File sharing is where a single computer acts as a centralised store which all other computers connected to the network can access. The obvious benefits of this include allowing users to connect from different computers and still see their own personal files. Printer sharing works in a similar way with printers. As an alternative to connecting each computer to an individual printer, a server can be set up to manage printers which may be directly connected to it, or may be elsewhere on the network. This allows economical use of expensive resources such as high-quality colour printers.
Web serving is a function which makes the computer able to store and deliver web pages.
Internally within a school this can be used to make timetables and school handbooks available simply to any computer with a web browser installed or to build a school intranet. Dedicated servers are appropriate where information is used by a number of clients, as data is available only when the computer where it is stored is switched on, so leaving a central computer always on is better practice than having to worry about other computers being powered on and off. The physical and data networks combine to make the network as a whole, and the key to a well-designed network is to consider what you want the network to do, how people are going to want to connect to the network, and then how to make the information available at the most appropriate speeds. This operating system defines what the computer looks like, what it can and can't do, and in some cases is defined by the hardware. Examples of operating systems are Microsoft Windows 98, Apple Mac OS and Linux.