Chapter 11 - Managing Windows 2000 Network Services Fast Track

Abstract

Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) is the default and preferred protocol for Windows 2000. All major networks operating now use TCP/IP because of the need to connect to the Internet. This chapter reviews some of the major components of the Windows 2000 implementation of the TCP/IP protocol stack. TCP/IP has many advantages over other networking protocols. It is a routable protocol, which allows a business to scale to thousands, even tens of thousands of computers. TCP/IP is also a reliable protocol, and much of the network overhead associated with TCP/IP is related to ensuring reliable delivery of messages. TCP/IP is not a broadcast-based protocol. This lessens the amount of “noise” or broadcast traffic on each IP segment. Windows 2000 now supports Plug and Play hardware. This capability was formerly available only with Windows 9x computers, and to a limited extent, for Windows NT 4.0 computers. Plug and Play makes it much easier to configure Plug and Play compliant network access devices, from modems to network cards. The chapter takes a high-level view of some of the most important topics included in this book.