Network Hard
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 Buffalo LinkStation Pro 1TB USB 20 Network Hard Drive  US $200.99
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Understanding the Components of a Home Network
Home networks are becoming more common. People want to be able to share a single broadband Internet connection to several computers in the house. There are many different devices that you can use to make up your home network. If you have never heard network terminology device names like router, hub, etc may seem confusing.
The purpose of most of these devices is to control how the network passes around information. This information is sent in the form of "packets". I will refer to the term packet several times in this article. It simply means the data that the network is transporting. I will now explain the purpose of the major components of a home network.
What is a Hub
A hub is a device that has several Ethernet ports on the back of the device. One of these ports will likely be labeled “Uplink”. This port allows you to connect multiple hubs together, if you run out of ports on your hub. If you do not have an uplink port on your hub, the hub cannot be easily extended if you run out of ports.
A hub is a device that attaches multiple computers on an Ethernet network. If you have a number different computers that you want to connect together, you could connect each to the hub. Any packet that is sent out by any computer on the network will immediately be transmitted to the other computers. Each computer will determine if the packet was really intended for it, and filter out packets that were intended for other computers.
You really should not use a hub in a modern home network. You should always use a switch in place of a hub. Switches will be discussed in the next section.
What is a Switch
A switch is a device that has several Ethernet ports on the back of the device. One of these ports will likely be labeled “Uplink”. This port allows you to connect multiple switches together, if you run out of ports on your switch. If you do not have an uplink port on your switch, the switch cannot be easily extended if you run out of ports.
A switch serves the same function as a hub. It allows you to connect multiple computers together, so that they can exchange packets. However, a switch is much more efficient than a hub. A switch will only send Ethernet packets to the computer that the packet was intended for. Because of this you should always use a switch in place of a hub.
What is a Router
A router is a device that has several Ethernet ports on the back of the device. One of the connectors will be labeled WAN. You should connect the WAN port to the Ethernet connection on a broadband source, such as a cable or DSL modem. The other ports on the router can be connected other computers or switches/hubs that will share the WAN connection.
Routers allow you to share your broadband connection with multiple computers in your house. Rather than connecting your computer directly into your cable or DSL modem you connect the router to the cable or DSL modem. Now any computer that you connect to the router will have access to the Internet.
If you run out of ports on your router you can always connect an additional switch to the router. To connect a switch to a router simply connects the switch’s "uplink" port to one of the routers Ethernet ports. Of course, don’t connect to the router’s WAN port. The WAN port should only be connected to something such as a cable or DSL router.
Some routers come with additional features installed. Most routers also include a firewall. Firewalls are discussed in the next section. Some routers will also include a wireless access point (WAP). The WAP allows you to use wireless devices, such as wireless laptops, with the Internet.
What is a Firewall
A firewall controls traffic flow between your network and the Internet. A firewall can be either hardware or software. Windows XP SP2 or higher includes a software firewall. A hardware firewall is included with most routers.
A firewall is a very good idea. It can protect you from inbound virus attempts. By inbound virus attempt I mean other computers that will connect to your computer and attempt to infect your computer. You do not want to run a computer directly connected to the Internet, without a firewall. There are just too many other computers out there that can connect and infect you without you even noticing.
What is a Network Attached Storage (NAS)
A network attached storage device is s device that allows a hard drive to be shared across the network. This hard drive is NOT attached to any of your computers. It is simply made available by the NAS. This can be a convent way to add a hard drive that can be accessed by several computers on your network. The other common way to add a network hard drive is to simply share a folder on one of your computers. However, with the NAS, you do not need to keep one of your computers on at all times.
There are two types of NAS commonly available. The first type comes with a build in hard drive. The second accepts a USB or Fire wire external hard drive. The advantage to using a USB or Fire wire hard drive is that you can upgrade the hard drive if it ever were to become too small.
What is a Print Server
Just like you can buy a device to allow you to share a hard drive, you can do the same with a printer. A print server connects directly to your printer. Your printer is then shared to all of your computers on the network. This is convent because you do not need to leave the printer hooked to a computer, which must be turned on to print.
Conclusions
As you can see there are many different components. Perhaps the final component that I ave yet to mention is the cable. These components are connected together with CAT5 Ethernet cable.
About the Author
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Verbatim Network Hard Drive $367.99 2 TB 96869 Desktop hard drive centralizes data between computers, such as data files, video presentations, music and photos. Create private folder for individual users. Connect to other USB devices. Use the hard drive to add a USB printer to your network. Hard drive includes support for the following protocols: Apple Bonjour, DHCP, Samba and Print Server Backup on any Mac or PC on your network. Black DHCP Desktop Gigabit Ethernet Network Hard Drive USB Verbatim Verbatim America, LLC Yes www.verbatim.com |
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Iomega / 2TB HOME MEDIA NETWORK HARD / 34766 $203.4 Iomega - 2TB HOME MEDIA NETWORK HARD - 34766 |
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Iomega / 1TB HOME MEDIA NETWORK HARD / 34763 $171.24 Iomega - 1TB HOME MEDIA NETWORK HARD - 34763 |
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Lacie 301940 2 TB Network Hard Drive $253.94 Lacie 301940 2 TB Network Hard Drive |
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LaCie d2 Network 2 301504 1 TB Network Hard Drive $214 1 1 TB 1.70" 3 Year Limited 3.31 lb 301504 6.30" 6.80" d2 Network 2 301504 Network Hard Drive Ethernet Cable USB 2.0 Cable External Power Supply User Manual Quick Install Guide Utilities CD-ROM with Software The LaCie d2 Network 2 offers professional, reliable, central storage for instantly storing, sharing, and backing up from any PC or Mac on your network, and best of all, it's fully compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems. AFP APIPA Bonjour DHCP DLNA DNS FTP Gigabit Ethernet HTTP HTTPS LaCie NTP Network Hard Drive RoHS SMB UPnPAV USB 2.0 Yes d2 Network 2 d2 Network 2 301504 Network Hard Drive eSATA www.lacie.com |
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LaCie d2 Network 2 301506 2 TB Network Hard Drive $329 1 1.70" 2 TB 3 Year Limited 3.31 lb 301506 6.30" 6.80" d2 Network 2 301506 Network Hard Drive Ethernet Cable USB 2.0 Cable External Power Supply User Manual Quick Install Guide Utilities CD-ROM with Software The LaCie d2 Network 2 offers professional, reliable, central storage for instantly storing, sharing, and backing up from any PC or Mac on your network, and best of all, it's fully compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems. AFP APIPA Bonjour DHCP DLNA DNS FTP Gigabit Ethernet HTTP HTTPS LaCie NTP Network Hard Drive RoHS SMB UPnPAV USB 2.0 Yes d2 Network 2 d2 Network 2 301506 Network Hard Drive eSATA www.lacie.com |
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LaCie d2 Network 2 301505 1.50 TB Network Hard Drive $279 1 1.50 TB 1.70" 3 Year Limited 3.31 lb 301505 6.30" 6.80" d2 Network 2 301505 Network Hard Drive Ethernet Cable USB 2.0 Cable External Power Supply User Manual Quick Install Guide Utilities CD-ROM with Software The LaCie d2 Network 2 offers professional, reliable, central storage for instantly storing, sharing, and backing up from any PC or Mac on your network, and best of all, it's fully compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems. AFP APIPA Bonjour DHCP DLNA DNS FTP Gigabit Ethernet HTTP HTTPS LaCie NTP Network Hard Drive RoHS SMB UPnPAV USB 2.0 Yes d2 Network 2 d2 Network 2 301505 Network Hard Drive eSATA www.lacie.com |
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LaCie 301932 1 TB Network Hard Drive $207.99 1 TB 1.77" 2 Year Limited 2.09 lb 301932 301932 Wireless Space Network Hard Drive 4.61" 7.60" DLNA Gigabit Ethernet IEEE 802.11n LaCie Network Hard Drive PPPoE UPnP USB 2.0 Yes www.lacie.com |
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EDGE Tech DiskGo! Network Hard Drive $169.99 1 1.50" 160 GB 2.50 lb 230 V AC 3.5" 4.75" 8" DiskGO! DiskGo! Network Hard Drive EDGDG-206680-PE EDGE EDGE Tech Corporation External Fast Ethernet Network Hard Drive USB 2.0 Yes www.edgetechcorp.com |
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LaCie 301516KUA 2 TB Network Hard Drive $182.99 1 1.77" 2 TB 2 Year Limited 2.09 lb 301516KUA 4.61" 7.60" Network Space 2 301516KUA Network Hard Drive Ethernet Cable USB Cable External Power Supply Software CD Quick Install Guide LaCie Network Assistant Software With the LaCie Network Space 2, you're not simply storing files from your computer, you're storing files from all over your home. Connect the Network Space 2 through the Ethernet port to a computer or to a router, and share and store all of your media files from anywhere in your house, with the read and write speeds that you need. You can even back up multiple computers to ensure that your files are safe. The included LaCie Network Assistant allows you to quickly start using your product after completing a few short steps. This helps the Network Space 2 to be user-friendly and incredibly easy to use, just like a classic LaCie hard disk. Black DLNA Gigabit Ethernet LaCie Network Hard Drive Network Space 2 301516KUA Network Hard Drive UPnP USB 2.0 Yes www.lacie.com |
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Data Robotics Drobo FS DRDS2A24 NAS Hard Drive Array Network $717.18 Data Robotics Drobo FS DRDS2A24 NAS Hard Drive Array Network |
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Data Robotics Drobo B800fS NAS Hard Drive Array - Network DRB800FS4A21 $2674.07 Data Robotics Drobo B800fS NAS Hard Drive Array - Network DRB800FS4A21 |
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Seagate FreeAgent Goflex STAM1000100 1TB Network Hard Drive $155.3 Seagate FreeAgent Goflex STAM1000100 1TB Network Hard Drive |
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Buffalo LinkStation Pro LS-V1.0TL 1TB Network Hard Drive LSV10TL $197.65 Buffalo LinkStation Pro LS-V1.0TL 1TB Network Hard Drive LSV10TL |
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Lacie / LaCie d2 Network 2 301506 Network Hard Drive - 2 TB - Gigabit Ethernet / 301506 $249.84 Lacie - LaCie d2 Network 2 301506 Network Hard Drive - 2 TB - Gigabit Ethernet - 301506 |
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Seagate BlackArmor 110 Network Hard Drive - 1TB - USB, RJ-45 Network ST310005MNA10GRK $177.86 Seagate BlackArmor 110 Network Hard Drive - 1TB - USB, RJ-45 Network ST310005MNA10GRK |
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CP Technologies 3.5 USB 2.0 Network Storage Hard Drive Case Network Drive IDE CPUL300 CP-UL-300 $43.35 CP Technologies 3.5 USB 2.0 Network Storage Hard Drive Case Network Drive IDE CPUL300 CP-UL-300 |
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LaCie 301932 1 TB - Network Hard Drive $376.46 Manufacturer: LaCie Manufacturer Part Number: 301932 Manufacturer Website Address: www.lacie.com Brand Name: LaCie Product Model: 301932 Product Name: 301932 Wireless Space Network Hard Drive Product Type: Network Hard Drive Network & Communication: Ethernet Technology: Gigabit Ethernet Network & Communication: Wi-Fi: Yes Network & Communication: Wi-Fi Standard: IEEE 802.11n Interfaces/Ports: Host Interface: USB 2.0 Management & Protocols: Protocols: UPnP |
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EDGE Tech DiskGO! Network Hard Drive $220.99 1 1 Year 1.50" 2.50 lb 240 V AC 3.5" 4.75" 500 GB 8" The DiskGO 3.5" Network Hard Drive is a smart and affordable way to expand storage capacity and share files and printers among multiple users connected to a single network. The DiskGO 3.5" Network Hard Drive is the perfect shared storage solution for any home or small office network. Large on capacity, but small on size, this sleek, aluminum-encased portable network hard drive can store hours of MP3 music files, digital video and thousands of JPEG digital photos. This device includes 2 extra USB ports that can be used to connect USB flash drives, USB printers or other USB storage devices. The DiskGO 3.5" Network Hard Drive is easy to install and maintain. DiskGO! DiskGO! Network Hard Drive EDGDG-214562-PE EDGE EDGE Tech Corporation External Gigabit Ethernet Network Hard Drive USB 2.0 Yes www.edgetechcorp.com |
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LaCie 301515KUA 1 TB Network Hard Drive $134.99 1 TB 1.80" 2 Year Limited 2.09 lb 301515KUA 301515KUA Space 2 Network Hard Drive 4.60" 7.60" 301515KUA Space 2 Network Hard Drive Ethernet Cable USB Cable External Power Supply Utilities CD-ROM Quick Install Guide LaCie Network Assistant With the LaCie Network Space 2, you're not simply storing files from your computer; you're storing files from all over your home. Connect the Network Space 2 through the Ethernet port to a computer or to a router, and share and store all of your media files from anywhere in your house, with the read and write speeds that you need. You can even back up multiple computers to ensure that your files are safe. The included LaCie Network Assistant allows you to quickly start using your product after completing a few short steps. This helps the Network Space 2 to be user-friendly and incredibly easy to use - just like a classic LaCie hard disk. DLNA Gigabit Ethernet LaCie Network Hard Drive UPnP USB 2.0 Yes www.lacie.com |
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LaCie 301940 2 TB Network Hard Drive $306.99 1.77" 2 TB 2 Year Limited 2.09 lb 301940 301940 Wireless Space Network Hard Drive 4.61" 7.60" 301940 Wireless Space Network Hard Drive Ethernet Cable External Power Supply Utilities CD-ROM User Manual Quick Install Guide The LaCie Wireless Space takes network-attached storage to the next level by implementing Wi-Fi technology, making it easy for you to access your files, no matter where they are in your house. It has three pre-configured modes that allow you to create a Wi-Fi access point, a Wi-Fi Ethernet extender to connect your printers or computers, or even use it as a Gigabit router. If you already have a Wi-Fi network, you can use the LaCie Wireless Space as wireless storage. DLNA Gigabit Ethernet IEEE 802.11n LaCie Network Hard Drive PPPoE UPnP USB 2.0 Yes www.lacie.com |
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Cavalry CAND Series CAND3001T0 Network Hard Drive $199.99 1 TB 5.70 lb 7200 rpm CAND Series CAND3001T0 Network Hard Drive 1 x Ethernet Cable Power adaptor User's Manual Systems Requirements: USB port or Ethernet port Router, Switch or Network Hub Windows 98SE/ Me/ 2000/ XP/ Vista Mac OS 9.x or higher, or Linux 2.4.1.0 or higher The CAND Series is Cavalry's new Network Attached Storage system. The CAND is a cost-effective external network disk array designed for the home or small office user. Connect it directly to your network and share your data with everyone on the network without a server computer, even while reading or writing data. Use it as an FTP server, media storage server or back up critical data. Network setup is simple, and you can leave the CAND on indefinitely after installation, meaning your files are always accessible. And setting up a print server without a dedicated computer is easy--just connect your printer to the built-in USB 2.0 port of the CAND. CAND CAND Series CAND3001T0 Network Hard Drive CAND3001T0 Cavalry Cavalry Storage, Inc Gigabit Ethernet NAS Hard Drive Array USB 2.0 Yes www.cavalrystorage.com |
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Network $11.49 Network |
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11 Target 24x Kanguru Network DVD Duplicator with Built-in Hard Drive $1013.99 The Kanguru Network DVD Duplicator with Built-In Hard Drive is a high-speed stand-alone recording system with the ability to connect to any PC within a local network. |
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Buffalo LinkStation Live Network Hard Drive $138.99 1.50 TB Dependable, silent, and easy to install. Seamlessly store and share your music, photos, and videos with LinkStation Live LS-CHL. Easily stream your favorite music and videos directly from LinkStation Live to a PC, Mac, or DLNA media player. Password protect files for added security and use Memeo to automatically backup precious data for ultimate protection. Share a printer with other users or add a DriveStation for increased capacity. Access and share your multimedia collections from anywhere at anytime using Web Access. User-friendly LinkStation Live makes sharing simple. Buffalo Buffalo Technology (USA), Inc LS-CH1.5TL LinkStation Live LinkStation Live Network Hard Drive Network Hard Drive USB 2.0 Yes www.buffalotech.com |
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Home Media Network Hard Drive Cloud Edition - NAS server $151.99 Iomega Home Media Network Hard Drive Cloud Edition - NAS - 1 TB - Serial ATA-300 - HD 1 TB x 1 - Gigabit Ethernet |
