NA Lesson - 3

Networking with Default Components in Windows Server 2003

Q.Describe the basic features of Windows Server 2003 installation.

Viewing Network Connections

• A network connection is a logically configured interface between a physical network and a network adapter or modem. We can view the connections  by using the Network Connections tool in Control Panel.
• Windows Server 2003 automatically detects and configures connections associated with network adapters installed on the local computer. These connections are then displayed in the Network Connections menu.

Viewing the Default Components

The General tab of a connection’s properties dialog box shows the network components used by the connection.

These components consist of the following

·                     network clients

·                     network services

·                     network protocols

• Network clients are software components, such as Client Service For NetWare and Client For Microsoft Networks, that allow the local computer to connect with a destination network operating system.
• Network services are software components, such as File And Printer Sharing For Microsoft Networks, Network Load Balancing, and QoS Packet Scheduler, that provide additional features for network connections.
• Network protocols are basic software components such as TCP/IP and AppleTalk that allow a computer to communicate with other computers. Network clients and services are built on top of network protocols.

Viewing Advanced Connection Settings

• To view advanced connection settings, open the Network Connections window and select Advanced Settings from the Advanced menu.
• The Advanced Settings dialog box, displays the order (priority) of each connection. By adjusting the order of the connections, we can configure the computer to attempt network communication through various available connections in the order you define.
•  We can also adjust the binding order of the services used for each connection.

Default TCP/IP Settings

• We can view TCP/IP settings configured for any connection by opening the Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) Properties dialog box.
• To open this dialog box 

            1.open a connection’s properties dialog box

            2.select Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) from the list of network components

            3.select Properties.

• As shown in the above Figure the IP address of a computer is assigned automatically in a default Windows installation.
• For a new computer on a network, or for a network on which no DHCP server has been configured, the computer assigns itself an IP address in the range of 169.254.0.1–169.254.255.254.
• This address is available through a feature called Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA).