Integrated Software and Hardware Trading - Report Example

Integrated Software and Hardware Trading (ISHT) Network Design Report Customer name 12-Oct-11 Executive Summary Integrated Software and Hardware Trading (ISHT)'s network design specification has been clearly be set out in this report in order to achieve a roadmap to its implementation. This report clearly sets out a networking master plan for Integrated Software and Hardware Trading (ISHT) having taken into consideration the enormous expansions through additional branches and mobile workers which will be directly depending on the network resources designed and proposed in this report. The design of the network as elaborated in this report has been subject to providing the optimum network connections to all Integrated Software and Hardware Trading (ISHT)’s branches and mobile workers within and on the internet with all the constraints of costs, connection capacity and speeds, network media, hardware and addressing space. Table of Contents Executive Summary 2 Introduction 4 Network Design Requirements 5 Network Media 5 Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) Cables 5 Fibre optic Cables 5 Recommendations 6 Network media pricing 6 Network Subnets 6 Network Hardware Requirements for ISHT 10 Router 10 Switch 11 Recommendations 11 Models Prices 11 Network Topology 13 Star: 13 Tree: 13 Mesh: 14 Network Diagrams 14 Diagram 4-1: Head Office city and Parramatta 14 Diagram 4-2: Ryde Branch 15 Diagram 4-3: Penrith and Hornsby branches 16 Internet Access 16 References 16 Introduction The need to have a very efficient network infrastructure and a stable connection is a critical requirement for all information driven enterprises like Integrated Software and Hardware Trading (ISHT). Network planning and design therefore becomes a very critical architectural foundation to providing for the fulfilment of the business strategy since it forms the platform on which other services and products are sold. The various factors considered when networking design challenge is at hand include the following: Transmission media In order to arrive at the best medium of data transfer various considerations had to be factored. Such includes the bandwidth requirements, interoperability, security as well as cost analysis. Addressing Allocation of available addressing has been keenly and carefully been looked into. This is to ensure that each office receives enough host addresses for its current number of users and expected future growth. To ensure this, sub netting has been employed to ensure proper distribution and allocation of the available address space. Hardware requirements The various hardware required to lay out the network has been examined and detailed in this report. This includes the hardware required at each office and also the hardware required for the interconnection of the various offices (Terresa and Mann 2004). The various factors put into consideration here are the capability of the hardware to accommodate future growth as well as provide security as they enhance communication both within and across the various offices. Taking into consideration the above critical factors, the Integrated Software and Hardware Trading (ISHT) network design proposal has been developed. This report therefore has focussed in the establishment of the Integrated Software and Hardware Trading (ISHT) network that will ensure the continuous availability of stable connections and consequently ensuring the achievement of business goals. Network Design Requirements Network Media Currently, Integrated Software and Hardware Trading (ISHT), operates a head office and 1 branch office at Ryde which are connected via a Wide Area Network. The number of users in both of the offices is expected to double over the next 5 years. The type of network media to be employed must factor this growth expectation and be in a position to offer expected speeds and throughput and not act as a communication bottleneck. In addition 3 more branches are to be added. Communication within the branches and between branches must be fast and secure and therefore the chosen media must be able to meet the mentioned demand to ensure productivity and integrity. Available options Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) Cables UTP cables are highly versatile networking cables that are used most networks. They are used on most sites due to their adaptability with usage and low setup cost. UTP cables can be vulnerable to attenuation and other forms of signal interference, consequently not suitable for WAN connections or other internetwork connections. AS much they are effective to a range of 100 meters, this makes them only suitable for LAN connections. Fibre optic Cables Fibre optic cables are high performance cables that are commonly used for superhighway cabling and high bandwidth connections. Though it is costly as compared to other networking solutions, it has been found to be the most reliable with limited signal attenuation. Fibre optic requires installation is usually more technology intensive as it requires more specialised equipments and tools. It also has limited cable flexibility since cable bending can affect the connection quality and functioning. Recommendations For inter-branch connectivity, fibre optic cable is recommended for integrated software and hardware trading. It is also advisable for ISHT to consider the OM3 multimode fibre optic option. This option is to their advantage basically for the following reasons:- Speed: when it comes to data transfer fibre optic offers incredibly fast communications. It can perform at a speed of 10 GB/s over 300m. RF interference: fibre optic is not susceptible to Radio frequency interference as with the case with other cabling systems. Distance: fibre optic can transmit data over exceptionally long distances without affecting the quality of the signal. Cat. 6 UTP cables are recommended for use within the offices. Among the reasons for the choice of cable are. Speed: Category 6 is defined up to a frequency of 250Mhz. Allowing 10/100/1000 use with up to 100 meter cable length, along with 10GbE over shorter distances. Cost: as compared to fibre optic cables, cat. 6 cables are much cheaper. Network media pricing Cat 6 Solid Core UTP Network Cable: $1.80 per metre (AUD) OM3 Multimode fibre optics: Approximately $30 per metre (AUD) Network Subnets Below is a table of the IP address range for the different subnets of the Integrated Software and Hardware Trading (ISHT). This addressing scheme allows for the 100% growth expected over the next 5 years and Subnet Name Subnet Address Subnet Mask in / format Host Range of Addresses Broadcast Address Head Office City Management 165.247.64.0 /27 165.247.64.1 – 165.247.64.30 165.247.64.31 Head Office City Retail Sales 165.247.64.128 /25 165.247.64.129 – 165.247.64.254 165.247.64.255 Head Office City Sales Support 165.247.64.32 /27 165.247.64.33 – 165.247.64.62 165.247.65.63 Head Office City Technical 165.247.64.64 /27 165.247.64.65 – 165.247.64.94 165.247.65.95 Ryde Marketing 165.247.65.0 /25 165.247.65.1 – 165.247.65.126 165.247.65.127 Ryde Retail Sales 165.247.65.32 /27 165.247.65.33 – 165.247.65.62 165.247.65.63 Ryde Online Sales 165.247.65.16 /28 165.247.65.32 – 165.247.65.46 165.247.65.47 Ryde Dispatch 165.247.65.64 /27 165.247.65.65 – 165.247.65.94 165.247.65.95 Ryde Server 165.247.65.0 /30 165.247.65.1 – 165.247.65.2 165.247.65.3 Penrith retail sales 165.247.65.0 /27 165.247.65.1 – 165.247.65.126 165.247.65.127 Penrith Accounts 165.247.65.128 /27 165.247.65.129 – 165.247.65.253 165.247.65.254 Parramatta retail sales 165.247.66.0 /25 165.247.66.1 – 165.247.66.126 165.247.66.127 Parramatta sales support 165.247.66.128 /27 165.247.66.129 – 165.247.66.159 165.247.66.160 Parramatta accounts 165.247.66.161 /27 165.247.66.162 – 165.247.66.194 165.247.66.195 Hornsby retail sales 165.247.64.96 /27 165.247.64.97 – 165.247.64.126 165.247.64.127 Hornsby Accounts 165.247.64.128 /27 165.247.64.129 – 165.247.64.158 165.247.64.159 Subnet Name Needed Size Allocated Size Printer Size Printer Address Head Office City Management 20 32 1 165.247.64.30 Head Office City Retail Sales 100 126 3 165.247.64.153 – 165.247.64.254 Head Office City Sales Support 10 32 1 165.247.64.62 Head Office City Technical 5 32 1 165.247.64.94 Ryde Marketing team 30 126 3 165.247.65.124 – 165.247.65.126 Ryde Retail Sales 20 32 1 165.247.65.62 Ryde Online Sales 10 14 1 165.247.65.46 Ryde Dispatch 15 30 1 165.247.65.94 Ryde Server 1 2 0 Penrith retail sales 10 30 1 165.247.65.126 Penrith Accounts 1 30 1 165.247.65.253 Parramatta retail sales 80 126 3 165.247.66.124 – 165.247.66.126 Parramatta sales support 10 30 1 165.247.66.159 Parramatta accounts 15 30 1 165.247.66.194 Hornsby Retail sales 20 30 1 165.247.64.126 Hornsby Account 3 30 1 165.247.64.158 Network Hardware Requirements for ISHT Router ISHT is characterised by the presence of the various offices which are geographically spread. Each office has been proposed to have a separate address scheme and thereby each has been setup to be on different networks. To enable the communication across the offices, the hardware of choice would be a router since routers are smart enough to make decisions as to where to direct traffic when a message comes in destined for a given network or office as for this case. A router joins two computer networks together. For instance DSL and /or traditional cable routers are often used in small business networks, while wireless other types of network routers are also used on the Internet and wide area networks. Wired Ethernet broadband routers support DSL or cable modem Internet connection relevant for home connection. Cisco routers have been proposed to enable for subneting and relaying of information from one point of the network to another. Proper configuration of the routers is however required to facilitate proper communications across all networks. Routers are essential as they enable users to reach the network, in that the router routes the signal from host which has NIC to the appropriate computer or other router through the network. In order to connect to different networks through an interface which is located in each network, the router is connected to a number of channels. The router is required because this is able to determine the path which transfers data and processes information packets. While peer-to-peer networks do not use routers, host-to-server networks use them so; routers should be used for the ADC network which is a host-to-sever network. Switch To facilitate connection and communication within a network a switch is the device of choice. A switch serves as the central device which interconnects various devices and hosts within a given geographical enclosure. Each office has been allocated a given number of switches depending on the number of users or hosts within a givennetwork. A switch has been preferred as compared to other devices like hubs since a switch provides higher throughput since it minimises chance of data collision and also it provides a full duplex mode of communication. Recommendations With reference to ISHT networking, it is proposed suggest that at the Head Office and branches high performance modular router is used. This is important so that it can support the optic fibre backbone cabling propose to be used in this scenario. For splitting the network it is proposed that a switch is used over a hub as this will ensure avoidance of collisions and other causes of signal distortions. For the head office and branches it is recommended that stackable switches are used. Using stacks allows for easier administration and maintenance, scalability and adaptability as the network grows and also ensures the establishment of a resilient connection. Models Prices Hardware Brand Product Reasoning Price (AUD) Office Router Cisco Cisco 2801 2-pair G.SHDSL bundle – router Fast Modular and fibre compatible Quality of service (QoS) $2,600.00 Office Switch Netgear NETGEAR ProSafe FSM7352PS 48 Port 10/100 L3 Managed Stackable Switch with 4 Gigabit Ports and PoE - switch - 48 ports Stackable + rack mountable Interchangeable modules Fibre connectivity 48 ports $3,800.00 Network Topology A topology can be thought as a network’s virtual structure. The layout may not necessarily reflect to the actual physical device layout on the network. According to Kenyon (2002), determining the logical layout of a network communication is a significant part of the network design process since it determines how many computers are connected in a single location and how data transmission occurs in a given network. The basic types of topologies are as highlighted in the following summary; Star: A star topology features a central device connecting the various devices in a network. The devices are individually connected to the central device commonly referred to as a Hub via a cable. This in turn isolates a point of failure since if a single cable fails only the device connected to the cable becomes unavailable and the rest of the network remains functional. The main drawback however with this topology is that if the hub happens to fail then the whole network is paralysed. Tree: Tree topologies integrate multiple star topologies together onto a bus. In its simplest form, only hub devices connect directly to the tree or bus, and each hub functions as the "root" of a tree of devices. This bus/star hybrid approach supports future expandability of the network much better than a bus (limited in the number of devices due to the broadcast traffic it generates) or a star (limited by the number of hub connection points) alone. This is the recommended topology for the offices with high number of users like the head office city, Ryde and Parramatta. Mesh: In a mesh topology each device is connected to another through different paths. Message sent from one device has a variety of paths to follow inorder to reach the destination. This is a typical technology employed when implementing a WAN. An example is the internet. An advantage in this setup is that failure of one path will not result in non-delivery of messages rather the message will adopt a different path. In the case of Integrated software and hardware trading, Mesh topology is advised to be employed when inter connecting the various router sitting at the offices to provide interconnectivity between the branches. Network Diagrams Diagram 4-1: Head Office city and Parramatta Each cluster of hosts connects to a unit in the Switch stack (3 x 48 port switch units), which then travels through fibre optics to the router Diagram 4-2: Ryde Branch Each cluster of hosts connects to a unit in the Switch stack (2 x 48 port switch units), which then travels through fibre optics to the router Diagram 4-3: Penrith and Hornsby branches Each host connecting to a single switch, which then travels through fibre optics to the router. Internet Access The point of presence (POP) is located at company’s portal at Ryde. This means that in order for a host network or computers to access the Internet, it needs to get through the POP in the Ryde. The type of Internet connection proposed for this system is an ASDL2+ (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) which is the latest version of ASDL since it is faster Internet connection which can cope with the needs of Integrated Software and Hardware Trading (ISHT). References Hutton, K., Schofield, M. and Teare, D. (2009). Designing Cisco network service architectures (ARCH) (Authorized self-study guide). New York, Cisco Press. Kenyon, T. (2002). High-performance data network design: design techniques and tools. Berkshire, UK, Digital press. Szigeti, T. and Hattingh, C. (2005). End-to-end QoS network design. New York, Cisco Press. Terresa, C. and Mann, P. (2004). Network design: management and technical perspectives. London, Auerbach Publications. Read More