UMUC Network Design: Proposal on Topology, Security & Addressing

This network design proposal outlines the infrastructure for a leased UMUC building, encompassing classrooms, computer labs, administrative offices, and a library. A hybrid network topology, combining bus and star configurations, is proposed to optimize reliability, scalability, and flexibility. Fiber optic cables are recommended for network media to ensure high bandwidth and security, particularly in sensitive areas like admissions and computer labs. The proposal details necessary networking and internetworking hardware, including switches, routers, and firewalls, emphasizing security measures like VPNs and web filtering. An appropriate wide area network (WAN) design is suggested for remote connectivity, leveraging ISDN and PSTN for cost-effectiveness. The document concludes by emphasizing network security devices and strategies to protect data through monitoring, encryption, and the implementation of firewalls and VPNs to ensure the protection of students' and employees' data.

Running head: NETWORK DESIGN PROPOSAL PART 1 1
Network Design Proposal Part 1
Prince Peprah
University title

NETWORK DESIGN PROPOSAL PART 1
Network Design Proposal
Introduction
The leased building of the school (UMUC) contains classrooms, computer labs,
administrative offices and a library which forms the main components of the building. For
each component, a separate network is required which needs the development of a subnet.
Although there is much room for improvement, the minimum bandwidth required for internet
connection must be 40 Mbps.
Network Topology
A network topology is a layout of the network. That is how network devices are
connected physically and the way data between these devices flow within the network. In this
newly leased building, two network topologies are applicable. These are the bus network
topology and the star network topology. The bus topology will be mainly laid in the building
where the main network cable from which the computers and other network devices like in
the in the library will branch and it will run throughout the building. This bus network layout
will also be the central point from where admissions office and computer labs networks will
branch from and which is connected to servers in the server rooms. This central wire forming
the bus networking will terminate at the server room. From each of the main systems in the
bus topology, branches will be extended from them which will represent the star topology. As
a result, a hybrid topology will be made.
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Figure 1: Hybrid topology adoption
The hybrid network topology involves attaching multiple devices or hosts to a
common or central device by use of a point-to-point connection and then connecting the main
application through a straight line connection. In this topology, data will have to go through
the central point of connection and then proceed to the final intended destination. The
common point of connection that is the switch, hub or the concentrator acts as the controller
of the network functions and that can perform the functions of a repeater for the network data
flow.
The main advantage of the hybrid network topology is the reliability in processing.
This type of network can be easily analyzed and its troubleshooting can be easily done. The
fault related part which is identified can be easily changed. In addition, the scalability is
another requirement of this type of topology which can help in adding newer components to
the existing architecture. Moreover, the flexibility of operations is another benefit of this type
of topology. Lastly, the effectiveness of this topology is another benefit which helps in
maintaining the connection among the system if one network goes down.
However, there are various other disadvantages in the use of hybrid network topology.
The first is the complexity in designing the system. The school architecture must first analyze
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NETWORK DESIGN PROPOSAL PART 1
their components and make the designs effectively. Another benefit is the cost of the
infrastructure which is very high as opposed to the other types of topologies.
Network Media
The network media involves the cables and connectors used in the network. A cable
that permits electrical signal to be transmitted through is referred to as network media. One of
the medium for transmission is the fiber optic cables which are usually made by a number of
fiber bundles. They are then surrounded by a protective coating and provide a high amount of
signal bandwidth. Moreover, the transmission loss is also very low. Fiber optic cables are the
most appropriate one to be used in this new network in order to ensure the internet connection
speed is met as required of any effective network. However, there is a wide range of network
media transmission choices that can be addressed into the network which also includes the
twisted pair cables and the coaxial cables. In case of the twisted wire cables, two conductive
wires are twisted for better electromagnetic propagation. Similarly, the coaxial cables are
made up of lower sheath covering and a outer sheath covering which are used to reduce
interference and crosstalk. These cables require connectors to be used as connection terminal
points between the computer systems and the network devices.
The reason for using fiber optic is because the cable allows for expandability when it
comes to adjusting the size of the network and it is secure hence making it appropriate to use
in the admissions office and computer lab segments where security of data is paramount. The
use of fiber optical cables is mainly adopted due to its invulnerable nature to electromagnetic
interference [2]. Since UMUC is an institution with the reputation of being one of the best
schools in regard to cybersecurity, it should, therefore, set up a network that ensures the
protection of students' and employees' data.
The proposed cables for the new network are the fiber optic cables. Specifically, the
multimode graded optic fiber will be used for the network setup. This is mainly because they
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meet the necessary requirements in bandwidth [3]. Another method is to identify the
requirements of the network by considering the Cat5 cables opposed to Cat6. The Cat5 cables
are reliable in prices and bandwidth requirements mainly due to the fact that they provide 1
GBPS speed. Their standard price ranges from 0.2$-0.3$ per foot. However, the Cat6 cables
provide 100 GBPS speed and the cost ranges from 0.4$-0.6$.
The use of the optic fiber cables is to be involved in addition to the 100 BASEFL
switch. Other than this, the fiber cables can also be connected using patch cords to the
infrastructure.
Networking and Internetworking Hardware
The computer lab established requires a network setting that will be used for learning
and an environment for working. In the administration offices, star topology will be set up the
subnetwork and it will consist of server, switch, and router to ensure proper functioning of
the network. In the classrooms, a hybrid topology is used to set up the subnetwork and the
devices to be used include a server, switch and a router. A server is used to store or collect
data from the network. It is also comprised o various files connected to the network. A switch
is a connecting device and a router is used for routing purposes. A Wi-Fi router is required to
set up the Wi-Fi network.
The hardware (network devices) used in setting up the network are switches, wireless
routers and bridges. The switches are used to connect the circuit while a router is used for
wireless connectivity. A bridge is used to connect one LAN network to another. In addition, a
hub is used which acts as a central connection point in the network. Hubs are used for data
dissemination within the given topology while bridges are used for connecting purposes. A
firewall is used in the network which will help in filtering the network traffic. The hub will be
made up of 8 ports for the network. The switch will also be used to serve the same purpose of
the bridge but it is more advanced since it includes bandwidth latency. Bandwidth latency is
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defined as the level of lag present in the network. For a typical connection, a lag less than 100
is efficient. It also consists of a port configuration feature where a port can be used to
represent an access port, trunk port or VLAN port.
The use of the wireless router will mainly provide wireless functions that will enable
the amount of flexibility in the network connection. For security in connection, wireless
routers require a calculated strategic planning. The segments of the wireless access networks
will be set up in the library and in the computer labs. In each classroom with computers, a
training server rack will be set up for connecting into the network. These servers have the
capability of operating independently due to the ability to configure the topology.
Figure 2: Server rack
The proposed network devices that will be needed to set up the network include
wireless routers and switches. It will be followed by checking the security of the network by
adopting various security based applications which helps in canning the vulnerabilities of a
network. On each server rack in the networked classrooms, a 48-port switch is to be set up
while servers that are able to handle data sharing, as well as cloud computing, are to be set in
the server rooms. The servers must have good processing time for addressing to the needs of
the school network.
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NETWORK DESIGN PROPOSAL PART 1
The business model of the school network will consist of a central hub network which
will be used for connecting to the various classrooms and departments in a line topology.
After this point, servers will be connected with ports for supporting the devices in the classes.
As a result, an effective topology will be adopted.
Appropriate Wide Area Network Design
A wide area network is a communication network which is used for connecting in a
geographically large area. For this network, the use of WAN techniques will be adopted for
remote connectivity. This will be achieved by using ISDN type WAN where the
communication is achieved by connecting through the PSTN (public switch telephone
network). When the number of the remote locations is limited, WAN can be designed in a
hub-spoke type of a topology. In this design, the hub is the data center and the spokes are
directly connected to the data center. This scale applies when there is only a single
headquarter and a single but remote branch.
When the network is extremely large, that is the geographical location is very wide,
the WAN is buffered by use of a distribution layer in regard to the regional site aggression
per location. Hub is used as the datacenter which requires uninterruptible power supply, high
quality internet pipes and a cooling system.
The appropriate WAN design for the network will be the one used in connecting large
area networks because the cost of the bandwidth circuit is lower as compared to that of
network settings found in offices. For this reason, the use of PSTN will be enabled. This will
help in connectivity among large regions for the transmission of digital media like audio or
video. This is mainly utilized in the integration of the ISDN (Integrated Service Digital
Network).
Network Security Devices
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NETWORK DESIGN PROPOSAL PART 1
When establishing any modern network, more emphasis must be put on security on
devices. Data protection is essential through monitoring and encrypting of data which are to
be provided in network devices at different network levels. Various security based
applications are in place that has been developed with the aim of offering protection to
computer networks. They perform countless security functions like web filtering (protecting
the resources from unwanted traffic), Virtual Private Network (extending a private network
across a public network for sending and receiving resources securely) and also firewall
protection (for protecting the system against malicious attacks). A VPN network is used to
enable a secured access to the local network in a wireless manner which enhances remote
access by the administrative staff. A firewall can either be setup either at the switch level or
in the operating system to offer restriction to access internet resources like some websites.
Web filters can perform very similar to the firewall. However, they are more specific in
restricting web services as they block access to these resources which the firewall does not
recognize.
For this network, a network security application will be installed. The VPNs will help
the network in remote access so that the administrators can access the network remotely. In
addition, a firewall will be used such that any malicious content is not found in the system.
The web filtering will be used in the main devices such that the students will not be able to
access specific types of websites like entertainment websites or social media websites.
Computer System Hardware
Due to technological advancement in this era, organizations are finding it as a basic
requirement to make use of computer systems in their daily operations and also connect to a
network. These systems enable smooth communication in any organization that wants to keep
a close touch with clients, student or workers [5]. Some of the computer systems may include
servers, desktops, smartphones, and laptops.
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NETWORK DESIGN PROPOSAL PART 1
A server is a type of computer whose major function is to distribute resources or work
to the clients in the given networks. These clients can be other computers connected to the
network. A desktop is the type of personal computer that is used by network users to process
data. In the administration offices, there will be implemented desktops that have sufficient
processing power and networking functionality to ensure the operations of the office are
effectively done. For ensuring the presence of a secure standard file sharing policy, data will
only be transmitted through the cloud from the desktops in the administration offices and not
through any physical media.
The proposed computer system components are keyboards, monitors, speakers,
printers, mouse, and servers. All these will be used in creating and setting up a computer
system that will be used by the staff and the students. Printers will mainly be set at computer
labs and library and the server is located at an in the server room. The system hardware will
be used for normal functioning of the system. The devices used for students will be used for
normal tuition based classes while the staffs will be able to look for more specific options like
class listings (description of classes for each standards in the school), network administration
(handling the network traffic).
Proposed Project Budget This indicates the prices of various components used in
setting up the network.
Component Price
(Estimate) in $
per component
Number of
components
Cost Total Cost
Fiber Optic
Cable [9]
11.99$/10ft 2000 ft 2398$ 11,275.79$
Ethernet
Switch [10]
17.99$ 5 89.95$
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NETWORK DESIGN PROPOSAL PART 1
USB Hub [7] 7.99$ 10 79.9$
Router
(Wireless) [8]
27.99$ 3 (one for each
floor)
83.97$
Printer [6] 99.99$ 3 299.97$
Desktop [5] 166.48$ 50 8324$
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References
[1] R. Belles, S. Gorka and J. Miller, “Flexible network topologies for you computing
lab: VLAN and Router technology at work in the classroom”, Journal of Computing Science
in College, vol. 17, no. 3, pp. 53- 59, 2002.
[2] “Fiber Optic Tutorial: Single Mode, Multimode, Attenuation, Cladding, L-com”,
L-com Global Connectivity,2016.[Online]Available:
http://www.l-com.com/content/Article.aspx?Type=L&ID=207.
[3] F.W.B.T.C. Rouges, “Casual designs” in New York design, NY. New York,
Welly, 1998, pp.34-56.
[4] E.H.D. Harper and A.F. Wherret, “network topologies for businesses,” in
Nonlinear Optics, vol. 6, NY, New York, Academic, 2000.
[5] Amazon.com, 2018. [Online]. Available: https://www.amazon.com/Desktop-Core-
Duo-2-6GHz-Refurbished/dp/B01ATX3PBS/ref=sr_1_17?
s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1523529508&sr=1-17&keywords=desktop.
[6] Amazon.com, 2018. [Online]. Available: https://www.amazon.com/HP-OfficeJet-
Wireless-Printer-M2U75A/dp/B07997C366/ref=sr_1_4?
s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1523529792&sr=1-4&keywords=printer
[7] Amazon.com, 2018. [Online]. Available: https://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-4-
Port-Individual-Switches-HB-UM43/dp/B00JX1ZS5O/ref=sr_1_4?
s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1523530080&sr=1-4&keywords=usb+hub
[8] Amazon.com, 2018. [Online]. Available: https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-
Wireless-Router-450Mbps-TL-WR940N/dp/B003Y5RYNY/ref=sr_1_4?
s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1523530165&sr=1-4&keywords=wireless+router
[9] Amazon.com, 2018. [Online]. Available: https://www.amazon.com/KabelDirekt-
Optical-Digital-Theater-Playstation/dp/B00DI89X7M
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NETWORK DESIGN PROPOSAL PART 1
[10] Amazon.com, 2018. [Online]. Available: https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-TL-
SG1008D-Unmanaged-Gigabit-Network/dp/B001EVGIYG/ref=sr_1_6?
s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1523530395&sr=1-6&keywords=ethernet+switch
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