Wireless Deployment Plan - Term Paper Example

WIRELESS DEPLOYMENT PLAN Number Lecturer Section Wireless Deployment Plan Wireless Deployment Plan Overview A wireless deployment plan is a sequence of operations that is carried out to deliver wireless networking services. In this context, the wireless service will be delivered to an institution of learning. The deployment plan must be well defined, and appraised before the actual implementation or deployment. A wireless deployment plan provides an efficient and effective implementation of the wireless network in the institution and provides guidance towards the implementation of the system. Wireless networking in institutions of learning have in the recent past increased the efficiency in learning and substantially enhanced learning activities in the learning institutions. Both users and administrators have experienced increased value in learning institutions. The efficiency is achieved by proper deployment of the wireless network through a wireless deployment plan. A wireless network provides an ideal and effective connection given the mobility of students and the staff (Cisco, 2010). This requires a wireless deployment solution that will address the wireless network security, management, deployment, and control of deployment aspects. It is important to note that the deployment should combine the best elements of secure wireless networking and wired networking that is capable of delivering scalable secure and efficient wireless networks on low total cost. This report provides a wireless deployment plan for a higher institution of learning with one campus but with several buildings (Cisco, 2010). The wireless deployment plan provides a framework through which the network can be installed and implemented. Additionally it entails the management, maintenance and control procedures for the network. Most importantly, the plan entails the requirements to implement the wireless network. The wireless technologies that can be adopted for such a network include 802.11 Standard (Cisco, 2010). Purpose and Scope Best wireless networks are delivered through a well-planned deployment strategy. This wireless deployment plan provides the structure for the campus wide wireless network solution that will be used by both the students and the staff. The deployment plan purposely addresses the strategy of implementing the wireless network. It enhances security in the wireless network and provides management and maintenance frameworks (Brocade Communications Systems, Inc., 2010). Wireless networks are highly sensitive to overlapping frequencies therefore; the use of wireless technologies must be planned. The purpose of this deployment plan is to eliminate any overlaps in frequencies in the wireless network. Proper planning thus ensures that the network has basic functionality, secure network and maximum bandwidth. Scope The spatial scope for the deployment plan is the entire campus and all the buildings in the campus that require wireless networking services. These will include the classrooms, departmental offices, library, laboratories, administration offices, student hostels, student centres and social places. Additionally, the wireless deployment plan will also address the following aspects of the wireless network; The wireless deployment plan provides guidelines for: Provide wireless networking services for both students and staff in all the buildings in the campus. Provide installation and management plan for the wireless network. Determine the most appropriate network technology service. Enforce security measures and safeguard all the users of the wireless network. Essentially, a wireless network must efficiently provide the require services that will enhance the communication services in the entire campus. The major purpose of the deployment plan is to ensure that the basic wireless communication services are effectively provided by the network and it is reliable (Brocade Communications Systems, Inc., 2010). Wireless Network Equipment and Devices Several companies provide network equipment and devices that are used in networking. For purpose of this wireless deployment plan, Cisco networking equipment and networking devices will be used. Conventional network equipment and devices are needed for the wireless network. These include; Wireless network adapter: A network adapter is an interface card that is either inbuilt, or external to the network computer or laptop. CISCO Wireless Router: this equipment works similar to a wired router used to connect networked devices to other networks or to the internet. The common features for wireless routers include DNS, DHCP encryption and firewalls. Another device is the network access point. Cisco router that is used for this network include Cisco 860 Series (Cisco, 2010). Additional equipment for the network includes; Cisco Wireless Controllers These devices act as the nerve centre for the wireless network. They provide the ability for mobility. They include RFS700 that support 802.11n standard and the RFS6000 that extends the 802.11n capabilities to the medium sized deployments. Cisco 802.11 wireless Access Point Depending on the size of the campus, a minimum of one and a maximum of three access points can be used to create the network. In this case an Aironet 1200 Series AP that runs Cisco IOS® Software Release 12.3(7)JA , Aironet 802.11a/b/g Client Adapters that run firmware 2.5 and Aironet Desktop Utility (ADU) version 2.5 are used in the wireless deployment. These devices greatly enhance mobility in the network (Cisco, 2010). Wireless Network Device Configuration Several devices are used for different purposes in the wireless network and thus must be configured differently. Each building in the institution will have a client access point (Aironet 802.11 adapter) that will provide a link to the main network access point in the wireless network. There may be individual LAN networks in each building but with a connection to the wireless network to link with the entire network. The Aironet 1200 Series Access Point will be centrally placed to provide the access point for the entire network (Microsoft Inc., 2005). Mobile devices such as laptops, mobile phones and other devices have inbuilt wireless adapters that can directly access the central access point from any location. The access point uses the following settings; Basic authentication: Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) in addition to open authentication. Service Set Identifier (SSID): CISCO 123 The Access Point is configured using either the Graphical user interface, command line interface, or the console port. This Graphical user interface is ideal for this deployment. Through this method, the devices are dynamically assigned IP addresses using the DHCP (Microsoft Inc., 2005). This is due to the fact that the network will have many users and manual assignment of IP addresses may be unrealistic. Wireless Client Configuration access In a typical network environment, each individual client in the network must have all the requirements to access the network. They will be dynamically assigned with an IP address through DHCP. Since the network is assigned security controls, the network access codes are assigned to the clients to be able to access the network. It also depends with the kind of user. Staff and Students have different user requirements; therefore they will be assigned different user restrictions in the network (Brocade Communications Systems, Inc., 2010). Departmental buildings will have an access point Aironet 802.11 adapter that will be used to connect to the main Access point. Since the institution does not have several campuses, remote access points are unnecessary. The access points in these buildings will create access to all the computers in that building. Other mobile devices in the campus can directly connect to the network via the nearest access point (Brocade Communications Systems, Inc., 2010). Essentially, a school wireless network environment will have multiple wireless LANs that serve different purposes in different departments in the institution. Each client is therefore addressed and configured differently depending on the needs and purposes. Additionally, access to the network is restricted and controlled depending on the nature of the needs for each client. Wireless Network Staffing, Training, and Support Requirements To effectively manage the network, there must be adequate trained and capacitated staff. The major staff needed in the network includes network administrators, network managers and network engineers. The institutions, system analysts or network managers can substantially manage the wireless network. They will also be incharge or deploying the wireless network in the institution. They will also be in charge of maintenance and management of the network (Brocade Communications Systems, Inc., 2010). Since all users are not well versed with the use of the network, they must be trained on the use of network resources and also ensure the network is secure. The training is organized and provided by the network administrator together with the institutions department of computer engineering, computer science or information technology (Cisco, 2008). Additionally, they are charged with providing continuous support to the users of the network and ensuring continued network security and maintenance. Wireless Network Security Requirements The network security requirements for the institution should include an adjustable firewall and proxy that will allow authorized access from the inside and outside . each client must also have an internet security Software packages and strong antivirus software . Additionally, the wireless connection must always lead to firewalls (Cisco, 2008). Since users of the network use both the institutions owned devices and personal devices, there must be a policy to determine the personally owned and institutions devices. This policy should be easy to enforce and acceptable (Cisco, 2008). There must be strong and constant supervision by the teachers, administrators, librarians to guarantee unauthorised access and use of the network resources and also to allow detection of intrusion and threats. Finally, a privacy and access policy that ensures that data and information that flows through the network is safe and secure and it is not shared or disclosed to unauthorised persons (Cisco, 2008). Terms and Definitions Computer Network: an interconnection of computers for purpose of sharing resources in an organization or institutions Router: A network device that forwards data packets between the computers in a computer network Firewall: a security system consisting of a combination of hardware and software that limits the exposure of a computer or computer network to attack from crackers and hackers; commonly used on local area networks that are connected to the internet. WLAN: Wireless Local Area Networks LAN: Local Area Networks; a network of computers covering a relatively small geographical area. DNS: Domain Name system. DHCP: Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol. SSID: Service Set Identifier WEP: Wired Equivalent Privacy Section 2: Wireless Network Architecture Section 3: Wireless Project Implementation Plan References Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. (2010, October 04). Wireless LANs in Higher Education. Retrieved June 03, 2014, from Brocade.com: http://www.brocade.com/downloads/documents/white_papers/WLANs_Higher_Ed_WP_01.pdf Cisco. (2008, January 21). Basic Wireless LAN Connection Configuration. Retrieved June 1, 2014, from cisco.com: http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/docs/wireless-mobility/wireless-lan-wlan/68005-wlan-connect.html Cisco. (2010). Schools Wireless LAN Deployment Guide. Retrieved June 03, 2014, from Cisco.com: http://www.cisco.com/c/dam/en/us/td/docs/solutions/Verticals/Education/SRA_Schools/schoolSRA_wlan_sba.pdf Microsoft Inc. (2005, January 21). Configuring wireless network settings on client computers. Retrieved June 3, 2014, from Technet.Microsoft.com: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc778842%28v=ws.10%29.aspx Read More