Comprehensive Network Design and Infrastructure Report for iTech

This report provides a comprehensive network design for iTech Company, a software development firm with 900 computers across three buildings. The design addresses current network challenges and aims to improve scalability, service effectiveness, and security. The report details IT infrastructure components, including switches, firewalls, and servers. It proposes a three-layer hierarchical network model for improved management and scalability. Furthermore, the report explores both dedicated server and cloud-based design options, including Navisite and VMware Cloud Foundation, and presents a logical design for dedicated servers. It also addresses the geographical scope of the network and includes a network simulation component. The report concludes with recommendations and conclusions for iTech's network implementation.

Topic: IT Infrastructure
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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
a) Navisite..........................................................................................................................................14
b) VMware Cloud Foundation...........................................................................................................14
Network simulation...................................................................................................................................16
Recommendations and Conclusions..........................................................................................................23
Reference...................................................................................................................................................24

Introduction
Computer network is the interconnection of computing devices such as data, printers, servers for
communication and of sharing resources (Mitchell, 2017) in an organization. There are many
designs or topology related to organizational computer networking like iTech Company. This
document therefore, gives a network design for iTech Company that ought to be implemented
either using dedicated server or cloud hosting approach for better services for the organization.
Project Objective
The proposed network design project is focused on achieving certain objectives that are very
important for tiTech organisation in dispensing its functions more efficiently and effectively
contrary to the current situation (Coleman, 2012). The main objectives for this project are:
Scalability
This involve enhancement of accommodation of additional network devices without affecting the
structure of the set up network design.
Effective services
The new project is aimed at ensuring that iTech company is able to conduct is functions
effectively without encountering network failures or delays as a result of network inefficiency.
iTech Network Security
The proposed network design should provide a secure environment for all the operations and
functions of iTech Company. The network also should be secure in order to avoid external or
internal attacks towards the company IT infrastructure
Easy troubleshooting and management
The proposed design should be easy to manage and also troubleshoot in case of any problem.
The network design should provide clear monitoring techniques across all the networks of iTech
Company.
This report covers a number of tissues related to the proposed design. These are; analysis of the
IT infrastructure components need, three-layered hierarchical network model design, dedicated
server design, cloud-based network design and DCB network simulation using cisco packet
tracer. Recommendations and conclusions are also provided in this report.
About of iTech Company
This is a software development related company being located between three adjacent five-story
buildings in an office park. The company currently has 900-computers in its network with each
building approximately having about 300 computers. The three adjacent buildings of ITech
Company have similar Local Area Network with Data Center Buildng (DCB) located on the
second floor of one of the buildings. The data center provides services such as web services and
emailing as well as dynamic IP addresses, DNS and file sharing services to iTech employees.

iTech domain name is www.iTech.org.au. And the company is currently experiencing challenges
as a result of its poorly designed network.
IT Infrastructure Components
These are various hardware, software as well as facilities required for development, testing,
monitoring and control of computer network in an organisation (Rush, 2017). 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 hardware device provides connectivity of devices on a Local Area Network (LAN).
(Mitchell, 2017). In the case of iTech Company modular switches will be more appropriate as
they enhance scalability since the number of ports can be increased in the case of additional
device to the network.
b) Firewall
This is a security device that will be placed in the network and it filters what comes in and what
goes out of iTech Network thus protecting the company from attacks or unautorised persons.
c) 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.
d) 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.
e) Data center
This is where all the iTech Company servers will be located for access and storage of
information by iTech employees or clients.
f) 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.

g) 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.
Software Components
These are server operating systems, Network Operating System (NOS) and some directory
software which are essential in managing resources shared across the iTech Network (Mbaocha,
2012).

Three-Layer Hierarchical Model
This model breaks down organization network into three layers. With each layer performing
specific functions in simplifying the network design thus making it scalable and manageable
(CISCO, 2014). These layers are;
Access layer which provides direct end user connection to the rest of the network.
Distribution layer which connects devices at access layer enabling connectivity of access layer to
network services
Core layers. This connects distribution layers’ devices to large Network in the organization.
This model is diagrammatically represented below.
Therefore, if the proposed network design for iTech Company is implemented using this
approach it will make it easy for iTech Company to manage the whole network as well as
enhance extensibility of their network in future. The company will be able to manage the big
number of workstations in its buildings as well as improve service delivery speed.
Current iTech Infrastructure
The current network design is not well organized. The network can be said to have a Flat
network model in place which treats iTech networks to be on the same level. This makes it
harder to manage iTech network and also perform its operations effectively. The current poorly
designed network at iTech Company cannot be extended effectively without affecting the whole
network operations. The network is difficult to trouble shoot considering there is no clear
structure of the design and this make it more vulnerable to problems. The network can be said to
be of this model.

Future iTech Infrastructure
The intended future design is based on three-layer hierarchical design model. This network will
highlight each component represented in each layer of the iTech Network. With the proposed
design iTech network will be more simplified, flexible, scalable, and made easy to troubleshoot
and manage (Cisco, 2013). The block structure of the future network will take the following
structure.

Geographical scope of the network
Considering the location of iTech Company buildings and structure, the geographical scope
requirement for this network design project would be many-to-many. This means that in many-
to-many geographical scope, Devices in the network and iTech LANs will be interconnected
with respect to hierarchical model discussed. This is discussed in details 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 layer 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 layer provides 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 services occurs. Differentiation of services is done where various services
are grouped into classes at the edge of the whole network design. This, enhance high availability
of the core services to the access layer end user devices.
Core Layer
This layer consists of hardware devices such as routers which enables network functions such as
routing in order for these devices to be able to access both the external and internal network. The
data Center is also part of the core layer as it provides services to access layer devices. This layer

joins distribution layer switches which interfaces access devices to the rest of iTech Network.
The layer enables scalability, services access, availability and high speed operations.
The geographical scope of the iTech Company network design can be represented in the diagram
below as per the three-layer hierarchical model discussed.

iTech Network Scalability
the proposed network design is grouped into modules which will enable iTech Company to
replicate various network components and functionalities as the network expands. This will
make the iTech Network able to conduct future network expansion more easily. This can be
done by introduction of more distribution layer switches to accommodate more access layer end
users or addition of more core layer devices 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;
a) Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) Server
This server automatically assigns IP addresses and default gateways to other devices connected
to the network (Rouse, File Server, 2009). .
b) Mail Server
This application manages transfer of emails between workstations within www.iTech.org.au
domain.
c) Web Server
Provides http services to the user’s requests resulting from calling of a web page file hosted in
this server. iTech domain name www.iTech.org.au will be hosted here and accessed by its
employees or clients.
d) DNS Server
This server matches the domain names with their associated IP addresses within the iTech
network. It processes requests from the users and locate the response using the IP address of the
respective users.
Logical Design for dedicated server design
The logical design for the dedicated server design for iTech network can be represented in the
diagram below.

Servers are hosted on the iTech Data Center. All the requests from the workstations in each
building are being processed at the data center where all the servers are located.
IP addresses and Network Mask
Class B of IP address scheme would be appropriate for the proposed network design at iTech
Company. This IP Addrssing Scheme should cataer for about 1500 network devices in this
network with each iTech building approximately 500 users. The range of the IP address should
cater for additional device into the network. The table below shows the proposed IP addressing
Scheme to be used by iTech Company.
Table a: IP addressing details
IP
Address
Block
IP Class Network
Address
Subnet Mask Subnet
Bits
Host
Bits
Number
of
Subnets
Host per
subnet
192.30.0.0 B 192.30.0.0 255.255.255.
0
21 11 32 2046
Table b: IP Addressing for iTech Buildings
Data Center/Server
Room
Network Users (Access
Layer)