You may have heard of the term UPS before. No, I’m not talking about the postal service. UPS in IT and electronics refers to an uninterrupted power supply. An uninterrupted power supply is a device that provides power to your system in the event of a power shortage. Having a UPS is important as a power outage can damage or destroy servers. Thus, a UPS provides data security by protecting your files on your server.

A UPS also controls the shutdown of your equipment so that your devices shut down in the correct way so as not to damage the data and software stored on them. The UPS cleans the voltage to make sure you have a smooth continuous electricity supply. Without a UPS the electricity you are provided can be erratic with fluctuations in voltage and current.

Interruptions of your power supply can not only damage your hardware but cause an interruption of your business. Most businesses in this day and age cannot function without power. Even if the power outage is contained to your networking hardware, most businesses cannot function without access to the internet or local intranet. Even if your power is only down for a second, your server may take up to 20 minutes to complete its rebooting process. Furthermore, in many cases you might not suffer damage to your hardware, but you will have lost files you were working on that you hadn’t saved. Imagine if everyone in your organisation suddenly lost 20 minutes of work, this might add up to a hundreds of dollars of cost from a one second power outage.This could also result in you losing your clients through deadlines missed.

It is a lot cheaper to buy a UPS that to replace costly server equipment when your power supply is interrupted. A UPS is a must for all business computer setups. 

The OSI model is an incredibly useful tool for understanding how different networks communicate to each other. The OSI Model breaks down communication into 7 logical layers that let you think about a network problem and how to fix that problem. It simplifies the troubleshooting process by allowing a technician to focus on which layer the problem appears to be in.

1.       The Application Layer- The Application layer is that layer that the user interacts with the data. For instance, you are reading this web document on a web browser. If you are using email, you might be viewing Outlook.

2.       Underneath the Application layer is the presentation layer. This is the layer that the operating system is on.

3.       The Session layer is the layer that deals with the communication creating a session between the two computers. If you go to a website, your computer has to create a session with the web server you are trying to get information from.

4.       The Transport layer is what decides how much information should be sent at one time. When you are communicating with a website, this layer is responsible for controlling how much data is sent back and forth. The transport level is where the process of windowing happens.

5.       The Network layer is the level that routers operate on. Your IP address is at the Network layer. This layer is related to connections between networks. The TCP/IP protocol suite resides on this layer.

6.       The Datalink layer is the level that switches work on.  This layer is related to connections within networks. Media Access Controll addresses reside on this layer. Every single device in the world has a MAC address.

7.       The Physical layer refers the physical components of a network. This includes wiring and cables. If your Ethernet cable has become disconnected, this is a Physical layer problem!

If you are new to networking, it is important to realise that the OSI model does not refer to actually layers hidden in your cables or the Internet! The OSI model refers to logically distinct aspects of a network and enables you to diagnose where your network issues lie. For example, if you notice you are not receiving an IP address from your router, this would be a Network layer problem.  If you can “ping” a domain but cannot connect to the domain in a web browser, this is likely an Application layer problem. 

Another benefit of the OSI model is that it is an exhaustive list of networking issues. If all layers are the OSI model are working, your networking with be working. Any problem that you encounter will be associated with a layer of the OSI model. Thus, once you identify where the problem is, you can take steps to fix it.

Nerd out. 

The Miriam-Webster dictionary definition of a network is “a fabric or structure of cords that cross at regular intervals and are knotted or secured at the crossings”. When we talk about a computer network the cords are a series of wires designed to support the connection of multiple computers. Taken at its simplest a network is simply two or more computers that are connected. The cord or medium for connection can be cables (for example an Ethernet network), radio signals (for example Wi-Fi) or light channels (for example optic fibre).

This article was written by Newton's Nerds Sydney. We are computer network support experts. We operate in the Sydney area with our head office in Newtown. We can assist you with all kinds of services including server setup, wifi network installation, PC and Apple computer network installation, network system backup, router installation, and much more.

Most computes are simultaneously a client and server. This is because the defining characteristic of a client or server is not the hardware, or the software but how the software and hardware are used in relation to other computers. Generally when people incorrectly think of servers as machines dedicated to the provision of services to other computer. By definition a server is simply a computer that has resources available to another computer(s). A client is any computer that requests resources from another computer. 

In order for a client and a server to communicate they must share a common networking protocol. A protocol is simply a series of communication rules. With computer networking a protocol is no different it is just that the rules to govern the communication between two computers.