Network Standards for Interoperability
Discuss about the Networking Fundamentals Concepts and Benefits.
Computer networks is very essential in the operations of many organizations. For this matter therefore, a proper network design is very critical in ensuring that the organization executes their operations more effectively and efficiently [1]. The design should be reliable, easy to monitor and troubleshoot, scalable and most of it all it should be secure in order to ensure that organizations information is well protected and not interfered with from unauthorized persons.
The focus of this report therefore is to analyze structure of the e-commerce company given which is undergoing expansion, evaluate the network design based on existing networking standards or models such as OSI, the DoD, and the TCP/IP and determining the transmission media and channels to be used in the new proposed LAN [2].
With the expansion of the company, networking standards will be of great help considering that the company will have to use various networking devices from different manufacturers depending on the quality and cost of these devices. The networking standards therefore, will ensure that these devices despite being bought from different vendor, they work together to ensure that the organization’s network is more effective and efficient. There are a number of network standards that enhances interoperability between different networking devices from different vendors. These standards include the OSI Model, TCP/IP model, among others [4]. Therefore, for this company to implement the new LAN a proper networking standard that enhances interoperability and compatibility between various installed devices and infrastructure for the new network, need to be understood and defined. In this case, a networking standard such as the OSI model which is divided into layers, will ensure a simplified network design by separating the entire network communications into small bits that performs different functions. This model will ensures that various equipment’s such as switches, routers, hubs, network adapters among others are compatible despite coming from different manufacturers. The OSI model layers will make it easier for this company to extend their network in future in order to accommodate the growing number of the employees as it is easier to have new network protocols and services added to the architecture [5]. The layering segments the network functionalities into layers and each networking device is placed into one or more of the seven OSI model layers thus ensuring compatibility of all the devices across the network.
Comparison of OSI and TCP/IP Models
Apart from the OSI model standard, there exist other networking standards such as TCP/IP model that could be implemented by the e-commerce company in designing their new network only that they differ in structure and layering. The OSI model consist of seven layers which include: Application, Presentation, Sesssion, Transport, Data link and Physical layers as shown in the diagram below.
As shown in the OSI model diagram above, each layer performs a different function than the other layers but all these functions are merged together to facilitate a complete working networking infrastructure. The layers are further grouped into media layers and host layers with physical, data link and network layers representing the media layers while the transport, session, presentation and application layers represent the host layers [6].
On the other hand the TCP/IP model is divided into four layers which are: Link layer, Internet layer, Application layer and Transport layer. The TCP/IP model combines the session, presentation and application layers of the OSI model into Applications layer. This means that the functions of the three layers on the OSI model are brought together in the case of the TCP/IP model. This model can therefore be represented diagrammatically as shown below.
Based on the structure and architecture of these two network standards, TCP/IP is more reliable than the OSI model. This is because, OSI model is stricter in terms of protocols and boundaries compared to TCP/IP model which enables organizations to loosen the networking rules as long as the general guidelines are observed. The two models also differ in their mode of connection, TCP/IP only supports connectionless communication while OSI model supports both the connectionless and connection-oriented communication this makes it more suitable for this company.
The other networking standard is Department of Defence (DoD). This is a four layer model just like the TCP/IP model and its structure is as shown below.
Its layers include network access layer, internet layer, host-to-host layer and a process layer. These layers performs similar tasks as the other layers of the already mentioned two models.
Despite all these network standard models enhancing interoperability of the networking devices from various manufacturers, there exist various differences among them that make either of them suitable for the given e-commerce new network.
This is the mode of connection between network devices to ensure that employees are able to send and receive information via the network. There are different types of connection media, these include: fibre optic, twisted pair cable, Coaxial and wireless channels [7]. These media even though they connect the user to the network, they differ in features and operations. These differences are shown in the table below.
|
Type of Media |
Transmission Length |
Speed |
Cost |
Interference |
Installation/Termination |
|
Fibre Optic |
10KM |
100 Mbps to 100 Gbps (single mode) 100 Mbps to 9.92 Gbps (multimode) |
Very Expensive |
Cannot be tapped, so security is better; can be used over great distances; is not susceptible to EMI; |
Difficult to terminate |
|
Twisted Pair Cable |
100m |
10 Mbps to 100 Mbps |
Less Expensive |
Reduced crosstalk; less resistant to EMI. |
Easy to Install |
|
Coaxial |
500m |
10 Mbps to 100 Mbps |
Less Expensive |
Less susceptible to EMI interference than other types of copper media |
Easy to Install |
Transmission Media for LAN
The wireless media do not require any physical connections, the networking devices only need a wireless adapter card to connect to the access point. This makes this mode of transmission more versatile in designing organization’s network.
Considering the size and physical structure of this company, the best transmission media will be the use of coaxial cables. These cables are less expensive and are easy to install compared to fibre optics. The cost of this cable is also within the company’s budget and the fact that it transmit up to 500m makes it even more suitable since the company has moved to a three-floor building. Another feature of this transmission media is the fact that it is not easily affected by the EMI than twisted pair cables this means that there will be reduced or no interruption during the transmission process thus making it more effective. It is also easy to terminate coaxial cable and this makes the installation process easier and faster.
The company will need a connection that transmit data at a higher speed considering the amount of information being sent to the backup site [8]. For that case a synchronous connection will be suitable for this company compared to asynchronous connection [9]. This is because with synchronous connection the transmission speed is 128Kbps [10] while that of asynchronous is 38.4Kbps, this makes it more superior than asynchronous connection. The synchronous connection is also more efficient in its use of bandwidth thus supporting transmission of more data without the use of control and error bits. This gives it an upper hand in sending the company’s 1000byte data record to the backup site over the asynchronous connection.
The synchronous connection or communication pattern is characterized with a unique 8-bits patterns that represent the start of the clock for every transmission. This pattern can be shown below.
The transmission line for this company would be coaxial cable and the circuit connection will be generally characterized by a parallel-wire line as shown below.
To calculate the transmission line the, we consider the frequency of the company’s backup transmission which is given by 1000bytes by 0.25sec which is 4000HZ. Assuming that the insulators between the transmission wire is air, the wavelength for this transmission line would be given by the formula below.
This distance suits the company considering that it is located in a tall three-floor building and the backup is done to a remote site hence need for a transmission line that covers a considerable distance like coaxial transmission line.
The transmission line speed is therefore given by the distance divided by transmission time which is:
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is therefore clear that the use of network standards in this case the OSI model will ensure that the company’s new LAN is well managed and interoperable with different devices from any of the manufacturers. This model will as well ensure that the company operates both in connectionless and connection-oriented transmission in order to accommodate the increased number of employees as a result of a merger. The coaxial transmission media will also ensure that the company’s network experiences very minimal interruptions from EMI and that the management cost will not strain the company’s budget. Also for the transmission of backup files to backup siste will now be faster considering the implementation of the synchronous connection which handles a larger bandwidth and has a high speed. This setup therefore will ensure that the company operates efficiently in carrying out their online activities as well as delivering services to their customers.
References
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I. Cisco Systems, “Wireless Communication > CCNA: Network Media Types”, Ciscopress.com, 2010. [Online]. Available: https://www.ciscopress.com/articles/article.asp?p=31276&seqNum=3. [Accessed: 27- Apr- 2018].
“Electromagnetism and Interconnections”, 2018. [Online]. Available: https://amanogawa.com/archive/docs/C-tutorial.pdf. [Accessed: 27- Apr- 2018].
D. THAKUR, “Asynchronous vs. Synchronous Transmission Modes”, Ecomputernotes.com, 2018. [Online]. Available: https://ecomputernotes.com/computernetworkingnotes/communication-networks/asynchronous-vs-synchronous. [Accessed: 27- Apr- 2018].
A. T., “Difference Between Synchronous and Asynchronous Messaging?”, PeopleSoft Tutorial, 2013. [Online]. Available: https://peoplesofttutorial.com/difference-between-synchronous-and-asynchronous-messaging/. [Accessed: 27- Apr- 2018].
2018. [Online]. Available: https://qa.answers.com/Q/Differences_between_asynchronous_connections_synchronous_and_isochronous_connections. [Accessed: 27- Apr- 2018].
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