on to your laptop computer’s local hard disk. Then, when you take the computer home, you work on the local copies. When you get back to the office, you connect to the network and copy the modified files back to the network server.
That’s essentially how the offline files feature works, except that Windows does all the copying automatically. Windows also uses smoke and mirrors to make it look like the copies are actually on the network even though you’re not connected to the network. For example, if you map a drive (drive M:, for example) and make it available offline, you can still access the offline copies of the file on the M: drive. That’s because Windows knows that when you aren’t connected to the network, it should redirect drive M: to its local copy of the drive M: files.
Before you can use offline files, you must first enable the Offline Files feature. To do that, open the Control Panel, double-click the Sync Center icon, and click Manage Offline Files. This brings up the Offline Files dialog box, shown in Figure 4-7. Next, click Enable Offline Files and then click OK.
After you’ve enabled offline files, using the offline files feature is easy: Just open the Computer folder, right-click the mapped network drive you want to make available offline, and choose Always Available Offline.
If you don’t want to designate an entire mapped drive for offline access, you can designate individual folders within a mapped drive by using the same technique: Right-click the folder and then choose Always Available Offline.
When you first designate a drive or folder as available offline, Windows copies all the files on the drive or folder to local storage. Depending on how many files are involved, this process can take a while, so plan accordingly.
FIGURE 4-7: Enabling offline files.
After you designate a drive as available offline, Windows takes care of the rest. Each time you log on or out of the network, Windows synchronizes your offline files. Windows compares the time stamp on each file on both the server and the local copy and then copies any files that have changed.
Here are a few other thoughts to consider about offline files:
If you want, you can force Windows to synchronize your offline files by right-clicking the drive or folder and choosing Sync.
Make sure that no files in the folder are currently open at the time you set the Make Available Offline option. If any files are open, you’ll receive an error message. You have to close the open files before you can designate the folder for offline access.
The Properties dialog box for mapped drives includes an Offline Files tab, as shown in Figure 4-8.
Employers love the offline files feature because it encourages their employees to work at home during evenings and weekends. In fact, every time you use the offline files feature to work at home, your boss sends Bill Gates a nickel. That’s how he got so rich.
FIGURE 4-8: Offline file properties.
Part 2
Designing Your Network
IN THIS PART …
Create a network plan.
Understand and use TCP/IP.
Work with cables, network adapters, switches, and other important networking components.
Use wireless devices in your network.
Get connected to the Internet.
Chapter 5
Planning a Network
IN THIS CHAPTER
Okay, so you’re convinced that you need to network your computers. What now? Do you stop by Computers-R-Us on the way to work, install the network before drinking your morning coffee, and expect the network to be fully operational by noon?
I don’t think so.
Networking your computers is just like any other worthwhile endeavor: Doing it right requires a bit of planning. This chapter helps you to think through your network before you start spending money. It shows you how to come up with a networking plan that’s every bit as good as the plan that a network consultant would charge thousands of dollars for. See? This book is already saving you money!
Making a Network Plan
Before you begin any networking project, whether a new network installation or an upgrade of an existing network, start with a detailed plan. If you make technical decisions too quickly before studying all the issues that affect the project, you’ll regret it. You’ll discover too late that a key application won’t run over the network, the network has unacceptably slow performance, or key components of the network don’t work together.
Here are some general thoughts to keep in mind while you create your network plan:
Don’t rush the plan. The costliest networking mistakes are the ones that you make before you buy anything. Think things through and consider alternatives.
Write down the network plan. The plan doesn’t have to be a fancy, 500-page document. If you want to make it look good, pick up a small three-ring binder. This binder will be big enough
