer-nerd puns.)
What’s in a Name?
Just about everything on a computer network has a name: The computers themselves have names, the people who use the computers have names, the hard drives and printers that can be shared on the network have names, and the network itself has a name. Knowing all the names used on your network isn’t essential, but you do need to know some of them.
Here are some additional details about network names:
Every person who can use the network has a username (sometimes called a user ID). You need to know your username to log on to the network. You also need to know the usernames of your buddies, especially if you want to steal their files or send them nasty notes.You can find more information about usernames and logging on in the section “Logging on to the Network,” later in this chapter.
Letting folks on the network use their first names as their usernames is tempting but not a good idea. Even in a small office, you eventually run into a conflict. (And what about Mrs. McCave — made famous by Dr. Seuss — who had 23 children and named them all Dave?) Create a consistent way of creating usernames. For example, you may use your first name plus the first two letters of your last name. Then Lisa’s username is Lisasi, and Bart’s is Bartsi. Or you may use the first letter of your first name followed by your complete last name. Then Lisa’s username is lsimpson, and Bart’s is bsimpson. (In most networks, capitalization doesn’t matter in usernames. Thus, bsimpson is the same as BSimpson.)
Every computer on the network has a unique computer name. You don’t have to know the names of all the computers on the network, but it helps if you know your own computer’s name and the names of any server computers you need to access.The computer’s name is sometimes the same as the username of the person who uses the computer, but that’s usually a bad idea because in many companies, people come and go more often than computers. Sometimes the names indicate the physical location of the computer, such as office-12 or back-room. Server computers often have names that reflect the group that uses the server most, like acctng-server or cad-server.Some network nerds like to assign techie-sounding names, like BL3K5-87a. And some like to use names from science-fiction movies; HAL (from 2001: A Space Odyssey), M5 or Data (from Star Trek), or Overmind (from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) come to mind. Cute names like Herbie aren’t allowed. (However, Tigger and Pooh are entirely acceptable — recommended, in fact. Networks are what Tiggers like the best.) Usually, the sensible approach to computer naming is to use names that have numbers, such as computer001 or computer002.
Network resources, such as shared disk folders and printers, have names. For example, a network server may have two printers, named laser and inkjet (to indicate the type of printer), and two shared disk folders, named AccountingData and MarketingData.
Server-based networks have a username for the network administrator. If you log on using the administrator's username, you can do anything you want: add new users, define new network resources, change Lisa’s password, anything. The administrator’s username is usually something clever such as Administrator.
The network itself has a name. The Windows world has two basic types of networks:Domain networks are the norm for large corporate environments that have dedicated servers with IT staff to maintain them.Workgroup networks are more common in homes or in small offices that don’t have dedicated servers or IT staff.A domain network is known by — you guessed it — a domain name. And a workgroup network is identified by — drum roll, please — a workgroup name. Regardless of which type of network you use, you need to know this name to gain access to the network.
Logging on to the Network
To use network resources, you must connect your computer to the network, and you must go through the supersecret process of logging on, which is how you let the network know who you are so that it can decide whether you’re one of the good guys.
Logging on is a little bit like cashing a check. You must have two forms of identification:
Your username: The name by which the network knows you.Your username is usually some variation of your real name, like Cosmo for Bart. Everyone who uses the network must have a username.
Your password: A secret word that only you and the network know. If you type the correct password, the network believes that you are who you say you are.Every user has a different password, and the password should be a secret.
In the early days of computer networking, you had to type a logon command at a stark MS-DOS prompt and then supply your user ID and password. Nowadays, the glory of Windows is that you get to log on to the network through a special network logon screen. Figure 3-1 shows the Windows 10 version of this dialog box.
FIGURE 3-1: Logging in to a Windows 10 system.
The terms user ID and logon name are sometimes used instead of username. They all mean the same thing.
As long as we’re talking about words that mean the same thing, log in and log on mean the same thing, as do (respectively) log out and log off as ways of saying, “I’m outta here.” Although you see both out there in the world, this book uses log on and log off throughout — and if there’s any exception, the book says why and grouses about it a bit.
As far as the network’s concerned, you and your computer aren’t the same thing. Your username refers to you, not to your computer. That’s why you have a username and your computer has a computer name. You can log on to the network by using your username from any computer that’s attached to the network. Other users can log on at your computer by using their own usernames.When others log on at your computer