Week 7 Group - Assignment Example

Week 7 Group By Week 7 Group The network architecture and design for ABC should be flexible and efficient to provide maximum service to the users. These functions should, however, take place taking into consideration the security and accessibility aspects of the network. The design should be guided by the needs of the user. Each class of users should be able to access the facilities when the need arises. In addition, user access to the systems should be influenced by their clearance levels. Security is, therefore, a highly critical component of the system.

This paper brings into perspective how the company can employ the use of internal and anonymous CVS servers, WWW servers, and an internal mail server to achieve its goals.Fig. 1: ABC Company Network LayoutThe first, and most important, activity is to classify users into categories and define their duties and rights of access. ABC users can be subdivided into two main categories; ABC staff who include developers and the ABC administration, and the general public which incorporates developers from other companies and ABC clients.

Whereas ABC employees have more access to company systems external users get restricted access to these resources. For instance, ABC developers need to have access to secured servers that will allow them to develop new software and be able to post them to less secured public servers from where other developers and software lovers can download software or its source code. A number of servers with different configurations must be employed so as to have a reliable system.An internal CVS server would be necessary to limit access to the company’s most crucial systems to its employees.

Its location shall be in a remote location that cannot be easily accessed. It shall also have a live backup system that will be use to back it up in preparation for any failure. This will ensure that there is limited disruption in case the internal CVS server fails (Newman 2010). This server is configured in such a way that it is only accessible within the company network and from recognized and authenticated proxies. In order to make this possible, the system administrator creates a readers file in the servers root.

The file defines the read and write permissions for all users and domains that can access it. It also authenticates the users and blocks any unauthorized access. The administrator can also ban some users from accessing the server even if they are company staff. The company will conduct its business using this server. It is necessary to make sure that the server cannot be configured remotely. This ensures that external hackers are kept out hence increasing its security. In addition to the internal CVS, ABC Company will be required to install a local WWW server through which its staff will access facilities such as the internal mail server.

This local WWW server will only allow users to access the intranet; there shall be no access to external networks like LANS and the Internet.An anonymous server shall also be installed to provide a platform for ABC Company to communicate with the outside world. ABC will be able to share its software and source with clients and other developers through this server. Users would not require a high level clearance like is the case in the internal CVS server (Tanenbaum, A. S., and Wetherall 2010).

Its configuration will give rights to unknown people to read, and perhaps write. It shall be accessible from anywhere and using any network that can access the internet.This design, if properly implemented, will help the company achieve its goals in the development of open source software. It will not be long before ABC Company moves from being a new, little company into a powerhouse in the development of reliable software.List of ReferencesNewman, M. (2010). Networks: An Introduction. New York: Oxford University Press.

Tanenbaum, A. S., and Wetherall, D. J. (2010). Computer Networks. 5th ed. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.