Network Design: Firewall, Cisco and Netgear Switch Placement Analysis

This assignment addresses network design considerations, specifically focusing on the strategic placement of a firewall, Cisco switches, and Netgear switches within a network topology. The solution explains the rationale behind placing the firewall between the router and switches to leverage the router's traffic handling capabilities, thereby reducing the load on the firewall. It also details the positioning of Cisco switches at the top of the topology for routing features, with Netgear switches connected to them for device distribution and connection. The solution justifies the use of series connectivity between switches to optimize router interface usage and reduce the number of required router ports. Furthermore, it clarifies which devices should connect to each switch, explaining the roles of Cisco switches for servers and routers and Netgear switches for end-user devices. The assignment emphasizes the importance of switch ports in defining collision domains and ensuring efficient data transmission.

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS
1. On your design determine the best location of your Firewall. Explain why
you chose this location and list the main advantages/ Disadvantages of
this location
The location of a Firewall is based on the requirements of the network design
topologies. The main requirements are the addressing of the external as well as
the internal threats for the chosen design a layer3 device is chosen with various
interfaces to work with other subnets. The main aim for such placements is the
connection among the pre-existing subnets. The main placement of the Firewall
is in the order internet, router, Firewall, and Switches
This is the main chosen design for the placement of the Firewall this is mainly
used for redundancy in the system. The main redundancy in the system applies
to more traffic handling in the system so that traffic can be filtered effectively.
The routers are more efficient than handling the traffic related portions of a
network. As a router is mainly concerned with the handling of traffic, it provides
a much better option for handling it first and then passing it through a firewall.
This in turn reduces the pressure on the Firewall. The main advantages of this
specification are the use of the advance routing features like virtual private
network setup, port forwarding or even remote management.
In case the network needs to facilitate the WAN interface with the use of IPv4
and IPv6 the use of this design is more preferred. In addition, other advantages
are the inspection of the IP packets as well as the non-packets
The main disadvantage of the firewall in this position is that a firewall cannot be used for
routing purposes. A Firewall is capable of handling the traffic related purposes
for the network but its main purpose lies in filtering of the IP packets.

2. On your design determine the best location of the Cisco 3 Switches.
Explain why you chose this Location for the Cisco Switches and why you
would not put the Net Gear Switches here
Switches are used to connect all the devices present in a network. This is mainly
done for sharing the information among the other devices present in a network.
The location use for the network is the access point on the connection. One of
the Cisco switch followed by two other switches to avoid the presence of
interconnections among each other. The cisco switches are placed on the top
position in the topology. This is mainly done to get the routing features in the
network. In addition, the other net gear switches are placed in close connections
to the Cisco router. They are only responsible for distribution and connection of
desktop views. As the Cisco router is much expensive and effective than the net
gear switches, the design is used to provide reliability to the network. In addition
this position in the design is also chosen so that the routers and the switches are
close to each other
The Net Gear switches are not to be placed in the position of the Cisco switching.
The main reasons for such referencing are because of the presence of less
routing features in comparison to the Cisco switches. In addition, the layer 3
Firewall will be poor and the network will not be of much use. In addition, these
switches are generally not robust as compared to the Cisco switches
3. On your design determine the best location of the Net gear switches.
Explain why you chose this location for the Net gear switches and explain
why you would not put the cisco switches here. As well technical
consideration, you can consider all reason such as cost port numbers etc.
The chosen place for the Net gear switch is the lower levels from the Cisco
switches. This is usually done to get switching access to those devices. As the
routing mechanisms of the Cisco switches are far greater than the Net Gear
switches the placement in this portion is favoured in addition the cisco switches
are not used for this portion due to the waste of computational power of the
Cisco switches
The main advantages of the switches in this design concept are the
segmentation of the various devices so that the traffic does not associate with
each other this is also used to adopt the process of association among the
devices for their smooth working. The main requirements of the network include
the installation of a 19 -inch ELA standard gear. In addition, the power source
that was used for the simulation included 100-240V AC connectivity, 50-60 Hz.
The accessibility features are achieved by setting the switches close to all the RJ-
45 ports. The switches should also let various clients associate with the devices
by using the LAN wires. for general placements of the network the devices must
be placed in certain placed to avoid temperature related problems
4. Will you connect all switches together? Explain why or why not?
The switches will be made to connect with each other. The basic idea of this
topology is the achievement of series connectivity. Series connectivity can be
achieved when the switches are connected by only one single line. However, in
parallel connection, the interface is divided and switches are connected with
each separate connection. The switches can be connected in series mode or in

parallel mode. In case of parallel operations the requirements for two router
interfaces are needed. In addition, two LAN addressing are required for this
connection
This is the reason for a series connection. As The number of interface for the
router needed is one the efficient used is achieved by this connection. Moreover,
the number of parts on the router needed for facilitating connectivity is also
reduced
This is the main reason for this type of connections in the network. In addition,
the switches are placed in such a way to provide the router the ability to route
the data. The switch ports define the collision domains inside the network. The
main working includes the transmission of the data in a single and preferred
direction. This done to provide the advantages over the Ethernet networks
without the presence of nay switches. In cases of un-switches Ethernet networks,
the data to be sent to a single destination reaches the entire device that the
data encounters in its path through the network
5. Which device must connect to which switch? Explain Why
The various servers and the routers are connected to the main Cisco switches.
This is mainly done because this router is more than capable for handling the
routing purposes. The end devices like the desktop devices are connected to the
net gear switches. This switch is less effective as compared to the Cisco switch
and is mainly used for connection and purposes.
As the switches have a general reliance to the MAC address of the devices it
helps in the correct passage of the data these devices. This is usually done in
case of the level 2 architecture of the OSI layer. The level3 devices need the
presence of certain considerations to locate the bits present in the IP address.
The switch ports define the collision domains inside the network. The main
working includes the transmission of the data in a single and preferred direction.
The next step includes the connection of two other switches. These are used to
connect the other devices.