The network upgrade
There may be multiple reasons behind the company's decision to operate the network, whether it is an increase in the number of customers or a next action of the number of employees within a site, it is an important task for Network Manager to plan and implement an adequate network system. On one hand it is important to choose the right equipment and on the other hand it is also important to manage the prices accordingly, so that everything can fit into the budget that is forecasted at the time of planning the upgrade. In this report, an upgrade standard operating procedure is being built the in order to upgrade 6 P2P systems to an ethernet-based LAN with advanced machines that can be used in high-end contact centre environment (CISCO, 2008).
Updating 6 node P2P network to a 20-client LAN
The 20 client local area network is set up using the help of Ethernet and hub to prepare an adequate network system. There are 20 systems with similar configuration that will be used for operations purpose and will be directly linked with the data server from where they can also access utilities like printers and can be equipped with additional facilities like scanners in future.
2-server data center (file & print)
The overall network would be connected to 2 different servers which would be related to data storage and file handling. There will be another server which will be print server and would retain the data related to print commands and would directly be attached to the printer. The two servers that would be handling the data and FTP communication would be serving all the client computers on the network.
Accommodation to 20 client PCs for support department
All the computers on the network would be equipped with remote access systems in order to allow the network managers to remotely access the clients on the network in order to complete installations, troubleshooting and testing.
The users on the network would be provided with an access to the Systems however they will only be able to login to their and passwords in order to access the required applications that they are enabled to use based on their profile which is created individually. The users will have restricted their profile which will have limited space to save the data on the systems however they would be allowed to do so on the data servers, so that systems can be saved in order to maintain good speed (MSU, 2010).
Strong anti-virus solutions, accessed only business applications and restricted stock profiles will help to enhance the speed of the systems for faster performance and quicker output. The configuration of the system will be decided as per the speed requirements and the same as discussed in taking care of in the coming sections.
There will be in total to servers which will be related to data and file management and there will be an additional server which would be related to the management of printout requests.
File
Backup will be taken on hardware storage external drives apart from the server which will be secured in a library for use in case of any business continuity requirement.
Security would be enabled with the help of Microsoft server 2008 and related adequate firewalls which would be securing the network.
Backup
Backup will be taken on hardware storage external drives (5000) GB apart from the server which will be secured in a library for use in case of any business continuity requirement.
Security would be enabled with the help of Microsoft server 2008 and related adequate firewalls which would be securing the network.
Printer will be added through the print server so that the print commands and any problems related to print access may not hamper the speed or functionality of any other servers.
The entire node will have one print server which will be connected to a printer and will be expandable in case if required. The print server would also have the functionality to add a scanner in future in case if the same is required by the business.
Considering the fact that there are two different servers that would be serving the entire network, there will be a use of Routers, switches and hubs in order to build a good network and provide multiple channels and networking options.
3.5 MM LAN cabling would be used in order to connect the entire network.
Kerberos would be used to secure the network, and an authentication would be required from all the clients in order to access the network while no external machine would in any manner be allowed to access the network. All external drives would be disabled and the latest anti-virus from Norton would be used in order to conduct regular scans and avoid any kind of threats.
It is important to create a plan for business continuity and in order to do the same the external drives would save the data on servers after every day operations, which would be locked for access under intrusion detection systems. The recovery data can only be accessed in case if a BCP plan is implemented and after the approvals of the required authority.
Network monitoring solution would also be implemented where all the system activities would be tracked and effectively reported through Microsoft Network monitor 3.4.
Workstations
Windows 7 will be the operating system which will be used on the entire network.
Features of new component and comparison to old hardware
Intel C2D E8500 3.16GHz will be used in place of the previous processor which was about 2 GHz only.
4 GB DDR RAM would be used to ensure optimum speed.
320 GB HDD will be used however focus would be on implementing the user profiles in such a manner that most of the data is only saved on the server and not on the local PC hard disks.
The cost of overall system would be around $ 450 including all the parts that we have discussed above.
This particular machine would have a much better random access memory for faster performance and would be extremely reliable for business usage.
Servers
Microsoft Server 2008 will be the Operating System which will be used for this task.
Features of new component and comparison to old hardware
The features of the server would include a storage capacity of 2 TB
In order to support multiple requests from the systems that will be attached to the node on the local area network, Intel Core i7 (4x2.4 GHZ) will be used
The RAM for this server will be 12 GB DDR
The cost of this set up will be around US$ 1800 per server
This server and the related components as selected are extremely efficient due to the very fast processor and high RAM. The 2 TB HDD would help to provide greater access to the data and would help to save a lot of information without worrying about creating space again.
At least 1 Printer
Xerox Colorqube 8870DN:
b. Color Printer, 40 ppm, 2400 Finepoint Image Quality, 512 MB Memory, Ethernet, USB, 1X525 Letter/Legal Input Tray and Two-Sided Printing
$2750 will be the cost of the Printer
For business purposes, this is one of the best printers available in the market and it can be connected with the help of Ethernet adapter and has its own memory of 512 which will be supported by the printer server connected to the node. Considering the fact that all the clients would directly be connected to this printer, there may be situations where multiple printouts are given at one time and the fast speed of 40 pages per minute will help to cover all the tasks efficiently. The duplex printing option is environment friendly and helps to save paper, time and money.
An image of the equipment as shown below
At least 1 Router
The Cisco 2900 series ISR router will be used
It offers some great services that include voice, video and security integration. It is equipped with on demand services like updating advanced features on the previous IOS image. It has rich features that include but are not limited to broader array of existing modules that are supported through ISRs.
This router would cost around US$ 900
One of the most important reasons for selecting the product is the ability to provide greater flexibility in terms of compatibility and being able to upgrade itself is required in future.
Switches (Hubs?)
D-Link DES-1016R+Networking Switch
D-Link is one of the pioneers in this industry and this particular product is a layer 2 switch that provides half duplex support for each port. This type of switch provides network polarity and has a 19 inch standard rack-mount width.
The cost of this switch is about US$ 130
The primary reason for choosing this product is its enhanced performance within a workgroup and the high level of flexibility it offers.
Firewalls
Cisco ASA5505-BUN-K9
10 Users, 8 ports, 3DES/AES, Cisco ASA 5500 Series Firewall Edition Bundles
US $ 380 will be the price for each firewall in order to provide security to 10 clients.
This is one of the most easy to deploy solutions and provide the facilities of world-class firewall which includes required thread difference and secure communication services.
An image of the equipment is shown below
Cabling
6 Inch Cat 5 E - 350 Mhz Snagless Enhanced Ethernet Cable will be used for other networking activities.
Software required
Operating System Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008
Windows 7 was used as an operating system in order to ensure that all systems are compatible with the software that will be used for operations, moreover this operating system provides effective security against network intrusions etc. the Windows server 2008 is also the latest server edition from Microsoft, and considering the fact that the local area network would have almost 20 clients it is important to ensure that the server is well equipped and can easily be used to monitor and upgrade the systems on the network, which is easily and effectively possible with Windows server 2008.
Network Diagram
the above-mentioned network diagram shows that there is print server, Web server and file server that are interconnected to the switch, the hub and are then routed towards the Ethernet switch adapter which interconnects the servers to all the computers on the node. There are overall 18 computers that are there on the network, and to computers are directly connected to the server and are supposed to be accessed by the network professionals. There is a printers installed, which is directly connected to the Hub and there are spaces for two more printers on the network and that is required in future.
Proposal
External hard disks will be used to store the data and take the back of the server so that it can store safely and used in case if any business continuity plan is implemented. It is also important to ensure that an SSL-based encryption methodology is used to provide secure access to the network for all the users, this will make it possible for the network administrators to directly access the activity on the network and find out in case if any unauthorized applications are being accessed online.
Conclusion
Although, all the components that will be a part of this upgrade are already discussed over here, it is important to ensure, that the new components can easily be created in future if there is an expansion of the network again. Considering the fact that for the servers we are using i7 generation processors, it will be easy to add further speed and memory in case if it requires so on to an expansion of the network. The use of Windows 7 and Windows server 2008 would enable adequate security on the network and the use of Norton server security and network security applications would help to provide a completely secure network to the client.
Since all the computers on the network will be using Windows operating system, there might be compatibility issues if there are any specific software that can be used only on Linux. Secondly, due to the use of latest operating systems and higher memory the entire upgrade might go over the budget. In order to create backup recovery of the data, a physical location within the premises may be required to safely store the data for use as backup.
A recommendation related to a customized network security plan will be made to the client, which will enable the users to access the network only through SSL enabled security and would allow all the users to access the data related to the profile from any given system. A roaming profile to all the users would help to manage any downtime effectively, and in case if there is an issue with a system the user will be able to login from any other system and would be able to carry on with the work without any disruptions.
Works Cited
CISCO. (2008). Planning a Network Upgrade: Working at a Small-to-Medium Business or IS . New York: Cisco .
Hernandez, M. J. (2003). Database Design for Mere Mortals™: A Hands-On Guide to Relational Database Design, Second Edition. Boston: Addison-Wesley Professional.
Keralapura, R., Chuah, C.-N., & Fan, Y. (2006). Optimal Strategy for Graceful Network Upgrade. Davis: University of California.
MSU. (2010). Network Upgrade Plan. Boston: Academic Technology Services.
Newegg.com. (2000). Marketplace: Shopping. Retrieved March 5, 2012, from Newegg.com: http://www.newegg.com/
