Assigning IP Address to Clients and Servers

In this lesson, you will learn how to assign IP address to

clients and servers.

In configuring a network, computer systems are assigned with

specific roles. These roles will determine how they will work
and behave in a network. A computer system can either be a
client or a server.

A client, also known as host, is a computer system that may

work as it is but would normally acquire most of its resources
from a server. It can be in a form of desktop computers,
laptops, and handheld devices.

A server on the other hand is a powerful computer, normally

with high end technical specifications and running on a server
operating system, which supplies the needed resources to all
the clients which are connected to it. All networks have one
or more computers that can be designated as a server.

In order for all the clients and servers to be identified in a

network, they are given their own addresses. An Internet
Protocol (IP) address is used to give each one a unique
network identifier. An IP address is a distinctive sequence of
numbers that is divided by periods or dots. An internet
protocol on the other hand is a set of specific rules that
governs how data and information are transferred over the
Internet or in a local area network.

An IP address has four numbers that is separated by dots. Each

number ranges from 0 to 255. As an example, 192.168.0.1 and
192.168.0.254 are both IP addresses that may be assigned to a
computer system, server, or network device. It is divided into
two major parts, the first two numbers is the network
identifier (192.168) while the rest is referred to as the
client/host address (0.254). IP address can be assigned
dynamically or statically.

A dynamic IP address is temporary and is assigned every time a

computer system or device connects to the server. This means
that a client will get a different IP address every time. A
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) is a client/server
protocol that does this assignment. The range of the IP
address that the DHCP server can be predetermined by an
administrator. The advantage of using this scheme is being
able to send automatic IP addresses to all the clients every
time the server changes its network preferences.

Static IP addresses on the other hand, as the name implies,

never change. This means that this address is manually
embedded to the client/host and will never change even if it
disconnects and reconnects to the server anytime. Each client
must be configured one by one in order to assign a static IP
address to all of them. One disadvantage of this arrangement
is the long-time consumed in assigning IP addresses to all the
clients and must be re-assigned if the server changes
configuration.

Keypoints:

 Knowing how IP addresses are and what their main

functions is vital in the installation and maintenance of
a computer network.
 These addresses can be used to maximize the capabilities
of all the clients, network devices and servers that are
connected to a computer network.
At the end of this lesson, you should learn how to enable
network security to the computer systems.

Establishing a network has a lot of advantages to offer. Some

of these advantages are sharing resources, easier transmission
of data and information, and access to shared data stored in
central database. In order to ensure that these advantages
will not lead to unauthorized access, security measures must
be established both on the computer systems and devices, and
the network infrastructure itself.

Most of the settings in enabling network security can be found

in the Network and Sharing Center or in the Network and
Security Settings of a computer system. Here are some of the
measures that can be done in order to secure the computer
systems in a network:

1. Use a Firewall. A firewall is designed to prevent

unsanctioned access into a computer system while keeping
the outward communication permitted. Having this enabled
will allow a computer system to gain access with the
resources available in the network but will restrict any
other computer system or person from accessing its own
resources.
2. Install an Anti-malware. Although a firewall can prevent
unauthorized connection towards a computer system, there
are cases in which it may not do so. A firewall cannot
protect a computer system from malware, therefore, having
an anti-malware that offers network protection must be
taken into consideration.
3. Disable Network Discovery. Disabling this will make a
computer concealed, thus preventing it from being shown
in the list of devices connected to a network.
4. Disable Resource Sharing. Having this disabled will
prevent other devices from accessing the files and other
physical resources of a computer system.
5. Never share credentials. These credentials include
usernames and passwords. Since computer systems are all
interconnected in a network, sharing these will allow
others to gain entree into a computer using remote
access.
6. Aside from securing the computer systems, the network
infrastructure must also be protected. Here are some
guidelines to secure it:

7. 1) Secure all the network ports

 8. This is to ensure that unauthorized access through the
ports will be prevented. All ports must be placed on
secured areas that is not accessible by guests or
unsanctioned personnel.

9. 2) Secure the wireless access points

10. Wireless access points allow devices to connect to

the network using WiFi connection. Because of this, it is
susceptible to breach. In order to protect it, the
default Service Set Identifier (SSID), the network name
that can be scanned by wireless clients, must be changed
or better be hidden. Setting up a more complicated
password such as Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) is also
recommended.

11. 3) Install a hardware firewall

12. Although firewalls in a form of software are already

available in computer systems, installing a separate
firewall in a form of hardware will definitely boost the
network’s protection. It has special features that will
help prevent unauthorized access, even from skilled
hackers.

Tips


Enabling these security measures will not only make the
network safe and protected, they will also ensure that
confidential information and resources will not end up in
the hands of unauthorized people.
 Network security must be maintained and supervised at all
times.
Configuring File and Printer Sharing

In this lesson, you will learn how to configure file and

printer sharing.

One of the main goals of configuring a computer network is to

allow all the connected devices to share resources. These
resources are often in the form of files, peripherals, and
Internet connectivity. Once a computer system or peripheral
has been connected to the network, resource sharing is not
enabled by default. It is the task of the computer technician
to ensure that file and printer (example of a peripheral) has
been enabled.

Before files and printer sharing can be enabled, the following

steps must be accomplished to give a “shared” property to
files and printers.

For file sharing:

1) Right click on the file and find the “Share with” option.
2) Choose the appropriate users that are allowed to gain
access to your file. The access levels are:

 Read – an allowed user will be able to view the file but

not edit it.
 Change – an allowed user will be able to read and edit
the file.
 Full control – an allowed user will be able to read,
change, and delete the file.

3) Click the “Share” button to close the dialog box and finish
the process.
4) If multiple files are needed to be shared, transferring it
to the Public Folder or enabling sharing on the folder where
the files belong can also be done.

For printer sharing:

1. Open the “Devices and Printers” settings.

2. Right click on the printer icon and choose “Properties”.
3. Click the Sharing tab, and select the Share this printer
check box.

Listed below are the procedures in configuring file and

printer sharing:
1. Ensure that the computer system and the peripherals are
connected to the network, either via cable or wireless
connection.
2. Open the “Network and Sharing Center” (or just network
settings in some systems) to access the configuration
window.
3. On the network and sharing center, click the “Turn on
Network Discovery” radio button. This will allow other
computer systems and devices that are connected in the
same network to find the computer that is being
configured.
4. Once network discovery has been turned on, click the
“Turn on file and printer sharing” radio button to enable
file and printer sharing.
5. Click the Save Changes button to finish the
configuration.
6. Once all the procedures have been accomplished, files and
printers that were given the shared property will now be
accessed remotely by any device that is connected in the
same network. The shared resources can be accessed by
typing the IP address or the computer name of the host
computer system into the run command. Keep in mind that
before accessing any file or peripheral for the first
time, appropriate credentials (username and password) are
needed for authentication. Proper security protocols must
be laid down to restrict unauthorized personnel and
guests from accessing the shared files and printers.