Abstract:
Connecting microcomputers as a network is usually done in order to exchange information and to share computer resources. This thesis presents a design and development of a microcomputer network using standard RS-232C serial ports as communication channels. This is done by connecting from client microcomputers using twisted-pair wires to a server computer in a star topology. Each client and also the server have communication software designed to comply with the OSI standard: using socket concept in the physical layer, adapting the XMODEM-like protocol in the datalink layer, controlling security in the session layer using user name and password, and implementing network drive redirector and print spooler in the application layer. The software was developed using both Assembly and C languages and can be run on 386 (or higher) computer running MS-DOS. Experimental results showed that the effective data transfer rate during disk read and write are comparable to those of similar software, but with more number of clients and print spooling capability.