From the #1 author in PC hardware Stephen Bigelow comes the most detailed and comprehensive networking reference available. Covering all networking essentials, architecture, protocols, cabling, firewalls, and much more --this is a must-have for every networking professional.

From the #1 author in PC hardware Stephen Bigelow comes the most detailed and comprehensive networking reference available. Covering all networking essentials, architecture, protocols, cabling, firewalls, and much more --this is a must-have for every networking professional.

The all-time bestselling PC reference, fully updated for the newest technologies! Previous editions of this fun and friendly PC guide have sold more than three million copies, making it the bestselling PC reference in the world. Dan Gookin, the author whose straightforward and entertaining style is the foundation of the For Dummies series, gives you the same easy-to-follow guidance in this edition, fully updated for Windows 8, using the cloud, and all the newest PC bells and whistles. It's perfect for the absolute beginner as well as for anyone switching to the latest hardware and software. Updated with information on all the latest upgrades, this edition of a worldwide bestseller covers all the essentials of using a PC, and presents them in a fun, non-intimidating style Popular technology author Dan Gookin starts at the beginning with all the basics that other books assume everyone knows Covers setting up your PC, exploring the Windows 8 interface, using network hardware and software, getting online and browsing with the newest version of Internet Explorer, setting up an e-mail account, connecting to the cloud, and using cloud-based services Shows you how to install and upgrade programs and manage files and folders Explores working with digital photos, downloading music, watching movies, and participating in social media PCs For Dummies, 12th Edition is the jargon-free, easy-to-use guide to everything you need to know about your PC.

Learn how to set up and configure networks to create robust connections, and how to quickly diagnose and repair problems should something go wrong. Whatever version of Windows you are using, you will need a stable Internet connection and access to your company network and its shared files and resources. When a network connection fails, it can result in an expensive loss of productivity. What You'll Learn Set up and manage different types of network connections Use and configure Windows TCP/IP stack Determine the common causes of networking problems and how to avoid them Troubleshoot network connection problems Manage networking for Windows virtual machines Keep the mobile or BYOD worker connected to your company network Who This Book Is For IT pros, Windows expert and power users, and system administrators

Over the years, thousands of tools have been developed for debugging TCP/IP networks. They range from very specialized tools that do one particular task, to generalized suites that do just about everything except replace bad Ethernet cables. Even better, many of them are absolutely free. There's only one problem: who has time to track them all down, sort through them for the best ones for a particular purpose, or figure out how to use them?Network Troubleshooting Tools does the work for you--by describing the best of the freely available tools for debugging and troubleshooting. You can start with a lesser-known version of ping that diagnoses connectivity problems, or take on a much more comprehensive program like MRTG for graphing traffic through network interfaces. There's tkined for mapping and automatically monitoring networks, and Ethereal for capturing packets and debugging low-level problems.This book isn't just about the tools available for troubleshooting common network problems. It also outlines a systematic approach to network troubleshooting: how to document your network so you know how it behaves under normal conditions, and how to think about problems when they arise, so you can solve them more effectively.The topics covered in this book include: Understanding your network Connectivity testing Evaluating the path between two network nodes Tools for capturing packets Tools for network discovery and mapping Tools for working with SNMP Performance monitoring Testing application layer protocols Software sources If you're involved with network operations, this book will save you time, money, and needless experimentation.

Today's rapidly changing technology offers increasingly complex challenges to the network administrator, MIS director and others who are responsible for the overall health of the network. This Network Maintenance and Troubleshooting Guide picks up where other network manuals and texts leave off. It addresses the areas of how to anticipate and prevent problems, how to solve problems, how to operate a healthy network and how to troubleshoot. Network Maintenance and Troubleshooting Guide also provides basic technical and troubleshooting information about cable testing, Ethernet and Token Ring networks and additional information about Novell's IPX(R) protocol and TCP/IP. Examples are shown as either diagrams and tables, or screen captures from Fluke instruments. Network professionals will appreciate the guide's "real world" orientation toward solving network crises quickly, by guiding readers to solutions for restoration of end to end data delivery as quickly as possible. The network novice will learn from the simplified descriptions about networking technology in the Appendices.

CD-ROM packed with diagnostic and troubleshooting software! PRACTICAL, AUTHORITATIVE GUIDANCE ON KEEPING A WIRELESS NETWORK WORKING HARD FOR YOUR BUSINESS! With annual equipment sales projected to grow to more than $5 billion by mid-decade, wireless networking is clearly a technology whose time has come. But with many wireless networks expected to be created at both small offices and home offices, where can people charged with maintaining them get comprehensive information to help them do just that? The answer is McGraw-Hill’s Installing, Troubleshooting, and Repairing Wireless Networks. Written with insight by a noted IT expert and commentator, this book provides comprehensive coverage of this rapidly emerging technology, and in the process: * Introduces all wireless components, both “off-the-shelf” and subscriber products * Covers WiFi technologies as 802.11a and b * Includes all scales of wireless networks, from home to office, cafes and campuses, airports and hotels, to MANs, and describes what’s best for different needs * Shows how to integrate wired and wireless LANs * Discusses the benefits and pitfalls of wireless technologies * Advises how to set up and maintain security features * And much, much more! Basic enough for the hobbyist—and yet still detailed enough for the IT professional—Installing, Troubleshooting, and Repairing Wireless Networks is the essential survival guide for keeping a wireless network up and running.