Internetworking Technology Paper - Essay Example

In order to connect the workstations of these employees, switches are terminated on each department. However, there is a possibility that more than one switch is required to cover up all the nodes. As mentioned earlier, star topology is implemented for centralized administration and configuration of the network, the diagram demonstrates Microsoft Active directory that connected with a domain controller. Active directory is an advanced directory service that is a built in feature for Windows server that is utilized for access management for network resources.

Moreover, it is a domain based network similar to the Domain Naming System (DNS) (Active directory.2011). Protocols that are used include LDAP and Kerberos for security purposes. The selection of switches is essential, and compatible routers must be considered, as cisco supports active directory in its IOS router (Active directory.2011). Each switch supports gigabit full duplex Ethernet capability that will operate on a CAT 5 1000 base-t cables. The company does not want interruption in the local area network and it must be available for all times.

For this reason, all the switches are powered by PoE (Power over Ethernet) that is a distributed power mechanism on a CAT 5 Ethernet cable (Poe.2011). Likewise, PoE enables a secondary channel for power distribution and continues to provide power to networked devices even if the primary power link goes down. As shown in the Fig 1.1, the blue link shows PoE connectivity between networked devices for ensuring network continuity. Moreover, there are two routers aggregating data channels and configured to backup each other.

In case of a primary router failure due to malfunctioning hardware or configuration, secondary router will make itself available up to the task. Furthermore, to ensure redundancy in software infrastructure, primary and secondary domain controllers are installed for load balancing and backup procedures. In addition, for security purposes, Virtual LAN can be configured for distributing data channels associated with highly sensitive data. For addressing security, Fig 1.1, demonstrates a firewall that is installed after the router and in between the Internet to ensure the filtration of inbound and outbound network.

References Active directory.(2011). Computer Desktop Encyclopedia, , 1. Poe.(2011). Computer