Many of you came to see us on our stand at BTTF in March; for those who didn't - this is what you missed! Many thanks to the customers who so kindly allowed us to use their bright and cheerful photographs to decorate the walls.

Where two or more PCs are in use, the most efficient way of using them is to connect them together so that they can share their various programmes and databases. This configuration is commonly known as 'Networking'.

There are two main types of network: server/client and peer to peer.

The computer where the programmes are loaded is known as the 'server', and the other computers connected to it are 'clients', or 'workstations'.

Server/client: this is the traditional network, and uses a dedicated File Server (normally a higher specification computer).

All common programmes and software are loaded on to the File Server, which ideally should be located away from the main office area.

The File Server is only used to provide information to its client computers through direct cable connections.

There is virtually no limit to the number of client computers which can be connected to a file server, making it the most robust solution: the system is 'robust' in that if a problem occurs with one work-station, it will not normally affect the others.

The server/client network is used by most Local Authorities.

Peer to peer: the alternative to server/client networks is to connect two or more computers directly together, all capable of sharing each other's data.

One computer is normally loaded with the software, which it shares with the other(s).
In essence this is still a client/server environment, the difference being that the server can be used, unlike the dedicated File Server, which cannot.

The down side to the pier to pier configuration is that if there is a problem on the server PC and it has to close down, any client PCs connected to it also lose their data, and need to be closed down as well.

For this reason we would not recommend this type of configuration for more than two computers - peer to peer networks are better suited to the small office environment.

Alternatives: the above configurations both rely on the client computers operating under a Windows 95/98/2000 environment, with performance relative to the specification of the hardware.

In the next issue we will look at the Windows Terminal Server solution, which is arguably the most efficient and cost-effective of all current network platforms, such as the West Dorset project featured earlier. In the feature on Rochester in our Spring issue, the system described by TIC manager Ashley Davies is also based on a Windows Terminal Server network.