Networks, NSIS Special Communication Solutions Consultant, Dhahran, Dammam, Alkhobar, Jeddah, Riyadh, Jubail, Saudi Arabia

Nova Stars Elecronics

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Saudi Arabia Trade and Business Directory

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Networking with NSIS

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Share Devices on Multiple PCs?

With the use of a small, inexpensive network, you can gain the convenience of being able to share expensive peripherals and essential files over several computers. Why go to the trouble and expense of purchasing multiple fax machines, printers, and other peripherals when a small network can do the job just as easily at a fraction of the cost? Any one of the following devices can be shared with more than one PC, allowing users access whenever they need it:

Printers. Printers can be shared in three ways: connected to one PC on the network, through a print server, or using a specialized network printer.

Connected to One PC on the Network. The printer to be shared it connected to a single user's PC through a standard parallel port. The printer is then shared with the rest of the network through that PC's operating system, using Windows 95/98 for example. This method is relatively easy to set up, and once operating is very simple for other PC's on the network using the same operating system to install the necessary printer drivers over the network. This configuration uses resources from the user's PC to facilitate the printing, so if the user's computer is not on then no one on the network can print.
Print Server. This setup is very similar to the previous one, except that a limited computer is used to control and regulate print jobs, keeping documents in order and spooling them to the device. Print servers are very inexpensive, since they are dedicated to processing the single form of data. They can also be very small, some even able to fit into the palm of your hand. A print server is advantageous because it does not need to be near any single users PC and can therefore be placed in a more central location, as well as not taking valuable system resources from any other computers.
Network Printers. A network printer is a special type of printer that can be hooked directly into a network without the aid of a separate PC or print server. Actually, they simply have print servers built-in, and are therefore relatively simple to setup. Again, this allows the printer to be placed in a central location in your office and perform independently from any of the network PCs, so that it is always available.

Common Files. Files like spreadsheets, customer databases, important e-mails, and so on, can be accessed over the network from co-workers' PC's, eliminating the need for using things like floppy disks to trade data back and forth. Also, it becomes very easy to back up information from several PCs to a main server where they can be stored or transferred to permanent backup on tape or CD-ROM.

Software (like Point of Sale databases, and so on). If you run a retail outlet, you can use a single PC as a server storing all of your customer and inventory information, and allow that information to be accessed by other PCs either at the sales counter or on the road, allowing the server to placed in a more secure place. This can be especially important if your software needs to be run from an area that is potentially hazardous to a computer, like in a garage or near water, since all the data being run and access is safe elsewhere should something happen.

Fax machines.

Internet Access.

Stackable Hubs from 3Com - Nova* Stars* Electronics, Saudi Arabia

If you have multiple PCs and use any of the above on a regular basis, network can save you valuable time and money. You can run a small, inexpensive network starting from $5 and up, to hundreds of PCs on a fibre optic network, exchanging data at the speed of light.

Contact us to find out how. We can also help install and configure Point of Sale software on one or more PCs, allowing several people to simultaneously access sales records and customer information, as well as creating a backup of those records on another system in case of emergencies.

Also, don't forget to protect your network. Power surges and brownouts can be dangerous to PCs, and large servers are no exception. With the majority of your offices data on a single server computer, it's best to invest a little into some power management hardware, to minimize the chance of data corruption from power outages and so on. An Uninterruptible Power Supply, or UPS, is an inexpensive way to safeguard your computers from unforeseen power fluctuations.

With the use of a network, you gain the convenience of sharing expensive peripherals and essential files over several computers and reduced costs to your business by avoiding the purchase of redundant machines.