Windows NT and the TCP/IP Networking Protocol

Abstract

When deciding the topic for my SIP, I wanted to do something that could be used in my job after college. My family owns a small restaurant chain in the metro Detroit area, and that is where I am going to be employed after graduation. Our chain uses a small network of computers at each location to take orders, and I wanted to learn what was available as far as networking products go, as well as learning about how I could possibly integrate each store's Local Area Network (LAN) into a larger Wide Area Network (WAN) using the internet. After talking with the computer consultant we are currently using, he advised me to look at Windows NT as an operating system to administer the networks as well as looking at TCP/IP, the internet protocol to eventually connect all the stores. Using this advice, I enrolled and took 3 courses at New Horizons, a computer training company. The first two were involved in the set up and administration of a Windows NT run network, and the third class was on the TCP/IP protocol and how Windows NT utilizes it. After taking these classes I purchased a few books on the same subjects and read about the inner workings of Windows NT and some of the design choices they made. I also worked for the last month of my summer as an assistant to a network administrator for several different networks running Windows NT, Windows 95, and Novell. I am sure that I will be able to use the knowledge gained from this experience in my post graduate work.