Network Infrastructure Report For City Of Mandurah

Network Infrastructure Design

The report is used for the description of the network infrastructure of the city of Mandurah. The local government of Western Australian is looking to address the IT issues currently faced in the city. I have been consulted for providing the city with the It solutions that would solve the network issues within the city. The city has various buildings and services that require that the IT support and network set up. Hence the analysis of the city and the set of a fully functional network plan is to be discussed in this report.

The network designs for the individual sites and the services have been provided in this report and a MAN network design for the whole of the design have been provided. The descriptions and the analysis for the selection of the hardware is also has been added for the benefit of the reader. Additional information about the Green IT solutions and the developed hardware and solution have been addressed in the report.

Detailed network diagram

Mandurah Head Office (LAN)Mandurah Aquatic and Recreation Centre (LAN)

Mandurah Library (LAN)

Falcon Library (LAN)

Mandurah Museum (LAN)

Mandurah Seniors and Community Centre (LAN)

Mandurah Waste Management Centre (LAN)

Overall Wide Area Network

Analysis of Network hardware and cabling required at a Local Area Network

Network Interface Cards – 1GBPS Network Card, 802.11AC Wireless

A Network Interface Card (NIC) is and does what it says: it is an installable option card that provides an interface onto a network (usually a LAN) for a computer system. A point-to-point connections interface is usually called a serial card rather than a NIC, although in general terms it is also a network interface. Although most current PC motherboards have built-in Ethernet, this was not always the case. Early models of PC were created when LANs were in their infancy and not widely used, so one had to install a NIC to get on the network. Even now if your built-in network interface is not high enough spec, or you need multiple interfaces, you can install additional NICs in the option slots. The TP link Gigabit PCl Express cards are used in the network so that they would be very efficient in connecting the system with the network adapter. It is suitable for the network that supports different type of broadband in the ranges varying from 10 Mbps and 1000 Mbps.

Hardware Selection

In addition to this it is also noted that there is need to expand the network in the future and hence, this can be done efficiently by installing wireless methods into the network. 802.11AC Wireless interface would be favourable for this system. Every vendor of wireless routers and access points such as TP-link, Cisco, and Aruba need to pass the Wi-Fi alliance certification. Only then they can be called as Wi-Fi device. IEEE 802.11ac is the recent standard (allows faster speed and greater power save for your client devices, mobile phones) being used by many mobiles and hardware vendors. But the same hardware should support the basic 802.11 device which came in the year 2000. This would also support the IP phones by the year 2020.

Cables – Cat 6

                For the wiring of the whole network it is suggested that the Cat 6 Cable s are used. The network renovation is being done in this case and all the aspects of the network are being upgraded, hence the choice of Cat 6 cables have been done as they would support the network in the long run. Although CAT 5E cable is cheap, it is quite slow. CAT 5E offers data transfer speeds of One Gbps per second at 100 MHz up to 328 feet. There is a lesser interference and a lesser chance of transmission error in these cables. This is majorly because the crosstalk amongst the wires within the cable remains under control. These cables will definitely offer a good quality performance for the applications used in today’s age. But when you use Cat5e, there are lesser chances for upgrading in a long run. Needless to say,

CAT 6 cable is more expensive and faster than CAT 5E. However, it is not very efficient when it comes to covering very long distances. As CAT6’s insulation has been enhanced, it can support data transfer speed of up to 10 Gbps at 250 MHz with no crosstalk interference. But 10 Gbps speed is effective only up to 164 feet. Despite of this limitation, CAT6 cables are more capable in handling the speed of Gigabit Ethernet networks. In future, there is a possibility that Cat6 might replace HDMI as the video/audio transmission tool. In addition to this, there are the Cat 6A cables that can be used for the network and it would be the best option for the network. However the cost of implementation of the network would increase to a great extent and there is a scope for the network to expand in the future and hence the selection of Cat 6 cables have been done.

Routing Protocols

Switch (48 Port, 1 GBPS Switch – Cisco) – VLAN Capable

                The Cisco switches are selected for the distribution of the network. The 48 port versions of the switches have been used in the head office since there are 40 computers that is to be accommodated by the network and in addition to this, the 1 GBPS speed of the switches provide the network with world class efficiency. The Cisco Catalyst 3850 Series Switches are the next generation of enterprise-class, stackable, access layer switches. They also support full IEEE 802.3at Power over Ethernet Plus (PoE+), Universal Power over Ethernet (UPOE), modular and field-replaceable network modules, redundant fans, and power supplies. Supported uplinks in the module of the switch is 4 x 1/10GE network module (can be used for the 48-port RJ-45 models and for the 12-port (or higher) 10?gigabit-capable models).

Router – Routing Protocols (RIP, IGRP, EIGRP, ISIS, OSPF, BGP)

                The Router in the network would be allocated with the protocols so that they function properly in the network. The RIP or the routing information protocol helps the network by employing the hop count as the routing metrics. It also helps in preventing the loops during routing by limiting the number of hoops allowed for path from source to destination.  IGRP is also used in the router, it is the Interior Gateway Routing Protocol, which is also known as the distance vector interior gateway protocol. It helps the router in exchanging the data within the network, and hence known as a propriety protocol. Additionally, the EIGRP can also be include, it is the Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol that would the help the router in automating the routing decisions and configurations for the network and is also suitable for different types of topologies and media. Alternatively the ISIS protocol can also be used for the router and it is similar to the BGP protocol.

It provides link state routing by reliably flooding link state information throughout a network of routers. The open shortest first path is or the OSPF routing protocol helps the router to find the best path for the packets in the network to travel and provide the maximum efficiency for the network. Hence the configuration of the router with these protocols would be suitable for the network.

Servers (Print Server, File Server, Backup Server, Domain Controller)

                The network is to be configured by means of servers. The print server is one of the most efficient servers that would be handling a number of printers that are implemented in the network. The Single Parallel Port Fast Ethernet Print Server TL-PS110P print servers provided by TP-Link can be used as the print server for the network. It allows the users to take the computer out of the loop while setting up network of printers. This would allow any computer to access the printers by means of LAN. The File server is also very important since the network is connected to the cloud and the internet the cloud servers would be obtained for the file server. In addition to this, the online server would also enable the organization to the back up the data and hence, it the job of a backup server would also be done by the online server. Additionally a Domain controller would be installed in the head office of the organization and this would help in the security authentication for the request to the servers. It would act as a medium in between the hosts and the clients for access the servers. The domain controller would be implemented with the bridge in the system that is used for the connection to the other aspects of the network.

Server Installation

PC’s

                For each of the offices the Lenovo – (Celeron Dual Core/4 GB DDR3/500 GB/Windows 10 Home) (Black, 19.5 Inch Screen) computers would be installed. The computer is perfect as per the requirement of the network, it is an AIO PC for office and this is the perfect for the network. For the main office the HP – (Core i3 (6th Gen)/4 GB DDR 4/1 TB/Windows 10 Home/512 MB) (Black, 34.2 cm x 48.6 cm x 4.8 cm, 3.5 kg, 19.5 Inch Screen) machines would be installed. These machines provide excellent speed and storage for the system and also help the organization by providing and efficient performance.

Justification

                The network is divided into 7 different sectors with 6 different offices and service centres of the city and a main head office. The head office is provided with the servers and the storage devices for the whole network in the city. The direct connection is done to the head office via the internet. The internet connection is distributed to the whole network with the help of bridges and switches. The network is also protected with a firewall installed in the main office. The network routing is done by means of repeaters and the centres are connected to the head office located in the city. The connection from each of the centre is made to the cloud. In addition to this the domain controller is set to connection in between the bridge and the repeaters and hence, the authentication facility is implemented in the network.  Hence the designed network would be both efficient and secured.

Printers and Scanners

                The Canon MF4750 Multi-function Laser Printer (Black) is selected for the installation in the main head centre of the network in the city. The printer comes with a host of useful features and is also lightweight and ergonomically designed. With a print speed of up to 23 ppm, it will allow the user to get crisp, clear printouts.  In addition to this the additional printers that are to be added to the network but the printers can be less functional and cheap. Hence, the HP Laserjet M1136 Printer Black are selected for installation in the different centres of the city. The HP LaserJet 1136 Single Toner Printer supports Instant-on technology and saves time when powering up. It comes with an all-in-one HP cartridge and a hi-speed 2.0 USB port for durable prints and faster connectivity. Additionally there are no requirements of adding scanners to the network as because the printers that are installed in the network already supports the scanning operations and hence no additional scanner is added to the network.

PC Selection

Analysis of Network hardware and cabling required at a Wide Area Network level    

What WAN Solution

                There has been huge advancements in the field of networking. Hence there are various options that can be considered for the WAN solution in the city. The Frame relay solution is the one that is thought the most suitable for selection for the implementation of the network. Other solutions such as the ATM and ISDN solutions were thought of but the frame relay was the one that was found suitable.

Compare different solutions

                ATM, likewise called Cell Relay, is an ultra-high-speed switching and transmission texture which is expected to frame the elite part of the city. The ATM parcel of city will be unmistakable from the lower bandwidth transfer speed divides the network in the city. ATM benefit offering at first work from 45 Mbps (DS-3 lines) to 155 Mbps (OC-3 lines), advancing to the gigabit every second (Gbps) run (billion bits every second). ATM varies from Frame Relay through the utilization of fixed 36 length bundles called cells. ISDN is an standardized telecommunications network architecture giving multi-channel, coordinated end-to-end network. ISDN permits the rapid 37 transmission of advanced data through a solitary client interface, regardless of whether the substance is voice, information, video or realistic pictures.

Fundamental Rate ISDN (BRI) gives two full 56 Kbps unhindered “B” channels for voice or information and one 16 Kbps “D” channel for flagging and information, on a solitary line. To the end client ISDN administration will act “simply like” telephone utility. The administration is advanced so there is no requirement for a modem, however terminal connector equipment is required and “calls” are as yet set connecting the client to the objective host. However the Frame relay services is selected as the services offer a better access speeds, economy, and a clear transition path for increased bandwidth.

Business WAN solutions

                There are options of the Business WAN solution that can be adopted for the network implantation. The selection can be done in between the P2P network and Ethernet VPN.

P2P Network	Ethernet VPN
Connects sites that are 45km or less apart.	Connects sites nationally or internationally
Point-to-point direct fibre connections and Low latency	Low latency
Standard bandwidths: 10 Mbps-1.6Tbps	Standard bandwidths: 200 Kbps-1 Gbp

 Recommendation

                The Ethernet VPN solution is selected as the network is to be spread over the whole city and this justifies the selection, however the P2P Network offers a greater bandwidth, the distance is a greater concern here.

Detailed hardware and software

Desktop OS

                The Microsoft Windows 2010 version software would be used in the machines of the organization.

Printer Selection

Mobile OS

                The mobiles that are to be run on the android operating systems. It would be helpful for the mobiles to get connected to the network by means of wireless methods.

Switch OS

                The switches would also be connected to the desktops having the Microsoft Windows 2010 operating systems. The CatOS is selected for the switches. All the layer 2 operations can be performed efficiently by these Operating systems.

Router OS

                The Cisco IOS would be selected as the operating system for the network routers. It is an internetworking operating system that would help the network to perform efficient routing functions. The operating system provides a total package of routing switching and distributing the network in the city.

Standard Operating Environment (Windows 10, MS Office, Adobe Creative Cloud)

                For the standard operating environment the user are provided with the Widows 10 Operating system provided by Microsoft. The operating system allows the users to perform the tasks of network. They allow the users to perform various type of multitasking process. The system would also be supporting the Microsoft office products supported by the operating system. It would provide the users with an efficient platform to perform the tasks related to documentation and record keeping within the network. The Adobe products are also supported by the operating system. Hence the Adobe creative cloud would be made available to the users of the system. This would help the users to make designs accordingly and create a wide range of designs and illustration in the systems connected in the network.

Security    

VLAN

                A VLAN allows several networks to work virtually as an LAN. It allow a network manager to logically segment a LAN into different broadcast domains. 

Firewall

A firewall is simply a program or hardware device that filters the information coming through the Internet connection into your private network or computer system. If an incoming packet of information is flagged by the filters, it is not allowed through.

Encryption to scramble readable text into unreadable text

Encryption uses algorithms to scramble the information. It is then transmitted to the receiving party, who is able to decode the message with a key. There are many types of algorithms, which all involve different ways of scrambling and then decrypting information.

Restrictions on user accounts

                            Restricting a user’s access to only their profile folder means they would not be able to see their desktop. Users require read (or read & execute) access at a minimum for most folders on the system just to be able to do anything at all.

Assumptions and Green IT considerations  

Assumption 1: It is assumed that all PC’s in the Mandurah Head Office already have Windows 10

                With this assumption in mind the designing of the network has been done. This helps in the network design as it can be considered that all the systems in the network are configured with the same operating systems and all the systems responds to the same protocols installed in the networking system.

Assumption 2: It is assumed that all the nodes on the network have an wireless connection enabled in them

                It has been assumed that the network would be having an inbuilt wireless connections. This would enable the wireless devices to get connected to the system. Hence, there would be no additional requirements to add wireless routers to the system.

Solar Panels

                For the Green IT considerations it is been suggested that the solar panels are installed throughout the city. This help the network in obtaining cheap and pollution free power for the network. The solar panels would be connected to the top of the buildings and the energies would be stored in the batteries and the energy would be made available to the network after the energies have been stored. The main energy would be supplied to the repeaters and the connectors in the networks.

Low Energy Compliant Devices

                In addition to the solar energy the low energy complaint devices can be used in the network. The low energy complaint monitors can be installed in the offices in the network and this, would help in the reduction of the level of energy consumed by the system. The Bluetooth Low Energy Beacon can also be suggested for implementation in the system. This would provide an efficient option for the network in the aspect of wireless technologies. The device can advertise ID and sensor data. This Bluetooth Low Energy beacon offers the best battery lifetime and range for any available coin-cell operated beacon on the market today.

Policy: That all employees turn off their machine at night

                In addition to the hardware adopted in the system, there are some policies that can be adopted by the organization to reduce the level of power consumptions and affect the Green IT considerations made by the city and apply it for the people of the city. Firstly it is suggested that the employees turn off their machine at night. This would refrain the network from consuming extra energy.

Policy: All Screens turn off after 5 minutes idle

            Secondly, the organization can also policies such as all Screens turn off after 5 minutes idle. This is a setting that the employees can apply to their systems, this would directly turn the system in sleep mode. As this would turn the system into sleep mode in case an employee or the user forgets to turn off their computer anyhow. The system would stop extracting the energy and a lot of energy would be saved in the system.

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