Network Design Consultation - Case Study Example

Network design consultation Hardware requirements In order to create wireless network harboring 2 workstations, 2 laptopsa server and a shared network printer, one has to consider a cost analysis feasibility study. With this in mind it is important to consider the minimum requirements for every network component that would be required within the network. The table below gives a detailed breakdown for the minimum requirements needed to operate within the network. Item Minimum Requirements Laptop 1Ghz processor (Intel or AMD). 512Mb Ram and above. 40Gb Hard drive. 32 bit Operating system (Windows, Linux or Mac). Inbuilt Wireless adapter card. Desktop unit 1Ghz processor (Intel or AMD). 512 Mb Ram and above. 40Gb Hard drive. 32 bit Operating system (Windows, Linux or Mac). A wireless PCI card. Multifunction Wireless Access point(Router) In this case it should double as an Ethernet hub or switch. With a budget of $5,000 and assuming the current prize of hardware a cost detail of procurement may come as follows: Software Requirements For the network to function effectively, certain applications have to be installed to enable usability. They include the following: Operating system, in this case Windows 7 would be recommended for the client workstations because it is user friendly and easier to configure. As for the server Windows server 2008 operating system would have to be installed, this is because the server would be used to manage the entire network. Because Windows Server 2008 is well designed to configure the networks as well as manage files and security settings it will be then recommended as compares to convectional operating systems because it has been optimized to manage a networked environment. Anti-virus software will also be recommended for both the server and the client workstations to protect against cases of malwares, worms and viruses that may harm the operating systems. To ensure the security of the network from outside intrusion a firewall would be most essential to handle cases of outside intrusion (Davis, 2004). In this case the option of using the inbuilt firewalls that come with the operating system may be used or alternatively a third party firewall maybe procured. Hardware and software cost analysis ITEM COST(US$) Hardware 2 work stations (HP Pavilion p2-1110 each $350 700.00 2 Hp2000-410US Notebook PC each $410 820.00 1 Hp ProLiant ml350 G6 1,230.00 1 HP LaserJet Pro M1212nf MFP Printer 170.00 Linksys BEFW11S4 wireless access point router. 60.00 Software Windows server 2008 SP1 500.00 4 Windows 7 Ultimate Operating system licenses(each $270 ) 1,080.00 Norton Internet security antivirus 70.00 Internet monthly subscription Verizon Wireless 3G(Internet subscription cost per month) 120.00 TOTAL 4,750.00 Network Architecture For the network to operate a suitable network architecture has to be put into consideration (Hallberg, 2010). In this case a star topology will deployed due to the following reasons: first of all since the network would be managed centrally, cases on interruption upon a nodes’ failure would not disrupt the entire network. Secondly a star topology allows for easy expansion, for instance a technique called daisy chaining can be deployed whereby another switch can be connected to the main switch as another node and serve as a center of a second star topology (Sean Walberg, 2010). Since in this case one topology is deployed our network infrastructure will be illustrated as follows. Network Architecture illustration Router configuration Since a Linksys BEFW11S4A wireless access point router will be used, therefore the following settings will have to be made before the network operation begins. The device wireless access point will have to be enabled so that the router can propagate wires signals. Secondly SSID (Service Set Identifier) will have to be set to default as well as allow for broadcast of SSID to associate in order to allow for wireless devices to detect the network when they come within range. Chanel settings allows one to select between the available channels offered by the router in our case 11 channels are available, this is important as it reduces cases of interference with other wireless networks within reach, as one can easily change channel in the cases of connection loss in the case where channels are being shared (Sean Walberg, 2010). Also the WEP (Wireless encryption protocol) can be set to mandatory or disabled to allow for encryption as a security measure. Client configurations Since it is assumed that all clients are running on window 7 operation systems, connection can be easily configures once the network has been detected. In this case the system will automatically notify the user the available network access points within reach. At this point the user can select the network they want to use from the available network list and thereby connect. If authentications is needed the user will be prompted to provide a password in order for a connection to be established. Internet configuration To configure the internet connection, first ensure that all network adapters are installed. In this case the client workstations and the server since the laptops have an inbuilt wireless network adapter. It is through these wireless network adapters that the client computers can access the internet. To enable internet connection a cable modem or DSL modem is needed though in this case the Linksys BEFW11S4 model which will be used will double as an internet access point. (Hallberg, 2010) Once subscribed to an ISP (Internet service provider), one can set the internet through the inbuilt internet wizard within the server as well as the client workstation. There are several ways by which the computers can connect to the internet; the configuration depends on the type of network adapter, internet connection and modem. Since in this case it is done at the server, it is also worth noting that the server will control which client connects to the internet and which one does not. In the case where a DHCP is set in the router, there will be no need to set the TCP/IP connection in the client computers. This is so because the DHCP server will automatically assign IP address to all computers connected within the network. The DHCP settings are configured via the router in the server computer. Managing the network Security Because we are using a wireless network, it is important for sufficient security measures to be put in place to secure the network from vulnerable threats. Depending on the threat one will be expected to ensure the network always remains secure. One of the potential threats that can affect the network emanates from the threat of viruses. These are programs that cause harm to the computer by corrupting data and lowering the operating systems performance. (Gast, 2005) However by ensuring the installation of an anti-virus program, cases of malware attacks and virus activity will be easily contained. Anti-viruses also reduce the effects of spyware and adware’s which are intrusive on user privacy as well as being a nuisance. Its is also advisable to ensure that Operating systems patches are regularly updated as this reduces bugs that may harm the workstation as well as the server and hamper their optimum performance. As in the case of securing the entire data communication within the network, it will be worth enabling WPA (Wi-Fi protected access standard). This should be considered to allow for encryption of data within network through use of special access keys. Reference Davis, H. (2004). The Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Wi-Fi. Indianapolis: Que. Feng, J. (2009). Wireless networks: Research, technology and applications. CA: Nova Science Publishers. Gast, M. (2005). 802.11 wirelesss networks: The definitive guide. NY: O’Reilly Media Inc. Gast, M. S. (2005). Wireless Networks The Definitive Guide. Sebastopol: OReilly. Hallberg, B. (2010). Networking: A beginers guide. New York: McGraw-Hill. Heltzel, P. (2003). Complete Home Wireless Networking. Saddle River: Prentice Hall. Nicopolitidis, P. (2003). Wireless networks. London: John Wiley and Sons. Sean Walberg, L. C. (2010). Wireless all in one for dummies. Indianapolis: Wiley Publishing, Inc. Read More