Summary

In this chapter, we discussed the minimal requirements that are needed to form a network. We highlighted how networks had grown away from the traditional idea of connecting personal computers together and moved toward the interconnectivity of a whole range of items. We introduced the concept of internets, intranets, and extranets while highlighting the subtle difference between internets and the Internet. Then, we went on to describe some of the basic security concepts involved in a network. Firewalls were discussed as a means of regulating traffic in and out of our network. Then, we covered demilitarized zones, or perimeter networks, and their use of providing public access to a subset of an organization's infrastructure. Next, VPNs and their implementation were introduced. Finally, we listed the security zones that are available in Windows operating systems and...