Interfacing Cisco Generic Switches with End User Devices in iTech Network

The assignment content describes the configuration of a network using Cisco Packet Tracer. The goal is to assign IP addresses to all devices in the network automatically using DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) and DNS (Domain Name System). The simulation involves setting up the DHCP server, assigning IP addresses to the DNS server and web server, and configuring the clients' PCs to access the web server. The assignment also covers the configuration of the services tab, including HTTP service, and the creation of a web page. Finally, it discusses the benefits of the proposed network design in terms of ease of management and scalability.

Topic: IT Infrastructure
Student Name:
Subject:
Task:
Due Date:

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................................3
IT Infrastructure Components.....................................................................................................................4
Three-Layer Hierarchical Model..................................................................................................................6
Geographical scope of the network.............................................................................................................8
Dedicated server design proposal.............................................................................................................11
Logical Design for dedicated server design...............................................................................................11
Cloud Based Design...................................................................................................................................14
Network simulation...................................................................................................................................15
Conclusions and Recommendations..........................................................................................................21
Reference..................................................................................................................................................22

INTRODUCTION
Networking in computing is the act of interconnecting various computing devices for the purpose
of sharing resources such as data, printers, servers among others (Mitchell, 2017). Computer
networks come with various designs depending on the organization in which the network is to be
implemented. This report therefore, provides a proposal of a networking design that should be
adapted both using dedicated server and cloud hosting techniques for iTech organization.
Aim and Objective
This project is aimed at achieving various objectives in helping the company conduct its services
more efficiently and effectively (Coleman, 2012). The operational and business objectives to be
achieved using this network design are:
Scalability – The new network design should accommodate addition of more network equipment
if need be, without having to redo the whole network installation. This means that in the event
where iTech wishes to add more workstations to its network, the space will be available and the
process made easy.
Effective information processing – The network design is aimed at ensuring that users are able
to retrieve. Process and store information related to iTech operational services more effectively
and in a transparent manner.
Easy troubleshooting and management – The iTech network design should be easy to
troubleshoot in case of any problems and also it should enable the organization to be able to
manage the network more effectively.
Secured iTech services – This network should enhance a more secure environment for the
operations of iTech administrative functionalities in rendering services to its clients and between
its adjacent offices between the three buildings adjacent to each other.
This report provides a thorough analysis of the IT infrastructure components required, three-
layered hierarchical network model, dedicated server network design, cloud based network
design and DCB network simulation of the proposed network design for iTech Company. The
report also provides various recommendations to ITech Company on the proposed design and
finally the conclusion of the whole report.
Background of iTech Company
iTech is a software development company located between three adjacent five-story buildings in
an office park. It has 900-computer network with each building having about 300 computers. The
three buildings of ITech Company have similar LAN. It also has a Data Center Buildng (DCB)
which is located on one of the iTech buildings and the data center is located on its second floor.
This data center provides emailing and web services as well as dynamic IP addresses, file sharing
and DNS services to iTech employees. This organization’s domain name is www.iTech.org.au.
The current network design is poor and does not meet the needs of the company effectively
hence need for replacement.

IT Infrastructure Components
There are various components of IT infrastructure that facilitates the design of a good network
design for different organizations. In the case of iTech Company, the following are components
of IT infrastructure that will be needed for designing the new network.
Computer Hardware Components
These are more important IT infrastructure of network designs. They consist of various hardware
components such as:
a) Switches
This is a hardware device that connects various computer devices within a single local area
network (Mitchell, 2017). There are various types of networking switches that can be used by
iTech Company but based on the scalability factor modular switches are more preferred in this
project. Modular switches enhance flexibility during configuration. These switches come with
different size chassis which allows for the installations of various numbers of modular line cards.
This means that the number of ports on such switch can be increased in case of any addition of
networking device hence facilitating scalability. The switch is as shown below.
b) Router
The routers are devices that will connect the network to the internet. The router will provide
embedded device encryption acceleration, slots for digital signal processing (DSP) slots, firewall,
prevent intrusion, processing call, application services and voice calls.
c) Wireless Access Point (WAP)
This is a networking device that creates wireless LAN referred to WLAN. This device broadcast
Wi-Fi signal within the buildings thus allowing more end user devices to be connected to the
network.
d) Fiber cable

This serves as a transmission media that connects various networking devices to the network.
Fiber cable will be used to connect network backbones from the core layer to distribution layer
and finally to the access layer of the iTech network design.
e) Server/Storage Components
These are components that manage access to shared resources and services in a network. This
include the mail server, DNS server, DHCP server, Web server, file server, Database server and
print server.
f) Cat 6 Ethernet cable
This shall provide connection of data access to network wireless access points devices due to its
higher speed.
g) Cat 5 Ethernet cable
This cable shall provide connection of access layer devices to the iTech network (LAN).
h) Workstations devices
This includes employee’s computers as well as office IP phones that will be connected to the
network of iTech Company.
Operating System Components
These include workstations operating systems, operating system to be used by servers in the
network and Network Operating System (NOS) which manages computer network resources
shared across the iTech Networking Platform.
All these IT Infrastructure components are very essential in enhancing quality network design for
iTech Company in order to achieve the set objectives and bring a new networking look to the
entire organization. The network to be designed will therefore rely on these components in order
to be successful (Mbaocha, 2012).

Three-Layer Hierarchical Model
Introduction
This is a networking design where the network is broken down into three layers. Each layer in
this model performs specific functions which lead to simplifying of the network design thus
making it easy to scale and manage the network (CISCO, 2014). The three layers of this model
are;
Access layer – This layer provides direct end user connection to the network.
Distribution layer – This layer connects access layer components and also enables connectivity
of access layer to services
Core layers – This layer connects distribution layers to large LAN in the organization.
The three layers can be represented diagrammatically as seen below.
Therefore, the proposed network design for iTech Company should adapt this model considering
that the organization is big having being located on the three adjacent buildings that host about
300 workstations and a Data Center on one of the building. Isolating this network into layers will
make it easy for iTech Company to manage the whole network as well as enhance scalability in
future.
Analysis of the current and future iTech IT Infrastructure requirements

Current iTech IT Infrastructure
The current network design at iTech Company is poorly designed. The IT infrastructure in this
network is not well organized and the current networking model in use is Flat network model
where all the networking components are treated to be on the same level. This makes it hard to
manage the network design as well as conduct the operations effectively considering the large
size of iTech Company. Also the current IT infrastructure at iTech Company is not easily
scalable. This is because with flat network model an addition of a new component to the network
might affect the operation of the other existing networking components. Considering that the
LAN in each building is similar in both design and operations, this explains the difficulties that
the company may be facing especially in carrying out activities such as troubleshooting in case
of any problem since there is no defined structure that clearly shows how each networking
component operates. Also the current IT infrastructure is poorly secured and in the case where
there is a problem the whole network at iTech might be paralyzed. An example of the flat model
is as shown below
Future iTech IT Infrastructure
The proposed future design of iTech Company will be based on three-layer hierarchical design.
These designs will highlight each component in each layer in the design. The three-layer will
simplify the whole iTech Company network design, make it more flexible, scalable, and easy to
manage and troubleshoot and improved processing speed. The three buildings where ITech
Company operates from will have a clear and visible network design since each network block is
well defined and structured (Cisco, 2013). This structure can be represented diagrammatically in
the block below.

Geographical scope of the network
iTech Company has three five-story buildings where its offices are located. The offices being
adjacent to each other with a data center located on one of the building on the second floor, it
therefore means that the geographical scope requirement for the proposed network would be
many-to-many. The many-to-many geographical scope would be as a result of having different
networking devices defined on different layers of the three- layer hierarchical model. The many-
to-many geographical requirement will enable interconnectivity between the three LANs in the
three buildings as well as all the network components represented in each layer. This
geographical requirement for iTech Company network design can be represented with respect to
each layer of the model as discussed below.
Access Layer
This layer provides an interface with end user devices such as the computers, IP phones, printers,
to enable access to the whole of the iTech Network. The main purpose of this layer is to ensure
that it connects networking devices to the network and control the mode of communication
located to each network (CISCO, 2014). Here many access ayer devices may be connected to a
number of switches on each of the iTech buildings considering the number of offices available
on each building. The access layer in each building with about 300 computers interconnects and
converges to the distribution layer of the network design. The access layer for each floor of the a
given iTech Company Building will resemble the diagram below
Distribution Layer
The main function of this layer is to provide an interface between both the access layer
components and the core components in the network.it is in this layer that network access
functionalities, intelligent routing and switching occurs in the whole network of iTech Company.
Here also differentiation of services is done where various services are grouped into classes at
the edge of the whole network design. Thus, ensuring high availability of the core to the access
layer end user devices.

Core Layer
This layer consist of devices such as routers which acts like a central hubs that enables network
functions to be able to access both the external and internal network. This layer of the model
brings together all the distribution layer switches from the three iTech buildings. It is in this layer
that scalable, reliable and high speed connectivity is provided.
The geographical scope of the iTech Company network design can be represented in the diagram
below as per the three-layer hierarchical model discussed.

Scalability of iTech Network
With such a design in place for iTech network, each module of the network design will enable
iTech to replicate various network components or elements as the network expands. Thus,
making the iTech Network possible to conduct expansion planning and implementation more
easily than their current situation. This can be done by adding more distribution layer switches
to accommodate more access layer end users. Also with this design more core layer switches can
as well be added to accommodate additional workstations operations in the network (Guide,
2011) .

Dedicated server design proposal
A dedicated server is a centralized computer device that stores information and allows sharing
and accessibility of that information by various workstations in a network (Hope, 2017). There is
various numbers of servers that iTech Company will need in their network. These servers will
perform various functions within the network and across the entire organization at large. Some of
these servers include;
File Server
This server will manage the storage and transfer of data files across the entire network of iTech
company (Rouse, 2009).
Mail Server
This is an application that manages incoming emails from all the workstations within
www.iTech.org.au domain. This server also forwards the emails upon delivery to their intended
destinations. Thus mail server will manage all the emails communication within the iTech
network.
Web Server
The purpose of this server is to use the http to provide services to the users whose request result
to calling of a web page file. For instance, the web server is where iTech domain name
www.iTech.org.au will be hosted and any request from the employees or iTech clients will be
processed by this server.
DNS Server
This server matches the domain names with their associated IP addresses within the iTech
network and they are provided by Internet Service Providers (ISP). It processes requests from the
workstations and locate the response using the IP address.
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) Server
This is a network server that generates and automatically assigns IP addresses and default
gateways to end users devices connected to the network.
Logical Design for dedicated server design
The logical design for the dedicated server design for iTech network can be represented in the
diagram below.

From the diagram above it is seen that iTech Data Center hosts all the dedicated servers on this
proposed network design for iTech Company. All the requests from the workstations in each
building are being processed at the data center where all the servers are located. The dedicated
server design above depicts the three-layer hierarchical design proposed for iTech Company.

IP addresses and Network Mask
There are 900 computers in the entire iTech Network distributed between three five-story
buildings adjacent to each other. Each building has about 300 computers in its network. With this
information at hand, then the appropriate IP addressing class that caters for more than 1500
workstations should be put into place in order to give allowances for future scalability or
addition of any networking device within the iTech Network. Thus, each building will be
assumed to have about 500 workstations. Therefore, Class B of IP address would be appropriate
for the proposed network design at iTech Company. The table below shows the IP addressing
details.
Table a: IP addressing details
IP
Address
Block
IP Class Network
Address
Subnet Mask Subnet
Bits
Host
Bits
Number
of
Subnets
Host per
subnet
130.30.0.0 B 130.30.0.0 255.255.248.
0
21 11 32 2046
Table b: IP Addressing for iTech Buildings
Building Subnet Subnet Mask Subnet Size Host Range Broadcast
A 130.30.0.0 255.255.248.0 2046 130.30.8.1 to
130.30.7.254
130.30.15.25
B 130.30.8.0 255.255.248.0 2046 130.30.8.1 to
130.30.15.25
4
130.30.15.255
C 130.30.16.0 255.255.248.0 2046 130.30.23.25
4
130.30.23.255
The IP addressing shown above will accommodate any new person or device connected to the
iTech Network thus facilitating scalability.

Cloud Based Design
There is various cloud based organization that offers networking services to business
organizations such as iTech Company. Instead of designing its own dedicated server network,
iTech Company could seek services from cloud computing organizations such as;
a) Microsoft Azure
This organization provides services such storage services, Data Management, Messaging,
Content Delivery Network (CDN). This cloud service provider was released on 2010 and has
over 600 cloud services. Based on the needs of iTech Company to have various servers in their
network, the data center for the company can be located at the cloud. Here file servers, mail
servers, Data Management and storage databases could be hosted using Microsoft Azure. This
cloud service provider is more scalable and reliable as this is controlled by Microsoft Azure
Fabric to ensure that services and the infrastructure laid do not crash thus making it more
reliable. This service provider provides two deployment models for resources. These models are
classic model which allow management of individual resources and Azure manager which allows
user to create various groups of related services that could be deployed, managed and monitored
together (Macken, 2016).
b) VMware
This is a cloud service provider which provides services such as storage, advanced networking
integration of enterprise environment and data recovery services. VMware has advanced security
measures for its services which include secure private network and compliance certificates. It
also provides enterprise IT platforms for modernization of data centers which enables
organizations to address their needs without having to change the processes. Extensibility is
another feature of this cloud organization. This platform handles large workload, and also makes
it easy for an organization to extend to cloud from their own premise environments.
The above named organization would be suitable for iTech Company in the case the organization
chooses to have its servers hosted on the clouds. The two organizations are scalable, accessible
and secured. Thus, iTech operations cannot be interfered with since both the organizations
provide reliable services (cloud-services, 2017).

Network simulation
iTech Network design can be simulated using cisco packet tracer software as below. This
screenshot represent devices of access layer of iTech network with DHCP, DNS and web servers
which play important roles in the network. The IP address for this access layer simulation is
130.30.1.0/24 which is a class B IP Address. The network can be simulated below.
The simulation uses personal computers (PC) as the access layer end user devices and cisco
generic switches for interfacing. The DHCP server is configured to assign IP addresses to all the
devices in the network automatically. The DNS server matches the iTech web files hosted on the
web server while the web server hosts iTech Company website and web applications. From this
simulation the PCs in the network are able to view the web files hosted on the web server in this
access network (Meena, 2017).
DHCP Configuration
To configure the DHCP server you first click on it in order to open it as shown below.

Then select the desktop option and open IP configuration window below.
Here assign the DHCP server an IP Address manually (130.30.0.2) and fill in the DNS server IP
Address on the DNS Server field. Once this is done, open the service tab on the left side of the
window and select DHCP service. Then fill all the details required which are Pool Name, Default
Gateway, DNS Server, Starting IP Address, Subnet Mask and Maximum number of users on the
pop up window as shown in the figure below.

Once the details are filled select ON option and the DHCP Server is successfully configured to
provide IP Addresses to all the other devices in the network.
DNS and Web Servers Configuration
First click on the DNS server to open it then select desktop option, IP Configuration and the
chose the DHCP option and the server will be automatically assigned the IP Address by the
DHCP Server. This can be seen below.

From the above diagram the IP Address assigned to the DNS Server in the simulation is
130.30.0.9.
Once this is done open the Web server and the do the same by selecting the desktop option, IP
Configuration and select DHCP option for dynamic IP Address assignment as shown below.
The Web server is assigned 130.30.0.7 IP Address by the DHCP Server. Once this is done click
the services tab and select HTTP service and create a web page www.itech,org,au as seen below.

Once the web page is set, click on the DNS server again and select DNS on the service panel.
This is shown below.
In this window provides the Web Server name and its IP address and click Add Button. The Web
server will be added to the list of web servers available in the network. Finally select ON to
complete the configuration process of DNS Server set up.

Dynamic Network Configuration
Any client connected is dynamically assigned IP Address by the DHCP Server. To simulate this
on clicking the client PC, open the desktop window and choose IP Configuration Tab. Then on
opening the IP configuration Window select DHCP for automatic assignment of the IP Address.
This can be demonstrated using PC1 interface below as demonstrated in cisco packet tracer.
.
The DHCP assigns PC1 connected to iTech network IP Address 130.30.0.1 as shown above.
Web Server Access (www.iTech.org.au)
To access the web server in the network click on the client’s PC in this case we are working with
PC1 as shown in the network design above. Open the Desktop Tab and select Web Browser.
Then on the opened window on the url section type www.iTech.org.au and click go to access te
web server. This is demonstrated below.

Here the client will be able to access iTech Web Server from their machines as long as there are
connected into the network.
Conclusions and Recommendations
It is therefore clear that the proposed iTech network design would be easier to manage and more
scalable than the current structure. Thus, I would recommend iTech Company to adapt the new
proposed network design for its company which is structured in three-layer hierachical model
that defines clearly various levels of iTech network and makes it easier to know which part of the
network perform which operations.

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