CT5047 Network Design And Configuration

Introduction

This discussion is based on determining the best network design to be applied as per the given assessment 4. They understanding is based on the benefits and the consideration that will be laid upon if it is to be put in place by network designers. It is the work of the designer in ensuring the communication across the network can be adjusted and scalable to the demands of new services (Al-shawi, 2016).  The research will discuss the three network design basic and that is overview of the network design, the benefits of the recommended network design and the network design methodology respectively.

Network Design Overview.

For any business the use of computers and the network has been very critical in its success may it be a small of large firm. They help in connecting the organization and the outside world. In building a good network one must require to understand the following.

• Verifying the goals of the business
• Determining the features and functions that are required for meeting the business needs
• performing a  network readiness test
• Creation of an acceptance site plan
• Creation of a project plan.

Network requirements

There are few requirements that are needed in designing the network and knowing which type of network design to put in place (Rossi, 2015).

• Availability of the network- meaning that the network will have to stay up all the time 24/7.
• Reliability- providing responses without delays and always being reliable not going down when mostly needed(Geier, 2018).
• Security- this is making it secure such that it is able to protect the data of the organization in case of any attacks.
• Scalability- a feature and requirement that will help the network to expanding in future if they is need to do so.
• Manageability- a good network should be easy to manage and this is in terms of troubleshooting errors in case they arise.

Hierarchical Network Design

in meeting the above considerations and requirements which are the basic things explained in assessment 4 we will need a network that will be built on the architecture that will allow flexibility and growth of such network in future. The network suitable for that is the Hierarchical network design as shown and explained in the figure below.

Figure 1Hierarchical network Design

In this design above we have three layers.

1. Core Layer- this is used for connecting the devices in the distribution layer
2. Distribution Layer- this the middle layer used for interconnecting all smaller LANs.
3. Access Layer- this layer provides the connectivity for network hosts and the end-devices.

Pros and Cos of Hierarchical and Flat network designs

There are many advantages and benefits that Hierarchical network design has over the flat as explained from the diagram below.

Figure 2 Flat network design

As shown in both figures there is a benefit of dividing a flat network in to smaller and manageable hierarchical blocks because the local traffic always remain local. NB it is only the traffic that is destined for other networks will be moved on to a higher layer. The other concept to understand on the flat is that is not easy to expand in future unlike in Hierarchical network design. In flat switched network the devices in layer 2 provides very slight chance to controlling the broadcasts or even filtering the undesirable traffic. When we add more applications and the devices to layer 2 of the flat switched network there is degradation of the response times and the network becoming almost unusable.

Network Design Methodologies

The information on assessment 4 indicates that the design of the network is of a large organization therefore in determining the methodology to be applied we have to consider the following three very major steps.

1. Identifying the requirements of the networks(business and the technical requirements)
2. Characterizing the network in existence
3. Designing the network topology(Mitchell, 2018).

Conclusion

In understanding the concept in network design one must understand the needs and the requirement of any organizations like explained above. The understanding of that has made us to know that we need a network design that can be expanded in future and much more allows growth and can be easily managed and that is the three-layered Hierarchical model.

References

Al-shawi, M. (2016). Cisco Press chapter excerpt, learn about basic enterprise campus network architectures. Campus Network Design Models, 47-54.

Geier, J. (2018, February 28). How to: Define Wireless Network Requirements. Retrieved from Wireless-Nets: https://www.wireless-nets.com/resources/tutorials/define_network_requirements.html

Mitchell, B. (2018, April 01). Topology in Network Design . Retrieved from Lifewire: https://www.lifewire.com/computer-network-topology-817884

Rossi, B. (2015). Desktop Management & MDM. 4 network requirements to enable the Internet of Things , 14-16.