Analysis of Wide Area Networking Technologies for OptiNet Ltd

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of Wide Area Network (WAN) technologies, focusing on their application within OptiNet Ltd. It begins by comparing different WAN technologies, including point-to-point links, frame relay, and ATM, evaluating their scalability and cost-effectiveness. The report then delves into traffic-intensive services like VoIP, examining their impact on network performance and the importance of Quality of Service (QoS) management. Security concerns are addressed, with recommendations for improving reliability through measures like Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), firewalls, and network monitoring. The report further explores WAN infrastructure, including devices like switches, routers, and modems, and evaluates the ATM switch for its suitability in long-distance transmission. It discusses WAN configuration, including devices and communication methods, and assesses the suitability of the network design. Finally, the report examines network monitoring tools, troubleshooting techniques, and approaches to enhance network security, performance, and reliability, concluding with a performance evaluation of the WAN.

Wide Area Networking
Technologies

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION..........................................................................................................................1
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................1
1.1 Different types of WAN technologies ..................................................................................1
1.2 Traffic intensive services .....................................................................................................2
1.3 Security concerns for WAN and recommendations to improve reliability and security .....3
TASK 2 ...........................................................................................................................................4
2.1 WAN network infrastructure ...............................................................................................4
2.2 Evaluation of ATM switch....................................................................................................5
TASK 3 ...........................................................................................................................................6
3.1 WAN configuration ..............................................................................................................6
3.2 Suitability of network design and WAN testing ..................................................................7
TASK 4 ...........................................................................................................................................8
4.1 Network monitoring tools and network troubleshooting .....................................................8
4.2 Approaches to improve network security, performance and reliability ...............................9
4.3 Performance evaluation of WAN .......................................................................................10
CONCLUSION .............................................................................................................................10
REFERENCES .............................................................................................................................12
APPENDIX ...................................................................................................................................15

INTRODUCTION
Wide area network (WAN) is defined as the computer networking system which is used
to connect networks overs large geographical regions. These effective networking protocols can
also spread across different countries. WAN serves as interconnection of various smaller
networks and ensures that systems and users at one location can easily communicate with those
at different locations (Nolan, Guibene and Kelly, 2016). The report will analyse the impact of
different WAN technologies and their effectiveness in terms of cost and scalability.
It will also evaluate the traffic intensive services and security concerns associated with
the wide area network. The document will also describe the topology, communication devices
and networking devices which can be used in designing WAN infrastructure. The report will
discuss the tools which can monitor and evaluate the performance of WAN. It will also
recommend improvement strategies for ensuring the required security, performance and
reliability of the developed infrastructure (Feghali and et.al., 2016).
TASK 1
1.1 Different types of WAN technologies
OptiNet Ltd can effectively establish a network channel between its London office and
other sub offices. The organisation use variety of WAN technologies. The analysis of these
technologies on the basis of their scalability and cost effectiveness is given as below:
Point to point link technology: These are also known as the leased lines because these are leased
from a carrier point. Thus, the wires and hardware will be allocated to only lines of OptiNet Ltd.
The cost of this approach depends upon the distance between London office and other branch
offices (Tego and et.al., 2018). Hence, as compared to other approaches like frame relay it can be
considered as more expensive. However, this lease line connection between nodes of WAN
provides excellent security and quality with lower supporting cost.
Frame relay WAN technology: To overcome the limitations of point to point approach such as
high implementation cost, rigid bandwidth and flexibility OptiNet Ltd can also use frame relay.
It is based upon IP based virtual private networks. In terms of security, service level agreements,
and cost it can be considered as the appropriate technology (Cheng, Han and Pan, 2018). It will
provide a virtual circuit permanently so OptiNet Ltd will get a dedicated and continuous
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connection without paying for full-time leased line. At the service level routes can be charged on
usage basis.
Asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) technology: It is more suitable for applications with real
time. Thus, it can be used to address the high bandwidth and quality requirements of OptiNet
Ltd. It is a switching technology and provides bandwidth consistency and quality (Tammana,
Agarwal and Lee, 2016). In order to provide voice and data transmission OptiNet Ltd can use
voice over ATM (VoATM) but is more expensive than voice over internet protocol.
1.2 Traffic intensive services
Internet protocol (IP) telephony can be defined as the technology or the set of IP
protocols which is used to transmit and exchange fax, voice and other formats of information
over switched telephone network. The voice over IP has been commonly used by OptiNet Ltd for
its wide area network. As compare to chats, web browsing activities such as downloading, video
streaming and VoIP are considered as the traffic intensive services because these activities
makes network traffic extremely engaged and occupied (Kaur and Gobindgarh, 2015). Thus,
other networking operations are put in queue for further execution. The heavy traffic can make it
difficult for OptiNet Ltd to execute and transfer the priority audio or video calls to connect due
to long queue created by other traffic intensive services. Hence, it is very essential for OptiNet
Ltd to manage the priority of these traffic intensive services so that communication is not
affected by network service quality.
For instance if OptiNet Ltd will give higher priority to its VoIP services then WAN
network of the company will give more bandwidth to its voice services over video streaming or
downloading or database accessing as well. It will provide a uniform distribution of bandwidth
and thus cost will also be reduced because company can go for low bandwidth package from
internet service provider (Wu, 2017). It is important for OptiNet Ltd to manage these traffic
intensive services Traffic intensive services can also occur when more number of users spike
within network in very short duration of time and main server of company can become unable to
handle such huge number of requests. The reduction in quality of services due to packet loss,
delay caused by traffic intensive services is known as network congestion. Differentiated
services code point (DSCP) can also be used by OptiNet Ltd to manage network traffic and to
ensure the quality of services.
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For traffic management it uses scalable and simple mechanism such as 6 bit DS in IP
header. Quality of service (QoS) protocols provide effective services to chosen network traffic in
various WAN technologies. The key objective of QoS is to prioritise each network activity and
to control factors such as bandwidth, jitter, latency and loss characteristics of the information. It
also prioritises the networking objectives (Maveli, Nagaraj and Yu, 2018). For instance when
higher priority services are functioning then it puts the other activities into queues and traffic is
forwarded from medium priority lists only when traffic intensity is low.
1.3 Security concerns for WAN and recommendations to improve reliability and security
For error free and qualitative performance of OptiNet Ltd the security of its implemented
WAN must be monitored and controlled so that it is not affected by security threats such as
unauthorised access, malware and viruses. The ineffective security measures can lead to severe
threats to information system and information resources of organisation. To secure the
information assets from unauthorised access WAN of OptiNet Ltd uses measures like
cryptography, access control list, encryption and authentication. The most effective tool which
can increase the security and reliability of the designed network is virtual private network (VPN)
(Sung and et.al., 2018). It uses tunnelling protocol which is based upon cryptography principles.
It gives encryption to the transmitting data which can be decrypt by only authorised user.
To make the hardware systems of network more secure the implemented network of
OptiNet Ltd must contain firewalls, crypto- processors, secure design mechanism of operating
system and access control list (Chow and et.al., 2016). Malware and data breach can be
considered as the biggest security threats for wide area networking systems. One of the most
effective measures which can be implemented by engineers of OptiNet Ltd is to regularly
monitor and analyse the network traffic. This network evaluation will help organisation to review
each and every activity taking place at the network thus it will become very easy for system and
networking engineers to detect suspicious activities which can act as security threat. The
implementation of network analysers and flow applications can will help organisation to enhance
its security and to minimise the networking attacks (Voit and et.al., 2015). Before implementing
security strategies, it is also required to evaluate the possible risks associated with designed
WAN.
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Access control list and strict log in credentials can serve as the key factors to improved
the reliability and performance of the network (Wu, 2016). The networking security goals cannot
be achieved without participation of the staff members of OptiNet Ltd. Thus, network security
and management team of organisation must guide each of the employee to follow the basic
security protocols so that the security of entire network is not put at stack. For instance if
employees will not be aware of these securities concern and they will not keep their firewall
systems updated and will follow suspicious links or documents then it will surely give rise to
extremely vulnerable security threats. Such events are not appreciated for the reliable and high
performing secure wide area network (Bejerano and Francini, Alcatel-Lucent SA, 2014).
TASK 2
2.1 WAN network infrastructure
The WAN infrastructure can be evaluated by following attributes:
Technology/topology: For WAN system of OptiNet Ltd can use asynchronous transfer mode
topology. It is cost effective and will provide high security solution to the organisation. It
optimizes the transfer of voice and data with efficient bandwidth usage, speed and QoS.
However, it requires more time to install and is more vulnerable to congestion loss (Chakraborty
and Telgote, 2019).
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Devices: In the WAN infrastructure following devices are used:
 Switches: These are multi port devices and are used for interconnecting other devices.
They aim at switching the traffic.
 Routers gives interconnecting paths between WAN of the organisation and LAN of each
of the regional office of OptiNet Ltd.
 Access servers will enable OptiNet Ltd to support multiple number of users
simultaneously (Wu and et.al., 2015). Modems are used to send digital data over analog medium and to receive the data.
Communication: Network monitoring tools and analysers can be used to support the quality of
services. For communicating with other devices in network various switches and routers are
used. The security enhancement tools such as encryption and access control lists are also used in
network to make the connection between two devices safe and secure.
Users: Software defined WAN are effective approach for enhancing he scalability of branch
offices of OptiNet Ltd across different corners of world. This approach focuses on scaling VPN
so that the WAN does not affect the configuration of any existing branch on addition or removal
of other branch or by scalability (Han, Gopalakrishnan and Lee, 2015).
2.2 Evaluation of ATM switch
Asynchronous transfer mode technology is considered as the effective device for long
distance transmission. It can be used on different transmission medium such as coaxial cable and
optical fibre (Aguirre and et.al., 2015). It provides efficient use of bandwidth and thus achieve
standards of QoS by maintaining high speed and flexibility in bandwidth allocation. It makes the
ATM topology more reliable and secure. In future if OptiNet Ltd will require scaling its number
of users and branch offices then also ATM access server will allow extending the bandwidth
limits and to support the goals of scalability with its wide area network.
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For improving the quality of services it follows the concept of dynamic allocation of
bandwidth means only sufficient amount is given to users so that bandwidth is not occupied by
unnecessary consumption. The ATM technology uses virtual channels and paths for providing
communication between WAN devices. The ATM technique also includes the fix sized data
packets which are called cells (Vasisht, 2016). These cells are of constant size thus connections
can be easily managed to control the network traffic by predicting the priority and size of
transmitted data. It also makes provides the high transmission speed over the network.
The key application of this WAN technology is in the communication of voice, data and
video which is the basic requirement of OptiNet Ltd. It can also replace the existing network
infrastructure which is based on internet protocol telephony (Sivasubramanian and et.al., 2015).
Thus, in future if OptiNet Ltd will require exploring new branch offices which already have
network then it will be easy to upgrade its networking requirement and devices.
TASK 3
3.1 WAN configuration
The WAN configuration of OptiNet Ltd meets its requirement of security and functional
attributes related to performance. The implemented design includes following elements:
Devices: A WAN switch is employed in carrier network for interconnecting devices with its
multi-ports. To direct and manage the network traffic of OptiNet Ltd routers are used. The
organisation wants to implement is corporate network thus for configuration of its router at first
point to point protocol (PPP) authentication type, client name and passwords are generated. By
default, DHCP is used by router to obtain address from service provider (Feghali and et.al.,
2016).
Technology: The network design configuration for OptiNet Ltd includes installation and support
services for computer and wireless network, cabling, installation of hardware, software, network
server and mobile devices. The configuration of network design ensures that data is processed
fast and with more accuracy. The configuration of DHCP packets can be used to allocate the IP
address. DHCP server provide support to only address assignment which is based upon internet
protocol. For configuring it lease time, domain name and IP address range must be provided in
configuration window (Rodriguez and Pan, 2018). Voice over IP configuration can transmit the
telephone voice data over the internet protocol network.
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Security: The access control list (ACL) control the transmission of routing packets or updates
(Visser and Wiant, 2017). They can permit or deny the transmission of specific routing updates
through the network of OptiNet Ltd. In the implementation VLAN membership can also be used.
In static VLAN first VLAN is created and then switch ports are assigned (Edwards and
Bramante, 2015). On the other hand in dynamic VLAN there is automatic assignment of ports to
VLAN by information such as IP and MAC address. Routing protocols describes the
communication pattern between routers and router selection process for distributing information.
Services: Domain name services (DNS) converts hostnames into IP address. OptiNet Ltd is using
public IP addresses thus in implementation process public DNS is configured. In the
implemented wide area network of the organisation there will be a centralised server while the
email service providers will be installed on each device of the network so that communication
can be managed on network (Kuzlu, Pipattanasomporn and Rahman, 2014).
Documentation: The network diagram will demonstrate that how various systems or local area
networks of OptiNet Ltd. In Rome, Berlin and Paris will connect with the main branch situated
in London. It will show interconnection between each network.
3.2 Suitability of network design and WAN testing
The key requirements of OptiNet Ltd is to establish a communication path between its
main and branch offices. This network connection must be secure and reliable so that IP
telephony can be used by the company. In order to evaluate that if these requirements are
fulfilled in WAN designing network is tested so that its performance and security aspects can be
measure. The major testing approaches are as follows:
 The implemented WAN must give suitable test result to ensure that necessary bandwidth
is available for the network and there is no loss of data packets.
 The network of OptiNet Ltd is complex and large. Thus, if there will be a change in
routing path then it can have adverse impact on the routing table of WAN. The testing
procedures will evaluate that network monitoring tools executes regular ping and tests so
that real time data validation occurs and changes in routing policy are reflected in routing
table as well (Han, Gopalakrishnan and Lee, 2015).
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 To control and monitor traffic the firewall rules are also tested so that it can be verify that
ping test or port scanners are performing their roles effectively.
 Quality of services must also be tested so that it can be ensured that time delay, queues
and network traffic are managed securely and effectively.
Along with these testing requirements following elements must also be included in test document
Services: In testing procedures it is analysed that DNS server and address of internet protocol are
in same order and correct. The errors in these parameters can disconnect the network. For quality
of service and achieving networking benefits DNS configuration is also tested and checked that
if it is able to pull the IP (DNS) from dynamic host configuration protocol server (The
Importance of Monitoring Your Networks, 2018). To conduct the error free functional activities
it is also tested that if designed network of OptiNet Ltd. Can manage the increasing overload and
simultaneous access on its web server. The host services, time delay and time out events are also
analysed in testing so that these attributes can be improved and WAN performance can be
improved (Sivasubramanian and et.al., 2015).
Communication: The communication channel between different network of branch offices of
OptiNet Ltd must be secure. The communication bandwidth must analyse the traffic so that
network queues can be minimized and maximum bandwidth is available for transmission of
voice or data over IP (Maveli, Nagaraj and Yu, 2018).
Documentation: Speed testing tools are used so that the effectiveness and speed of WAN link
can be calculated. The delay must be reduced so that latency and reliability parameters can be
achieved. The ping test are one of the effective test tools to measure the latency of network. The
ping test uses ICMP (Internet control message protocol) to the host of the designed network and
then time delay is calculated for the time in which host sends a reply to single purpose IP utility
used in ping test (Sung and et.al., 2018).
TASK 4
4.1 Network monitoring tools and network troubleshooting
In order to ensure the effectiveness and security of the designed network of OptiNet Ltd
network monitoring tools and troubleshooting is crucial. Network monitoring tools regularly
analyses the traffic and other network activities and identifies if there is any activity which can
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affect the performance and security of the network (The Importance of Monitoring Your
Networks, 2018). Such issues are identified and reported so that they can be managed and
network can be protected from the hazards. These tools also detect the connection failure,
bandwidth utilisation and other operational behaviour (Wu, 2017). The most basic monitoring
tool is the Ping while website monitoring or server monitoring tools can also be used by the
organisation. WAN also includes simple network management protocols (SNMP) which serves
the function of monitoring. These tools monitors errors, disk space, bandwidth as well as system
software. There is a wide gap between testing intervals thus in this duration system crash or
overload must not affect the network performance. It is regulated by monitoring tools. Network
troubleshooting tools are used to resolve the problems (Why Network Monitoring Is Important
For Any Business. 2006). Apart from the ping troubleshooting tools like trace route can be used
to resolve the routing issues by finding routing path. Organisation can also use top down or
bottom up approach to troubleshoot the errors. In order to resolve the errors or issues associated
with dynamic name system tools such as Nslookup can also be used (Wu, 2017). These network
monitoring and troubleshooting tools are essential because it helps organisation to analyse and
fix the networking threats before they can affect the networking goals of the company and users.
4.2 Approaches to improve network security, performance and reliability
It is very challenging task to maintain the reliability, latency and other performance
parameters of the implemented wide area network of the organisation. The security threats are
also important to resolve so that network can be protected from unauthorised access and other
networking threats. To provide more reliable performance OptiNet Ltd must conduct regualr
audit and mapping of its network so that all information regarding network is managed and can
be used to resolve further performance related issues (Aguirre and et.al., 2015). The security of
network can be increased by using MAC address filter approaches such as encryption to prevent
network threats and data stealing.
The reliability of the developed WAN of OptiNet Ltd can decrease if organisation does
not segregate or monitor its traffic. For this purpose organisation must use VLAN membership or
network monitoring tools (Network Troubleshooting Commands, 2010). During WAN testing it
must be tested that data is encryption along with the entire network path. It will minimize the risk
of security threats. The main office as well as branch offices of organisation must pay equal
attention to the performance and security aspects.
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However, it is also challenging balancing the performance and security. OptiNet Ltd can
use automated process and network visibility tools so that network anomalies and traffic can be
identified on time and vulnerabilities can be addressed before they create any significant losses
(Maveli, Nagaraj and Yu, 2018). To make the network performance more reliable it is essential
that there must be strict regulations and polices which can monitor the network utilisation and all
security tools such as firewalls, antivirus and network analysis tools are updated.
4.3 Performance evaluation of WAN
The designed network of the organisation must meet the required performance criteria.
The key performance evaluation parameters which can be used to monitor the performance of
network are bandwidth, latency, throughput, jitter and rate of errors (Cheng, Han and Pan, 2018).
The network performance can be considered as effective if it is able to troubleshoot the network
problems. With future growth and development the needs and scope of OptiNet Ltd will also
change. Thus WAN must have capacity to deploy and modify rapidly (Why network testing is
important, 2016). This adaptability indicates the higher performance standards of network.
During network testing procedures suspicious data and security risks can be used to analyse the
response of system.
The high performing wide area network can easily mitigate such security and
performance risks. The bandwidth is one of the vital factor which affects the networking
performance. When multiple users tend to share the same link path for the transmission then
bandwidth availability can create issue (Nolan, Guibene and Kelly, 2016). To evaluate the
performance of network it is important that WAN must have sufficient network traffic analysing
and monitoring tools so that during network traffic the delay and data queues are managed and
bandwidth is distributed in a way that latency and delay parameters are improved (Kaur and
Gobindgarh, 2015). Another significant approach to evaluate the WAN performance is the
analysis of latency factor. If latency is higher than users will have to wait for longer to receive
the transmitted data over network (Aguirre and et.al., 2015). Thus, it will directly reduce the
efficiency. Ping network utility is effective and commonly used way to measure the latency.
CONCLUSION
From the report it can be concluded that wide area network can provide effective solution
to business groups in terms of connecting different branch offices through networking. The
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