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Networking: A Beginner's Guide
In a client/server e-mail system, an e-mail server contains the messages and
handles all the e-mail interconnections, both within and outside the company. Client/
server e-mail systems, such as Microsoft Exchange and Lotus Notes, are more secure
and far more powerful than their file-based counterparts. They often offer additional
features that enable you to use the e-mail system to automate different internal
business processes, such as invoicing and purchasing.
For smaller companies (with fewer that 25 employees), e-mail is just as important,
but an e-mail server or dedicated e-mail system is usually overkill and too costly to
purchase and maintain. These companies can use other strategies that do not require
running their own internal e-mail system (file-based or client/server), such as the
following:
Install a shared connection to the Internet that all of their computers can access,
and then set up e-mail accounts either through their Internet service provider
(ISP) or a free e-mail service, such as Yahoo! Mail or Google's Gmail.
Run Microsoft Windows Small Business Server 2008, which includes a limited
version of Exchange Server, along with other server-based applications that are
packaged together to make them more economical for smaller companies.
Use mailboxes from a service provider that runs a high-end e-mail system (and
handes administration and backups). Companies usually pay a monthly fee for
the number of mailboxes used.
Remote Access
Another important service for most networks is remote access to the network's
resources. Users use this feature to access their files and e-mail when they're traveling
or working from a remote location, such as a hotel or their home. Remote access
systems come in many different flavors. The following are some of the methods used to
provide remote access:
Set up a simple remote access service (RAS) connection on a Windows server,
which can range from using a single modem to a bank of modems.
Use a dedicated remote access system, which handles many simultaneous
connections and usually includes many computers, each on its own
stand-alone card.
Employ a workstation on the network and have users dial in using a remote
control program like Symantec's pcAnywhere or Citrix's GoToMyPC.
Set up a virtual private network (VPN) connection to the Internet, through
which users can access resources on the company network in a secure fashion.
Install Windows Terminal Services (on a Windows server) or Citrix
XenDesktop, which allow a single server to host multiple client sessions, each
appearing to the end user as a stand-alone computer.