University Research Network Design Report - Electrical Engineering

This report analyzes different networking tools and technologies to determine the best option for network configuration. It compares Microsoft Visio and Cisco Packet Tracer, evaluating their capabilities for network design and simulation. The report highlights Visio's graphical layout design and its limitations, such as platform dependency and lack of configuration capabilities. It then focuses on Packet Tracer, detailing its user-friendly interface, configuration options using GUI or CLI commands, and its utility in developing network prototypes and testing functionalities. The report also mentions Packet Tracer's disadvantages, such as the complexity in configuring non-broadcasting networks and fixed reference bandwidths. Ultimately, the report concludes that Cisco Packet Tracer is the optimal tool for designing a network solution due to its portability and its ability to align with current business needs. The report includes figures illustrating the interfaces of both Visio and Packet Tracer, along with references to supporting literature.

Running head: RESEARCH NETWORK DESIGN
Assessment Item 3
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author’s Note

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RESEARCH NETWORK DESIGN
Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
Aims and Objectives..............................................................................................................2
Discussion for the application of network designing methodology...........................................2
Packet Tracer..............................................................................................................................3
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................4
References..................................................................................................................................6

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Introduction
The main purpose of the report is to compare different networking tools and
technologies and the select the best option for proceeding with the network configuration
mentioned in the next assignment. A research has been made on the different networking
platforms for the management of the network devices and configuring them according to the
needs.
Aims and Objectives
The aims and objectives of the report are lasted as follows:
 To deploy different networking devices and connect them with each other
 To configure the networking device according the requirement
 To configure static routes between the routers
 To configure the servers according to the business policy
Discussion for the application of network designing methodology
Microsoft VISIO can be used for designing the physical or the logical layout of the
network. It is a good choice off the network designer because all the networking devices are
available in readymade templates and it can be modified for the creation of the network
topology plan. It is a paid software and can be shared with the development team using the
Microsoft sharepoint for discussing the network plan with the development team (Pradhan,
2017). The following screenshot shows the different network topology that can be used for
designing the network plan. It provides an all in one solution for the creation of network
design plan or flow chart required in the IT industry.

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Figure 1: Interface of Microsoft Visio
The following are the some identified disadvantages of Microsoft Visio since it is not
applicable for creation of the network plan –
 It only provides a graphical view of the network devices and it cannot be configured
 It is platform dependent and works only on windows platform (Liu et al., 2015)
 There are different similar network designing tools that can be used as a replacement
of Microsoft visio.
Packet Tracer
The packet tracer is a network simulating tool developed by CISCO used for
configuring different types of network. The interface of the packet tracer is simple and easy
to use and it can be used for configuration of the network devices either using the GUI or the
CLI commands (Montero & Manzano, 2017). It is used by the network administrator for
development of a prototype of the network and testing the different functionality of the
network. Real time data can be transferred from different nodes and the time taken is
analysed for application of different protocols for controlling the data flow in the network.

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Figure 2: Interface of Packet Tracer 7.1
Apart from several advantages cisco packet tracer also have its disadvantages and are given
below:
 The configuration of non-broadcasting network in packet tracer is a complex
task because there are no available command for it (Tan, 2014).
 The reference bandwidth for connecting the nodes are fixed
 It does not support OSPF packets for debugging
Conclusion
After analysing different networking tool is found that the cisco packet tracer would
be the best option to be implemented for designing the network solution. This is because of

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its portability and it can be used for configuring the network by aligning the current needs of
the business.

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References
Liu, X. H., Yan, H. O., He, H., Ma, L., Cheng, Y., Li, J. H., ... & Li, N. (2015). The
Theoretical Line Loss Calculation Software of Graphical Distribution Network Based
on the Secondary Development of Visio. In Advanced Materials Research (Vol. 1070,
pp. 835-838). Trans Tech Publications.
Montero, Á. M., & Manzano, D. R. (2017). Design and Deployment of Hands-on Network
Lab Experiments for Computer Science Engineers. International Journal of
Engineering Education (IJEE).
Pradhan, R. N. (2017). Network Performance Analysis in Wireless Mesh Networks (Doctoral
dissertation, Texas A&M University-Kingsville).
Tan, C. S. (2014). Network simulator test engine for Huawei eNSP and Cisco
GNS3 (Doctoral dissertation, UTAR).