Читать книгу Networking For Dummies - Lowe Doug, Doug Lowe - Страница 29

To use network resources, you must connect your computer to the network, and you must go through the supersecret process of logging on, which is how you let the network know who you are so that it can decide whether you’re one of the good guys.

Logging on is a little bit like cashing a check. You must have two forms of identification:

 Your username: The name by which the network knows you.Your username is usually some variation of your real name, like Cosmo for Bart. Everyone who uses the network must have a username.

 Your password: A secret word that only you and the network know. If you type the correct password, the network believes that you are who you say you are.Every user has a different password, and the password should be a secret.

In the early days of computer networking, you had to type a logon command at a stark MS-DOS prompt and then supply your user ID and password. Nowadays, the glory of Windows is that you get to log on to the network through a special network logon screen. Figure 3-1 shows the Windows 10 version of this dialog box.

FIGURE 3-1: Logging in to a Windows 10 system.

Here are some more logon points to ponder:

 The terms user ID and logon name are sometimes used instead of username. They all mean the same thing.

 As long as we’re talking about words that mean the same thing, log in and log on mean the same thing, as do (respectively) log out and log off as ways of saying, “I’m outta here.” Although you see both out there in the world, this book uses log on and log off throughout — and if there’s any exception, the book says why and grouses about it a bit.

 As far as the network’s concerned, you and your computer aren’t the same thing. Your username refers to you, not to your computer. That’s why you have a username and your computer has a computer name. You can log on to the network by using your username from any computer that’s attached to the network. Other users can log on at your computer by using their own usernames.When others log on at your computer by using their own usernames, they can’t access any of your network files that are protected by your password. However, they can access any local files that you haven’t protected. Be careful which people you allow to use your computer.

 If you’re logging on to a domain network on a Windows computer, you must type the domain name before your username, separated from it by a backslash. For example: lowewriter\dloweHere, the domain name is lowewriter, and the username is dlowe.Note that Windows remembers the domain and username from your last login, so ordinarily all you have to enter is your password. To log on to a different domain or as a different user, you must click Switch User. Then you can click the Other User icon and enter a different domain name and username, along with the password for the user you want to log on as.

 Your computer may be set up so that it logs you on automatically whenever you turn it on. In that case, you don’t have to type your username and password. This setup makes the task of logging on more convenient but takes the sport out of it. And it’s a terrible idea if you’re the least bit worried about bad guys getting into your network or personal files.

 Guard your password with your life. I’d tell you mine, but then I’d have to shoot you.