There are many who approach MS Windows networking with incredible misconceptions. That's okay, because it gives the rest of us plenty of opportunity to be of assistance. Those who really want help are well advised to become familiar with information that is already available.

You are advised not to tackle this section without having first understood and mastered some basics. MS Windows networking is not particularly forgiving of misconfiguration. Users of MS Windows networking are likely to complain of persistent niggles that may be caused by a broken network configuration. To a great many people, however, MS Windows networking starts with a domain controller that in some magical way is expected to solve all network operational ills.

The Example Domain Illustration shows a typical MS Windows domain security network environment. Workstations A, B, and C are representative of many physical MS Windows network clients.

Figure4.1.An Example Domain.

From the Samba mailing list we can readily identify many common networking issues. If you are not clear on the following subjects, then it will do much good to read the sections of this HOWTO that deal with it. These are the most common causes of MS Windows networking problems:

Do not be put off; on the surface of it MS Windows networking seems so simple that anyone can do it. In fact, it is not a good idea to set up an MS Windows network with inadequate training and preparation. But let's get our first indelible principle out of the way: It is perfectly okay to make mistakes! In the right place and at the right time, mistakes are the essence of learning. It is very much not okay to make mistakes that cause loss of productivity and impose an avoidable financial burden on an organization.

Where is the right place to make mistakes? Only out of harms way. If you are going to make mistakes, then please do it on a test network, away from users, and in such a way as to not inflict pain on others. Do your learning on a test network.