Chapter Two

Windows Network Concepts

 Windows network Concepts:
Networking concepts:
 Workgroup,
Computer name,
IP address,
Network location and
 HomeGroup.
 Networking concepts:
1. Workgroup:
A workgroup is a basic network model used in small local area networks
(LANs) where computers are connected to share files, printers, and
resources without a centralized server. Each computer manages its own
user accounts and security.
2. Computer Name:
A computer name is the unique identifier assigned to a device on a
network. It helps other computers recognize and communicate with that
specific machine.
3. IP Address:
An IP address (Internet Protocol address) is a unique numeric identifier
assigned to each device on a network to enable communication. It can
be IPv4 (e.g., [Link]) or IPv6 (e.g., 2001:db8::1).
 Cont…
4. Network Location:
Network location refers to the network’s type or security level (e.g.,
Home, Work, or Public). It helps the operating system apply the correct
firewall and sharing settings for safety and accessibility.
5. HomeGroup:
A HomeGroup is a feature that was introduced in Windows 7 to make
networking simple for home users. It allows easy sharing of files,
folders, printers, and media (like music, pictures, and videos) between
computers connected to the same home network.
 Cont…
Key Points:
• Designed for home networks — not for business networks.
• Every computer in the HomeGroup must have the same password
to join.
• You can choose what to share — for example, Documents, Pictures,
Music, Videos, or Printers.
• The shared items are automatically visible to other computers in the
group.
• It provides a secure and convenient way to share without
complicated network setup.
• A HomeGroup password controls who can join and access shared
resources.
• Although HomeGroup was removed in Windows 10 (April 2018
update), the same sharing options can still be used through
Network and Sharing Center.
 Workgroup
• The workgroup is a collection of computers that are part of the
same network. All the computers are peers and do not have control
over another computer. The workgroup facilitates the detection of
the computers that are part of it and the sharing of resources like
folders or printers.
 Cont…
• Workgroups are not protected by the use of a password and they can
be created only for computers that are part of the same local
network. They are designed for small networks like those found in
your home or small businesses. According to Microsoft, there should
not be more than 20 computers in the same workgroup, so that the
management of the network doesn’t get too complicated.
• The workgroup can be joined by computers with diverse operating
systems. You don’t have to have the same operating system or the
same version in order to use this feature.
 How to Learn Whether Your PC is Part of a Workgroup
By default, all Windows computers are part of a workgroup named
WORKGROUP. Therefore, when setting up your network, you should
not need to configure this setting.
However, you can double check that your Windows PC or device is part
of a workgroup by going to “Control Panel > System and Security >
System”. There you will find a section named “Computer name,
domain, and workgroup settings”.
Look for the entry named “Workgroup”.
 What is the Computer Name?
• Every operating system asks you to give a computer name when you
install it on a PC or device. Windows is no exception to this rule.
That’s because this name is important to identify the computer when
it is part of a network.
• Your computer’s name can be learned by going to “Control Panel >
System and Security > System”. There you will find a section named
“Computer name, domain, and workgroup settings”. Look for the
entry named “Computer name”.
 Cont…

In order to successfully join a workgroup and use all the available

network sharing features, your computer must have a unique
computer name. This name should have a maximum of 15
characters and should not include spaces or special characters like : \
* , . ” or @.
 What is the IP Address?
• When you connect to a network, you will always receive an IP
address.
• IP address means “Internet Protocol” address and it is a numerical
label for your computer. This concept is similar to the computer
name in the sense that it is used to identify your PC or device on the
network and provide a unique address where other computers or
devices can find it.
• IP addresses are binary numbers but they are displayed in human-
readable notations, such as [Link]. In a home network, the IP
addresses are automatically given to every device or PC by the
router, when the network connection is established.
• There are several ways to learn the IP address of your computer.
• The simplest way that works in all versions of Windows is to open
the “Command Prompt”. Open a Run window by pressing “WIN + R”
on your keyboard, type “cmd” and press “Enter”.
 Cont…
• Then, type the “ipconfig” command and press Enter. A list is
displayed with all your network adapters and their properties. For
each network adapter, there is a field named IPv4 Address, displaying
its IP address.

If you are using multiple network cards or virtualization software, make sure that you look
at the network device that’s connected to your home network. There you will see the IP
address you have for your active network connection.
 The Basic Concepts in Network Sharing
• While browsing the network, you can find computers by using both
their IP address and their computer name. For example, you can
open the “Run” window in Windows by pressing “WIN + R” on your
keyboard. Then, type \\ followed by the name of a computer in your
network or its IP address.
 Cont…
After pressing “Enter”, you will see the same thing: that
computer’s shared folders and devices.
 What is the Network Location?
• A network profile or network location is a collection of network and
sharing settings that are applied to your active network connection.
• Each time you connect to a new network in Windows 7, you are
asked to select a location for it. The available choices are home, work
and public.
 Cont…
• Depending on the location you assign, features such as file and
printer sharing, network discovery, and others might be turned on
or off. When creating your own home network, you should always
choose “Home network”.
• In Windows 8.x, you have only two profiles: private and public.
When connecting to a new network, you are asked to decide
whether you want to find PCs, devices, and content on your
network.
 Cont…
• If you are connecting to your home network or a network you trust,
select “Yes” and the private network profile is activated for that
connection.
• Network locations are very useful on laptops and tablets. If you
travel a lot, you will connect to a lot of different networks. With one
simple setting, Windows will automatically adjust the location
assigned to each network connection and all the relevant network
sharing settings.
 How to Learn the Active Network Location
If you would like to learn what location is assigned to your active
network connection, open the “Control Panel”, and go to “Network and
Internet > Network and Sharing Center”.
 cont …
• In the middle of the window, there is a section named “View your
active networks” where you will see the name of the network and
the location assigned to it.

Remember, in Windows 8.x you will see only one of two values for
the network location (“private network” or “public network”) while
in Windows 7, you will see only one of three values (“home
network”, “work network” or “public network”).
 What is the Homegroup?
• The Homegroup is a networking feature introduced in Windows 7
and continued in Windows 8.x.
 Cont…
• A Homegroup’s purpose is to easily facilitate the sharing of
files and printers with other people on a home network.
• This feature doesn’t work on public or business networks
because it is designed specifically for home users.
• This means that you can create or join a Homegroup only if
the profile for your active network connection is set as
“home” in Windows 7 or “private” in Windows 8.x.
• In order for a computer to join a Homegroup, it must first
be a member of the same “workgroup” as the other
computers in the Homegroup.
• The Homegroup is protected with a password but you
need to type it only when first joining it.
 How to Learn Whether Your Computer is Part of a
Homegroup
• If you would like to learn whether your PC or device is part of a
Homegroup, open the “Control Panel” and go to “Network and
Internet > Network and Sharing Center”.
• In the middle of the window, there is a section named “View your
active networks”.
 Cont…
• There you will find a line named HomeGroup. If it
says “Joined” near it, then your computer is part of
a Homegroup.

• If it says anything else, than your computer is not

part of the Homegroup.
 Server Domain:
• Windows Server Domain or often referred to as the Windows NT Domain is
a logical groupthat consists of computers that are running the operating
system Windows that uses a database of user accounts concentrated in one
center.
• This centralized database (on Windows 2000 and later versions of Windows
Server that is later referred to as Active Directory ) contains user accounts
and security information for each resource contained in the domain of the.
• Everyone who uses a computer in a domain will have its own unique
account. These user accounts can also be assigned to access the resources
contained in the relevant domain.
• A Windows Server domain does notr efer to a single site or a particular type
of network configuration.
• The computers are joined in a same domain can be considered as though he
netted in the same physical location, despite the fact it is located far away.
• During these computers can communicate with each other, the position and
the physical location of the computer will have no effect in Windows Server
domain.
 The benefit of Windows Server domains are:
 Centralized administration: management domain as a whole can be done
simply by accessing a single database only.
 The logon process is simple and just once: access to resources in a domain
can be given only by using a logon processes only.
 Scalability: a large network can be created with a Windows Server domain.
 The computers contained in the domain Active Directory can be divided into
logical groups, called the Organizational Unit (OU) to further simplify
management.
 On Windows Server systems original domain (brought by Windows NT
3.1 / 3.5 / 3:51 / 4.0 ), the machines can only be seen from administration
software into two states only: 1) computer detected on a network, and 2) a
computer belonging to a domain.
 Active Directory is easier for administrators to perform domain
management and change the configuration and network policies to all
machines connected to the domain.
 Computers may be associated with a domain simply by using
a LAN or WAN using connections Virtual Private Networking (VPN).
 Domain Controllers:
• On Microsoft Servers, a domain controller (DC) is a server computer that
responds to security authentication requests (logging in, checking
permissions, etc.) within a Windows domain.
• A domain is a concept introduced in Windows NT whereby a user may be
granted access to a number of computer resources with the use of a single
username and password combination.
• Windows 2000 and later versions introduced Active Directory ("AD"), which
largely eliminated the concept of PDC and BDC in favor of multi-master
replication.
• However, there are still several roles that only one domain controller can
perform, called the Flexible single master operation roles.
• Some of these roles must be filled by one DC per domain, while others only
require one DC per AD forest.
• If the server performing one of these roles is lost, the domain can still
function, and if the server will not be available again, an administrator can
designate an alternate DC to assume the role in a process known as
"seizing" the role.
 LDAP & Windows Active Direcory
• Active Directory (AD)
is a directory service that Microsoft developed for Windows domain networks.
• It is included in most Windows Server operating systems as a set
of processes and services. Initially, Active Directory was only in charge of
centralized domain management. Starting with Windows Server 2008,
however, Active Directory became an umbrella title for a broad range of
directory-based identity-related services.
• A server running Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) is called
a domain controller.
• It authenticates and authorizes all users and computers in a Windows
domain type network—assigning and enforcing security policies for all
computers and installing or updating software.
• For example, when a user logs into a computer that is part of a Windows
domain, Active Directory checks the submitted password and determines
whether the user is a system administrator or normal user.
 Cont….
 Active Directory uses Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP)
versions 2 and 3, Microsoft's version of Kerberos, and DNS.
• Active Directory Services consist of multiple directory services. The
best known is Active Directory Domain Services,
commonly abbreviated as AD DS or simply AD.
 Domain Services
• Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) is the cornerstone of
every Windows domain network. It stores information about
members of the domain, including devices and users, verifies their
credentials and defines their access rights. The server (or the cluster
of servers) running this service is called a domain controller.
 Lightweight Directory Services
• Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (AD LDS), formerly known as Active
Directory Application Mode (ADAM), is a light-weight implementation of AD DS.
• AD LDS runs as a service on Windows Server.
• AD LDS shares the code base with AD DS and provides the same functionality,
including an identical API, but does not require the creation of domains or domain
controllers. It provides a Data Store for storage of directory data and a Directory
Service with an LDAP Directory Service Interface.
• Unlike AD DS, however, multiple AD LDS instances can run on the same server.
 Certificate Services
• Active Directory Certificate Services (AD CS) establishes an on-premises public key
infrastructure.
• It can create, validate and revoke public key certificates for internal uses of an
organization. These certificates can be used to encrypt files (when used
with Encrypting File System), emails (per S/MIME standard), network traffic (when
used by virtual private networks, Transport Layer Security protocol
or IPSec protocol).
• AD CS predates Windows Server 2008, but its name was simply Certificate Services.
• AD CS requires an AD DS infrastructure.
 Federation Services
• Active Directory Federation Services (AD FS) is a single sign-
on service. With an AD FS infrastructure in place, users may use
several web-based services (e.g. internet forum, blog, online
shopping, webmail) or network resources using only one set of
credentials stored at a central location, as opposed to having to
be granted a dedicated set of credentials for each service. AD
FS's purpose is an extension of that of AD DS: The latter enables
users to authenticate with and use the devices that are part of
the same network, using one set of credentials. The former
enables them use this same set in a different network.
• As the name suggests, AD FS works based on the concept
of federated identity.
• AD FS requires an AD DS infrastructure, although its federation
partner may not.
 Rights Management Services
• Active Directory Rights Management Services (AD RMS, known
as Rights Management Services or RMS before Windows Server
2008) is a server softwarefor information rights
management shipped with Windows Server. It uses encryption and a
form of selective functionality denial for limiting access to documents
such as corporate e-mails, Microsoft Word documents, and web
pages, and the operations authorized users can perform on them.
Thank you