Computer Network and Logical Network Design - Essay Example

In the following section, a description of both physical and logical design is given to clearly define the distinction between these two approaches. logical network design refers to the logical addressing used to describe the network or the networks it connects to. A logical network design displays the IP Addresses linked with each component of the network as shown in fig. 2. In most cases, the logical network is a simple Class C network such as 192.168.0.0 with the default subnet mask of 255.255.255.0.

This network allows up to 254 hosts to be connected directly to it without the need for any routing. The following are important factors involved in logical network design. Information about client Kinds of Services or Applications Will the Network Offer Choice of LAN Protocol The information and assessment about the work patterns of various clients is an important factor in logical network design. It helps to appropriately place servers, high-bandwidth links, and other such things in the appropriate physical location of the network.

For example, if any client (either a single workstation or a group) contributes a major portion of the network traffic, then it is necessary to provide that client with a large data pipe. The second important point to be considered in a network’s logic design is the kinds of services or applications that a can offer. Typical network applications today include FTP, telnet, and, of course, browsing the Web. Since each application has potential security problems, hence logical network design also addresses the potential security risks.

The choice of LAN Protocol is also decided in logical network design. Today the de facto protocol of choice has to be TCP/IP. The design strategy that deals with the physical aspects or actual layout of a network is known as a physical network design. Physical network design gives the actual location of networking equipment including desktop computers, laptops, portable devices, network printers, servers, routers, and clients are termed Physical Network Design. It provides a medium for network devices to connect and communicate with each other. Physical network design involves the following considerations.

Physical Network infrastructure,

WAN Connections

Physical Server Design

The design of the physical network infrastructure has a significant impact on the design of other services and components. The first stage of the physical network design is to determine the most appropriate networking medium and network topology for connecting the different network devices. Different networking topologies are available including bus, star, ring, and hybrid networking topology as shown in fig. 1. Topology is the basic geometric layout of the network, which shows the different ways in which computers are interconnected with each other within the network. WAN connections involve the link characteristics like type, bandwidth, capacity, latency, and utilization.

Physical server design depends on the options of the centralized or decentralized service that is to locate a single server for as many services as possible or to use multiple systems for decentralized services.

Examples of Logical and Physical Network Design

Fig. 1 is an example of the logical design approach. Every device is connected to the network through a bus bar and is given a unique IP address. Fig. 2 (a, b) shows the physical network design with bus and ring topologies.