Network Consultation Proposal Essay

DesignIT is a graphic arts company that is expanding business and has recently purchased a new building 56’*36’ space for the purpose of housing two full time designers and a receptionist. The new building has four cubicles, one office, one server room, one reception desk, and a conference room. DesignIT has already relocated one Web Server (Microsoft IIS Server), one File Server (Microsoft Server 2008), and one more Server 2008 (Small Business Server). As a network design consultant, I have been charged with the task of designing and configuring the network for DesignIT. The small company has informed me that the network should include six computers, three printers, a Firewall, a wireless network for portable devices, and a high speed internet connection. DesignIT has also requested me that all the interconnected devices and wiring, along with the speed should be able to offer the best performance. I will design a Local Area Network (LAN) for DesignIT, a Local Area Net work (LAN) is a network of computers, and other network devices such as printers which exchange data, and are located under one roof. LAN networks are mostly used in small organizations or small businesses. The computers in a LAN communicate through protocols and share data such as files and emails. Every computer in a network is assigned a unique Internet Protocol (IP). When a computer communicates by sending a request to the LAN network, it is routed to a particular server that has the requested data. The server then communicates back to the IP address of requesting computer with the information that was requested (Kenyon, 2002). There are three servers for DesignIT, the Web Server will be used to connect the company to the internet, and the File Server will be utilized for sharing while the Small Business Server will be utilized as a Mail Server. Since DesignIT needs a network that incorporates six computers, three printers, and a wireless network, the network design should therefore take  several factors into consideration. These factors will impact on the network costs, speed, infrastructure, and functionali ty. When designing this Local Area Network (LAN) for DesignIT, there is also need to consider the network requirements. The network should integrate sound, video, synchronous, as well as asynchronous data. When designing the LAN network, the organizational goals of DesignIT should be factored in the LAN design. I will also pay attention to network throughput, line charges, security, and the integration of newer technologies in the future. When designing a LAN network, some issues must be considered, one of these issues is the organization’s short, medium, and long term goals. Several factors to be considered include the network equipment, user applications, end-user equipment (workstations), and connectivity to the internet. The LAN network for DesignIT will include other network devices which include gateways, routers, firewall, and cables. Without these devices communication cannot be possible from a computer to another in the LAN network. A router and switch are the most important devices of a network. Networks which are well configured and have a good infrastructure are helpful in improving manageability, performance, reliability and reducing overall operating cost (Kenyon, 2002). To set up this LAN network for the DesignIT, the following are the hardware and software devices that I would utilize so as to design the LAN network for DesignIT. T1 Lines- This is a standard for data communication which was first developed in the 1960s. T1 lines offer a data rate of 1.544Mbps. I will utilize T1 link from Verizon to connect DesignIT to the internet. T1 lines are offer private voice and reliable data networking. A T1 line typically costs $1000 per month. Cisco Linksys Firewall- A firewall is a software or hardware network device that controls incoming and outgoing data communication through analyzing data packets and giving permissions whether to allow or not based on a set of rules. A firewall may also include a default gateway or a proxy server which helps to make network request on the behalf of a user. I will utilize Cisco-Linksys BEFSX41 EtherFast Cable/DSL Firewall Router (4-Port 10/100 Switch / VPN Endpoint) for this network. The device costs $150. LAN Switch- A LAN Switch performs the same work as a hub except that, a switch does not broadcast packets to every computer in the network like hubs. All the computers and computer devices will be connected to the switch by Ethernet cables. The LAN  Switch costs $150. Linksys Wireless Router- A router is a network device that is used to connect two or more computer devices in a network. The Linksys Wireless router will be utilized to connect wireless devices the LAN network. The Linksys WRT54G Wireless Router that I will use in this case costs $150. Ethernet Cables- Ethernet Cables will be utilized to connect all the network devices in the DesignIT LAN network. They will connect routers, switches, computers, and printers in the LAN network. I will utilize CAT5 Ethernet Cables for this network. The Ethernet cables will cost about $100 for DesignIT LAN network. ESET NOD32 Antivirus- an Antivirus is software that is used to prevent, detect, and remove malicious computer programs. ESET NOD32 Antivirus is a good choice since it also acts against other types of malware such as worm, Trojan horses, backdoors, and spyware. The ESET NOD32 Antivirus 6 that I will utilize for this network costs $40 for subscription of one year. The building will share one internet connection (T-1 link from Verizon). This connection will come to Web Server in the server room. This will be the access point of the LAN network of DesignIT. The T-1 link from Verizon will connect the company to the internet and can also be utilized to connect the LAN network to another LAN or WAN network in case the company decides to expand business in future. The T-1 link utilizes frame relay which will provide the building with high speed data connection between and among all users. This connection will also enable all computers to receive dedicated connection at a speed that every computer requires. This connection will also be affordable for DesignIT since it is only charged for the resources. It costs an average of $1000 per month. Frame relay is an industry standard technology for accessing fast packet switched, â€Å"cloud computing† data networks (Bates, 2000). Through T1 link DesignIT will use frame relay as an interface between data terminal equipment such as routers, switches, and host machines such as servers. This technology will provide connectivity via logical channels or permanent virtual circuit connections which will be deployed over dedicated access facilities and shared on a high performance switching platform. This shared data platform and backbone makes transport more efficient, such that all users will receive better network throughput which is also cost effective. T-1 link technology is an added advantage for DesignIT LAN network since it is flexible to use and an excellent platform for many application. Since multiple virtual connections are established over one physical access line, Frame Relay can reduce the number of customer premises router ports necessary for LAN applications. The number of private lines required to attain mesh connectivity and reliability can also be reduced. Frame Relay handles terminal to-host, LAN-to-LAN connections, or applications like imaging, e-mail and graphic file transfers with equal simplicity. With all of these capabilities, Frame Relay is an excellent choice for DesignIT. I will configure a Class C network for DesignIT with an IP of 192.168.0.0/16. There will only be one subnet for this network. I have selected a Class C network because it exhibits the ability to combat spamming of sites located on the same server. Search engines have removed linking power from one site to the other in case they are on the same class C IP. I will take network security measures so as to implement the best security for DesignIT. The security will be designed in regard to the user group in question, this means that the two designers will share different user groups with the receptionist if need be. I will implement access control measures such as access logs so as to manage what each user should have access to in regard to the organizational pol icies and procedures. I will also install ESET NOD32 Antivirus in the Small Business Server. The Cisco Linksys Firewall will also be a key device for enhancing security; it will control incoming and outgoing data communication through analyzing data packets and giving permissions based on security rules. The Bus Topology is the best suited for this network; the bus topology is the simplest network topology. Also known as linear bus, in this topology all computers will be connected to a contiguous cable or a cable joined together to make it contiguous. Ethernet is the common example of a bus topology. Each computer determines when the network is not busy and transmits data as needed. Computers devices in a bus apology listen only for transmission from other computers; they do not repeat or forward the transmission on the other computers. It is also worth noting that the signal in a bus topology travels to both ends of the cable. To keep the signal from bouncing back and forth along the cable, both ends of the cable in a bus topology will be terminated.