Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Proposal
Part I
Michael Anderson
CMIT 265
Professor Francis
Benjamin
Introduction
A new wing of the UMUC school campus has been created. It will consist of a Classroom
Computer Lab, an Admissions office, and a Wi-Fi hotspot for student/staff use. Each of these
components of the new wing will have a separate network, therefore a subnet will have to be
established. There will be a minimum internet connection of 40Mbps with a plan for alternate
networking options. Part one of the proposal will cover the Physical Network design.
Fiber optic cables are expensive but the expandability of network size, security, and
capability is a worthwhile investment for the schools new Admissions/Computer wing. These
cables are immune to electromagnetic interference and data interception. Being that this school is
touted as one of the best cybersecurity schools in the United States of America, the functions of
the schools network should protect and demonstrate its scholastic prowess.
Fiber optic cables consist of two fiber strands which carry data light signals encased
multiple stages of material with different purposes (Fig 1) [7]. The first stage is cladding which
maintains the data signal in the cable. The second stage is a protective coat for the fiber optic
cladding. The next stage is a strengthening layer providing structure to the cable. The final outer
coat is a durable weather protective coating.
Fig 2:
Network Devices
UMUCs new computer lab requires a network for a learning and working environment.
The Admissions star topology that will be used for the Admissions office consists of a router,
server, and switches to operate the network properly. The Classroom bus-star topology will
require a router, server, and switch as well. Our Wi-Fi network will only require a server and Wi-
Fi router to operate.
Network devices are hardware that connect computers and other digital equipment for
interdependent use. The hardware used for networking includes, but is not limited to, hubs,
bridges, switches, and wireless routers. A hub is the central point for dissemination of data within
a chosen topology. A bridge is the next step in expansion where network traffic can be filtered
and physical connection ports can be increased. For more advanced functionality, a switch will
offer the same capability as a bridge and include even bandwidth latency across ports and
customizable port configuration options. Given this fact, we will not be using bridges or hubs in
our network.
A wireless router functions as a hub and bridge but provides wireless functions which is
unrivaled for flexible network connection, but requires much more strategic planning for a
consistent and secure connection. Two wireless access networks will be established, one in the
library and one in the computer lab on the second floor.
Each computer enabled classroom will have a training server rack. These servers will be
connected to the network, but will be able to operate independently as the bus topology can be
configured to use the respective classroom switches as a pass-through medium in the case of
classroom instruction.
A Cisco Catalyst WS-C2960-48TC-S 48-port switch (Fig 3) will be located on the server
rack in each networked classroom. Each server room will house a HP ProLiant Blade Server (Fig
4) that will handle the data sharing, cloud computing, and the processing power required to
manage the services required for networking. I chose this server for its modular expandability
that will adapt to the needs of the new network. As for the wireless router being used in the
building, the FortiWifi 60D (Fig 5) will be used for its enterprise level functionality and
redundant security features.
Fig 3:
Fig 4:
Fig 5:
Our security appliance will be installed in a physically secured network closet in the
Admissions office to prevent unauthorized tampering. A hub/switch will be installed here as well
and will provide security features as well. The settings and policies on the switch and security
appliance will be mirrored with the security appliance utilizing functionality that cant be found
in other hardware. Access to the network closet will only be given to IT staff to ensure concise
data security.
Computer Systems
In this fast growing era, computer systems are a basic requirement that no organization
can work without. Almost every business and organization needs a computer system to carry out
their daily work as well as attach with a network. Computers allows businesses and organization
to function more efficiently and successfully. Communication is very important in business and
organizations to maintain their customers thus, Computer systems are very important and a basic
necessity [1]. In order to make a network design, the proposed computer systems are described
below.
Like other technologies, there are a various forms of Computer Systems such as
Desktops, servers, tablets, laptops, and smart phones. A server is a computer that distributes work
and resources to clients across a network. Desktops are a personal computer that is a data
processing point for users. Tablets, laptops, and smartphones are more mobile versions of
desktops, but will not be used for our network.
These components will be used to create a computer system for the use of the students
and staff. Printers will be located in the library and computer lab. A server will be located on the
second floor server room.
References