Microsoft Windows XP Professional Administrators Guide

Overview

Microsoft Windows XP Professional supports a number of different network protocols. These protocols define rules and standards for communication between computers over networks. Protocols are to computers what language is to people. In order for two or more computers to communicate on a network, both must communicate using the same protocol. Each of the protocols has its own set of advantages and disadvantages and can be used in a variety of situations. Of all these protocols, TCP/IP is preferred and needs to be understood by administrators in order for it to be administered on Windows XP Professional.

TCP/IP is Microsoft Windows XP Professional's default network protocol. TCP/IP has been the preferred protocol on corporate networks for years. With the advent of new easy-to-use configuration tools provided by Microsoft, TCP/ IP is now the preferred network protocol for networks of any size. TCP/IP is also the protocol used to connect to the Internet, which means that even if another protocol is selected to manage local area network traffic, TCP/IP must still be installed on any user's computer that will need to access the Internet.

This chapter will introduce TCP/IP and briefly compare it to other local area network protocols.Then the chapter will explain different ways that TCP/IP can be configured and managed on computers connected to local area networks and the Internet.