 This page originally provided information about why a school might install a network. However, with most schools now having a network installed, the discussion now needs to be about how to make the most of your data network, to best support administrative and learning environments in your school.
The ready availability of Internet and Intranet services
provided the initial stimulus for most schools to install a computer network.
As well as Internet/Intranet
access considerations, data networks also allow the sharing of, and easy access
to, common resources such as printers and shared documents.
Staff and students can access their documents from any computer in the school, be it in their classroom, the library, or the staffroom.
Once you have a functioning physical network, servers and computers can communicate with each other, and a variety of peripheral equipment, using a network operating system (NOS). It is this network operating system that provides the file/printer-sharing functionality mentioned above.
But - your physical network infrastructure must provide a solid and dependable foundation for these services to be able to operate reliably.
See also: Wazza's Server Basics for more info about server options and Wazza's
Intranet examples for some ideas about school Intranet possibilities.
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