ICT703: Network Infrastructure Design Proposal for CAC in Brisbane

This report provides a comprehensive network infrastructure design proposal for Color Ability Corporation (CAC), an advertising company relocating to a new four-story building in Brisbane. The proposal outlines hardware requirements, recommends suitable ISP providers, and details a secure and scalable network design utilizing dynamic IP addressing and both public and private IP addresses. Key activities include project planning, network design creation, network implementation, and testing. The report also includes specifications for computing devices for each department, printer recommendations, router and switch selections (Cisco series routers, Catalyst 9400 and 9300 switches), and wireless access points (Small Business 100 Series from Cisco). A three-tier hierarchical network model is proposed to enhance performance and security. The report concludes with future plans and recommendations for CAC's network infrastructure.

Network Technology
Student Name
Institution
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Executive Summary
As result of high growth rate at Color Ability Corporate, an advertising company located in
Brisbane, the company has acquired a four storey building in which they intend to relocate to.
This project therefore provides a proposal for the design of the network infrastructure for the
new building. The report provides the requirements in terms of hardware as well as the ISP
providers that could server CAC well. The report also provide a quality network design that is
more secured and scalable for future extension if need be by implementing a dynamic IP address
technology as well as using both the public and private IP for the network. All these
requirements are given in form of activities as presented in the report.
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Table of Contents
Executive Summary...................................................................................................................................2
Introduction...............................................................................................................................................4
Problem Statement....................................................................................................................................5
Objectives...................................................................................................................................................5
Methodology..............................................................................................................................................5
Project Schedule........................................................................................................................................6
Estimated Project Budget.........................................................................................................................7
Activity 1....................................................................................................................................................7
Activity 2..................................................................................................................................................11
Activity 3..................................................................................................................................................12
Activity 4..................................................................................................................................................14
Activity 5..................................................................................................................................................15
Activity 6..................................................................................................................................................16
Activity 7..................................................................................................................................................17
Activity 8..................................................................................................................................................18
Future Plans.............................................................................................................................................19
Recommendations and Conclusion........................................................................................................19
References................................................................................................................................................20
Appendix: Subnet Calculations.................................................................................................................22
Table
Table 1: Project Schedule................................................................................................................4
Table 2: Budget Estimation.............................................................................................................5
Table 3: General Device Specifications..........................................................................................6
Table 4: Department of Graphics Production Device Specifications..............................................7
Table 5: Department of Film Production Device Specifications.....................................................8
6: Mail Server and FTP Server Specifications................................................................................8
Table 7: Brisbane ISP Providers....................................................................................................11
Table 8: Network Services.............................................................................................................12
Table 9: Requirement Table..........................................................................................................13
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Table 10: CAC Network Subnets..................................................................................................13
Table 11: IP Addresses..................................................................................................................14
Table of Figures
Figure 1: Proposed Printer...............................................................................................................9
Figure 2:cisco series router..............................................................................................................9
Figure 3:Catalyst 9400...................................................................................................................10
Figure 4:Small Business 100 Series from cisco............................................................................10
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Introduction
A proper and well-designed network greatly improves and support the business activities of any
organization that relies on network for its operations. A good network guarantees a reliable
channel for communication and sharing of Information across the organization network in a
more secure manner (Admin, 2015). This therefore means the decision on what topology should
be implemented when designing an organization network is very critical as this will determine
the efficiency of the intended network. Being an advertising network that is growing under high
rate, Color Ability Corporation popularly known as CAC current premises is not enough to
accommodate all of its employees. Therefore the company has acquired a four storey building in
Brisbane where it is intending to move its operations to. All the five departments of the CAC will
be located here and therefore there is need for a quality network design that will serve the
organization in a more effective manner.
The focus of this paper therefore is to provide a proposal on what network design should be used
keeping in mind networking and computing devices that will best suit each department. The
proposal also looks at some of the objectives that this network will meet as well as the security
issues as addressed by both public and private IP. The proposal also give out the sub networks
and their respective IP addresses.
Problem Statement
The new four storey building acquired by CAC at Brisbane currently does not have any
networking design on it. Therefore there is need for to have a proper network infrastructure that
will support CAC activities before the company moves in, in a couple of months.
Objectives
The main objective of the new network will include:
 Ensure that communication is made possible to all the organization’s employees at
different places.
 Determine the proper computing devices specifications to be used by the respective
departments.
 Provide a locally based ISP that will best serve CAC.
 Enhance resource sharing such as printers among others.
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 Ensure that the proposed network is well secured
Methodology
This project will be divided into modules or stages in which each stage will be carried out at
specific times. These stages or tasks are dependent and if carried out well, then it will guarantee
a successful implementation of the project. They include: Project Planning, Creation of design,
Network implementation and finally testing.
Project Schedule
The above named tasks will be carried with the schedule shown below.
Activity Duration (days) Start Stop
Requirements and
planning
15 5th October, 2018 19th October, 2018
Network Design 15 20th October, 2018 3rd November, 2018
Network
Implementation
30 4th November, 2018 3rd December, 2018
Network Testing 10 4th December, 2018 13th December, 2018
Network
Documentation
30 5th October, 2018 5th December, 2018
Table 1: Project Schedule
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Estimated Project Budget
Table 2: Budget Estimation
Activity 1
Department: Network Device General Specifications
Location: Brisbane
Component Recommendation
Processor Intel Core i7-7700 3.6 GHz
Memory RAM 8GB DDR4
Hard Drive 1 TB SATA
CD-ROM/DVD DVD R/W
USB Ports 4 Ports right:2 left:2
Video Card VisionTek Radeon 7750 SFF 1GB DDR3 5M VHDCI (4x DVI-D, miniDP)
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Sound Card Asus Essence STX II
Modem Internal modem 9600 bps
Operating System Windows 10 pro 64 and 32 bits
Monitor 27`` Resolution-4K, Refresh rate-120 Hz
Printer Konica Minolta Bizhub C558
Speakers HP 752794-001 Internal Speakers
Internet Connection 100 to 1000 BaseT Ethernet
Table 3: General Device Specifications
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Department: Department of Graphics Production Specifications
Location: Brisbane
Component Recommendation
Processor Intel Core i7-7700 3.6 GHz
Memory RAM-16 GB DDR4
Hard Drive 1TB HDD
CD-ROM/DVD DVD R/W
USB Ports Ports-4, right: 2, left: 2
Video Card VisionTek Radeon 7750 SFF 1GB DDR3 5M VHDCI (4x DVI-D, miniDP)
Sound Card Asus Essence STX II
Modem Internal modem 9600 bps
Operating System Windows 10 pro 64 and 32 bits
Monitor 27`` Resolution-4K, Refresh rate-120 Hz
Printer Konica Minolta Bizhub C558
Speakers HP 752794-001 Internal Speakers
Internet Connection 100 to1000 BaseT Ethernet
Table 4: Department of Graphics Production Device Specifications
Department: Department of Film Production Specifications
Location: Brisbane
Component Recommendation
Processor Intel Core i7-7700 3.6 GHz
Memory RAM-16GB DDR4
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Hard Drive 1TB HDD
CD-ROM/DVD DVD R/W
USB Ports Ports-4, right: 2, left: 2
Video Card VisionTek Radeon 7750 SFF 1GB DDR3 5M VHDCI (4x DVI-D, miniDP)
Sound Card Asus Essence STX II
Modem Internal modem 9600 bps
Operating System Windows 10 pro 64 and 32 bits
Monitor 27`` Resolution-4K, Refresh rate-120 Hz
Printer Konica Minolta Bizhub C558
Speakers HP 752794-001 Internal Speakers
Internet Connection 100 to1000 BaseT Ethernet
Table 5: Department of Film Production Device Specifications
Department: Email and FTP Server Specifications
Location: Brisbane
Component Recommendation
Processor Intel Core i7-7700 3.6 GHz
Memory RAM- 8 GB DDR 4
Hard Drive 1TB SATA
CD-ROM/DVD DVD R/W
USB Ports Ports-4, right: 2, left: 2
Video Card VisionTek Radeon 7750 SFF 1GB DDR3 5M VHDCI (4x DVI-D, miniDP)
Sound Card Asus Essence STX II
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Modem Internal Modem 9600 bps
Operating System Windows 10 pro 64 and 32 bits
Monitor 27`` Resolution-4K, Refresh rate-120 Hz
Printer Konica Minolta Bizhub C558
Speakers HP 752794-001 Internal Speakers
Internet Connection 100 to1000 BaseT Ethernet
6: Mail Server and FTP Server Specifications
Activity 2
Being an advertising company, CAC will require a quality printer that handle large number of
loads or tasks from both the employees and the manager. The printer should be able to provide
quality printouts as well as shared within the network for easy access by all the users (Chapman,
2018). With this in mind, it is therefore recommended that CAC buys a Konica Minolta Bizhub
C558 printer. This printer provides quality printouts and it can handle large printing tasks
appropriately hence making it more reliable. The printer has also the capability of being
connected and accessed by the network hence facilitating resource sharing. The printer also has a
dual scanning feature and it performs its task under very high speed hence making it the right
printer for CAC as it reduces the printing queues from the employees and the management
(Oppenheimer, 2011). The figure be low shows the proposed printer.
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Figure 1: Proposed Printer
Activity 3
There are a number of networking devices that are very essential in the successful
implementation of the CAC network at the new building. It is therefore recommended that CAC
gets the best devices which are reliable and long lasting in order to ensure that the proposed
network is stable at all times. The following devices therefore are recommended for this network.
Routers
A router is a very critical component of the computer networks as it handles all the
communications made within the network (Bird and Harwood, 2008). It is therefore
recommended that CAC uses Cisco routers of type cisco series. This type of router comes with a
number of functionalities that are very important such as virtualization, ability to block and filter
what goes out and comes into the network. The proposed router is as shown below.
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Figure 2: Cisco series router
Switches
The switch recommended for this network is cisco catalyst 9400 and catalyst 9300 switches
(Cisco, 2018). These switches will ensure that the users remain connected to the network
throughout as it is stable hence making it a reliable device.
Figure 3: Catalyst 9400
The switch is also characterized with many ports which will ensure that the company is able to
connect as many users as possible to the network. Catalyst 9400 and Catalyst 9300 are affordable
at low cost hence fitting within the CAC budget (Cisco, 2018).
Wireless access point
This device will ensure that users are able to connect their devices into the network wirelessly.
The availability of wireless network will promote the use of own devices such as smartphones,
tablets and laptops (Cisco, 2018). Therefore the recommended WAP device is Small Business
100 Series from cisco. This device is easy to configure and provides a wireless network that has
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high speed hence making it more reliable and appropriate for the CAC and its ever growing
number of employees.
Figure 4: Small Business 100 Series from cisco
In order to ensure that the above networking devices performs effectively, it is therefore
proposed that the new network be designed using three-tier hierarchical model. This model will
ensure that the network is subdivided into three layers namely access, distribution and core
layers as shown below.
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All the company’s employees from all the departments will be connected to the new network at
the access layer while the distribution layer will control and manage all the communication
within the company’s new network (Academy, 2014). The core layer will therefore connects the
Brisbane CAC network to the Sydney office as well as to the internet using the public IP
provided. With this kind of a network design, the company will be able to exploit the full
potential of the new network in terms of performance as well enhance their network security.
Three-tier network design is also one of the fault tolerant network design as it is not affected by
any failure of part of or device within the network. This design also will ensure that CAC new
network will be scalable and hence if need be the company will be able to expand it at any level.
It is also easy to monitor and control this kind of the network design hence accounting for what
goes out and comes into the network.
Activity 4
There is no network without Internet Service Providers (ISP). The ISP is what determines the
performance of the company’s network as it controls the internet’s speed. With this in mind
therefore, CAC will need to make the right choice on what ISP to use based on the monthly
charges and ISP features. The company should therefore go for a fast internet and the one that
they can be able to afford.
There are a number of ISP located in Brisbane that CAC can work with. They include;
Vodafone, Foxtel, Telstra, My Republic, among others. The table below therefore shows the
difference between the mentioned ISPs.
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Table 7: Brisbane ISP Providers
From the above table, My Republic ISP provides more features that will best suit the company at
an affordable price of 67 USD per month. This ISP will ensure that the company does not strain
in terms of costs and that the company enjoys the best internet services provided by My
Republic.
Activity 5
There are a number of services that the proposed network ought to provide in order to support
CAC on performing its marketing and advertising services. These services and devices that will
help perform them as well as why they are needed is as shown in the table below.
Service Device Justification
Management
of applications
Application
Server
Considering that CAC deals with advertising and marketing,
there is need to have an application server that ensures that
all the relevant applications are made available at all times to
the users.
Printing Print server This server will ensure that there is a clear printing order by
managing all the printing queues sent to the printers hence
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avoiding jamming the printers.
Dynamic IP
addresses
DHCP This will ensure that devices connected to the network are
given the IP addresses automatically which acts as an
interface between them and the network. With a dynamic IP
service the network will be more efficient and effective hence
allowing proper service delivery.
Email Services Mail server Communication via email is one of the CAC’s main
objective. Therefore having a mail server in place will ensure
that there is proper communication and management of
emails sent to and from the employees.
File Storage File Server The company is likely to have a lot of advertising files that
they work on and has to be accessible at all times. Therefore
having a centralized file server that stores and manages these
files will make it easy for the employees to access them as
well as improve the file storage security.
Table 8: Network Services
Activity 6
Requirement Reason and Number
Are wired connections
required?
Wired connections are very critical for this network as they will
ensure that users are connected to network as well as other
networking devices are connected with each other. There should be
approximately 90 connections in all the four floors
Are wireless
connections required
Wireless connections will guarantee more user connectivity using
smartphones, laptops, etc. there should be about 150 connections in
each WAP.
Wireless standard
The standard chosen should be more reliable and stable at all times
hence the use of 802.11ac wireless standard.
is firewall required? A firewall will protect the network from external attacks as it will
filter what comes in and what goes out of the network hence it is
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required.
ISP connectivity
Required Without an ISP there is no network hence there is need for an ISP
Type of ISP
connectivity
The connectivity from the ISP should be DSL. This provides a
stable connectivity that guarantees network availability and stability.
Internal and external
modem required?
Both the internal and external modem are necessary as they help
improve the performance of the network.
Cables require?
Cables are necessary for wired connectivity.
Battery backup
required?
Battery backups are also important as they will make it possible for
the employees to complete their tasks even during power loss as
well as protect their devices from power surge.
Table 9: Requirement Table
Activity 7
Based on the IP addresses provided to CAC by their current ISP, the company’s public IP is
suggested to be 194.32.9.0/28 while the private IP is suggested to be 192.168.0.0/24. This report
therefore proposes the new network to use 194.32.9.5 as its public IP as this IP will be used
uniquely to identify CAC network. Also on the private IP address 192.168.0.0/24 is proposed as
the best choice for the company based on the number of employees it has. This IP address will
provide a total of 254 hosts which is more than enough the company which has a total of 80
employees (John, 2014). There will be five subnets based on the company’s departments. This IP
address will also provide a room for the additional of more devices to the network hence
supporting network scalability. With this network, the company will be able to create sub nets of
30 hosts each as shown on the appendix. The table below therefore shows the subnets and their
various private IP addresses.
Subnet Network Slash First Usable Last Usable IP Broadcast
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Address Notation IP address address Address
1 194.32.9.0 /28 194.32.9.1 194.32.9.14 194.32.9.15
2 192.168.0.0 /24 192.168.0.1 192.168.0.254 192.168.0.255
Table 10: CAC Network Subnets
Device Interface IP Address Subnet Mask Default
Gateway
Brisbane Office
Main Router
194.32.9.5
(WAN Address)
192.168.0.1 255.255.255.0 194.32.9.5
Sydney Office Subnet 5 192.168.0.129 -
192.168.0.158
255.255.255.0 192.168.0.1
CAC Information Subnet 1 192.168.0.1 -
192.168.0.30
255.255.255.0 192.168.0.1
Graphics
Production
Department
Subnet 2 192.168.0.33 -
192.168.0.62
255.255.255.0 192.168.0.1
Film Production
Department
Subnet 3 192.168.0.65 -
192.168.0.94
255.255.255.0 192.168.0.1
Servers and
Printers
Subnet 4 192.168.0.97 -
192.168.0.126
255.255.255.0 192.168.0.1
End User
Devices
DHCP 192.168.0.20-
192.168.0.254
255.255.255.0 192.168.0.1
Table 11: IP Addresses
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Activity 8
In order to improve the network security, it is recommended that the network uses both the
public IP address and the private IP address together (IP Location, 2018). The public IP address
will be used to protect the private IP from being accessed externally hence compromising the
network (Mercer, 2018). The private IP therefore is shielded by the public IP and this ensures
that network remains secure at all times by not allowing unauthorized persons from tracing the
private IP (Cisco, 2018). The use of these two IP technologies will guarantee CAC data security
by blocking external attackers from sending any malicious information that could interfere with
the operations of the CAC network.
Future Plans
With the new design for the new building, CAC is relieved of worries and costs that would have
been incurred if the number of employees grows further. The proposed network will be designed
in such a way that it can be expand to accommodate the increasing number of employees without
having to interfere with the operations of the entire network. Therefore the company’s future
growth in terms of employees will be well taken care of in this new setup.
Recommendations and Conclusion
It is therefore recommended that the company implements the above outlined features for the
new network. Putting in mind the different needs of the computer devices for each departments
and also the security issues highlighted with the use of both public and private IP addresses.
In conclusion therefore, it is evident that the proposed network system for the new Brisbane
office will guarantee maximum performance as well as network availability and stability at all
times thus promoting and supporting CAC business operations.
References
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Academy Connecting Networks Companion Guide: Hierarchical Network Design. [online]
Ciscopress.com. Available at: http://www.ciscopress.com/articles/article.asp?
p=2202410&seqNum=4 [Accessed 3 Oct. 2018].
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Admin (2015). Computer Network Components | Cloud, Networking & Data Analytics. [online]
Cloud, Computer Networking & Data Analytics. Available at:
http://cloudcomputingnet.com/computer-network-components [Accessed 22 Sep. 2018].
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https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/Specs-Explained-Video-Card-463/ [Accessed
22 Sep. 2018].
Bird, D. and Harwood, M. (2008). Networking Components and Devices | Introduction | Pearson
IT Certification. [online] Pearsonitcertification.com. Available at:
http://www.pearsonitcertification.com/articles/article.aspx?p=30191 [Accessed 22 Sep.
2018].
Chapman, S. (2018). Different Types of Computer Speakers | Techwalla.com. [online]
Techwalla. Available at: https://www.techwalla.com/articles/different-types-of-computer-
speakers [Accessed 22 Sep. 2018].
Cisco (2018). Best Small Business Routers - Cisco. [online] Cisco. Available at:
https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/solutions/small-business/routers.html [Accessed 22 Sep.
2018].
Cisco (2018). Cisco IT Best Practices. Cisco IP addressing Policy. [ebook] Cisco, pp.5-10.
Available at:
https://www.cisco.com/c/dam/en_us/about/ciscoitatwork/downloads/ciscoitatwork/pdf/
Cisco_IT_IP_Addressing_Best_Practices.pdf [Accessed 22 Sep. 2018].
Cisco (2018). Cisco Small Business 300 Series Wireless Access Points. [online] Cisco. Available
at: https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/wireless/small-business-300-series-wireless-
access-points/index.html [Accessed 22 Sep. 2018].
Hoffman, T. (2015). HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdw. [online] PCMAG. Available at:
https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2496626,00.asp [Accessed 22 Sep. 2018].
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IP Location (2018). What is the difference between public and private IP address?. [online]
Iplocation.net. Available at: https://www.iplocation.net/public-vs-private-ip-address
[Accessed 3 Oct. 2018].
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Learningnetwork.cisco.com. Available at: https://learningnetwork.cisco.com/thread/65794
[Accessed 22 Sep. 2018].
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[online] Smallbusiness.chron.com. Available at:
https://smallbusiness.chron.com/advantages-disadvantages-using-private-ip-address-space-
46424.html [Accessed 22 Sep. 2018].
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https://www.lifewire.com/192-168-1-0-818388 [Accessed 22 Sep. 2018].
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Appendix: Subnet Calculations
Address: 192.168.0.0 11000000.10101000.00000000 .00000000
Netmask: 255.255.255.0 = 24 11111111.11111111.11111111 .00000000
Wildcard: 0.0.0.255 00000000.00000000.00000000 .11111111
=>
Network: 192.168.0.0/24 11000000.10101000.00000000 .00000000
Broadcast: 192.168.0.255 11000000.10101000.00000000 .11111111
HostMin: 192.168.0.1 11000000.10101000.00000000 .00000001
HostMax: 192.168.0.254 11000000.10101000.00000000 .11111110
Hosts/Net: 254
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Subnets
Netmask: 255.255.255.224 = 27 11111111.11111111.11111111.111 00000
Wildcard: 0.0.0.31 00000000.00000000.00000000.000 11111
Network: 192.168.0.0/27 11000000.10101000.00000000.000 00000
Broadcast: 192.168.0.31 11000000.10101000.00000000.000 11111
HostMin: 192.168.0.1 11000000.10101000.00000000.000 00001
HostMax: 192.168.0.30 11000000.10101000.00000000.000 11110
Hosts/Net: 30
Network: 192.168.0.32/27 11000000.10101000.00000000.001 00000
Broadcast: 192.168.0.63 11000000.10101000.00000000.001 11111
HostMin: 192.168.0.33 11000000.10101000.00000000.001 00001
HostMax: 192.168.0.62 11000000.10101000.00000000.001 11110
Hosts/Net: 30
Network: 192.168.0.64/27 11000000.10101000.00000000.010 00000
Broadcast: 192.168.0.95 11000000.10101000.00000000.010 11111
HostMin: 192.168.0.65 11000000.10101000.00000000.010 00001
HostMax: 192.168.0.94 11000000.10101000.00000000.010 11110
Hosts/Net: 30
Network: 192.168.0.96/27 11000000.10101000.00000000.011 00000
Broadcast: 192.168.0.127 11000000.10101000.00000000.011 11111
HostMin: 192.168.0.97 11000000.10101000.00000000.011 00001
HostMax: 192.168.0.126 11000000.10101000.00000000.011 11110
Hosts/Net: 30
Network: 192.168.0.128/27 11000000.10101000.00000000.100 00000
Broadcast: 192.168.0.159 11000000.10101000.00000000.100 11111
HostMin: 192.168.0.129 11000000.10101000.00000000.100 00001
HostMax: 192.168.0.158 11000000.10101000.00000000.100 11110
Hosts/Net: 30
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