What Is a Shared Resource?

In the computer field, shared resources or network shares refer to the behavior of the computer resources of a computer that can be used by other computers on the same computer network. In other words, a device or some information on a computer can be remotely accessed by another computer through a local area network or an intranet, and the process is transparent, as if the resource is on the local computer. Network sharing may be achieved through inter-process communication on the network.

Sharing files and printers requires client-side

Client computers can access shares through some naming conventions, such as

Improper configuration and management of shared files can become a security risk and weakness. Many computer worms spread through network shares. Network sharing may result in traffic quotas that consume traffic users. To ensure security, configure

In home and small office networks,

Shared file access should not be used with

Shared file access involves but is different from file synchronization and other information synchronization. Shared file access is based on server-side push folder information and usually uses a network socket that stays online. File synchronization allows users to go offline from time to time, and the client software usually uses polling to reconnect from time to time to learn information and understand differences. Modern operating systems often provide caching of remote files to allow offline access and synchronization on reconnection. ^[2]