Designing a High-Speed Network for Molecular Biology Research Team

Literature Review

This assignment is worth 20% of your practical assessment. All rules and regulations regarding academic malpractice will apply. Any collusion or plagiarism is a serious offense.

One clearly and succinctly written report. Ensure that the work is neat, legible, and properly formatted. All reports must be submitted in PDF format (to ensure format consistency when viewed. Do not use any non-standard fonts (e.g., Calibri). Stick to one or two fonts throughout the whole document not anymore, either serif fonts (e.g., Times, Times New Roman, Computer Modern) or sans-serif fonts (e.g., Helvetica, Arial) with size 10-12pt for the main text and larger for chapter and section headings.

In this assignment, you will design a network. The task you have been given is as follows:

A molecular biology research team between Sunway University, Sunway Medical Centre and Monash University are working on a joint research project. To facilitate this, a high-speed network linking these three labs are to be setup. Each lab will have a similar set of computers, a HPC server, storage server and a live video conferencing setup. State all (pertinent) assumptions in your introduction.

In your design, you will need to do the following:

1. All diagrams that pertain to the

The important ones are those that are related to calculations for your design, e.g., Link Loss Budget, diagrams that depict distance, diagrams that depict locations of equipment, diagrams that show cable runs, etc. Remember that these are just examples, and you only need to include those that are relevant. As the internal structure of the building is unknown, you can make assumptions of some things but please remember to state them.

2. Show calculations that pertain to your

Examples of these are things such as Link Loss Budget calculations, if it is wireless how you will calcu late the antenna types and if it is sufficient to get the signal across, etc.

3. Select some devices that will fit into your design and propose a

Get some examples you can find off the Internet on what devices can fit into your design. Of course, please include the price and justify the purchase of these devices. Remember, that this link must be reliable.

proposal of your system with the relevant components of the system. If you use a map or diagram in the proposal, there must be a purpose to it. Please remember to structure the proposal in a logical manner.

1. You can start your proposal with an introduction to the problem and with a diagram depicting the locations of the two places on a map (it is better to have a “diagrammatic map” that shows only the relevant parts rather than one that looks like Google Earth).
2. Next using the diagrams and map, show your assumptions and the calculations that pertain to your system.
3. Then, show what device(s) can be used to setup your system and how much you would need to budget to set the system

The proposal should be about 3-5 pages depending on the size of your diagrams, math equations and tables. (Yes, it is alright to exceed and there is no penalty for that. Just that you may be spending too much time on this).

Aims and Objectives

This is how a proposal can be sectioned. Please note that a proposal is a planning document and describes the work that will be done.

1. Introduction

This chapter will be an introduction to the entire system that you propose to setup/create. Here are some things that you should include in your proposal.

• In general, what the system is designed to
• A very brief mention of where (or what type of application) this type of system can be used. You are encouraged to think of other applications in which the system may be applicable
• Important aspects of the system (e.g., brief specifications, benefits, unique features, etc.). This should be backed by design

2. Literature review

This is a chapter where you include relevant and in-depth comparisons to similar systems that will better enable you to make decisions for your own system. This can be comparisons of whole systems and/or specific subsystems. Remember, this should NOT read like a tutorial but tied back to your system design aims and constraints, i.e., make it relevant. Some of the questions a literature review should answer for you are (this is not exhaustive):

• What kind of functionality did other systems include? (b)Why did the other systems include those functions? (c)Are those functions relevant to my own system?

(d)How did the other systems implement some of these functions? (e)Would it be feasible for me to do the same?

(f)What have I learnt (from others/other systems) about what I can do for my own system?

3. Aims and Objectives

This is a chapter where you formalise your aims and objectives after looking at what others have done. Therefore, it is placed after the literature review chapter. There is often a confusion for students as to what an aim is and what objectives are.

Aims are what you hope to achieve by the end of your project. They should be clear and concise statements but expressed in general terms.

Objectives are what you need to achieve to reach your aims. Think of these as deliverables, NOT AC- TIVITIES. Use these S.M.A.R.T. guidelines to try and develop your objectives:

SSpecific. Avoid general statements, include detail about what you are going to do. MMeasureable. There should be a definable outcome.

AAchievable. Be realistic in what you hope to cover, don’t attempt too much. A less ambitious but completed objective is better than an over-ambitious one that you cannot possibly achieve.

RRealistic. Think about logistics. Are you practically able to do what you wish to do? Factors to consider include time, expense, skills, etc.

TTime constrained. Be aware of the timeframe of the project.

4. Methodology

This is a chapter where describe exactly how you want to achieve your objectives. Your methodology should describe at least the following:

• Requirements of the

Describe how you came up with it and why you have decided to include such requirements. This is typically dictated by the aim and constraints of the system.

• System

This is the section where you will have to include all design documentation of the system. This will include any maps, system block diagram, schematics, and the system flowchart (where applicable). With a well-documented design, another person should have no problems implementing your design.

Describe how the system is to be implemented, i.e., the tools, how want to implement some of the design elements (i.e., the steps). What needs to be done first and why. Apart from that, there isn’t much to be described here for the given projects unless you have some information that will help the implementer implement your design.

This is probably one of the most challenging parts to your methodology, i.e., how do you come up with tests (or test cases) that will prove what you have set out to do? Can you recall your objectives? Results from the testing will be used to prove that you have achieved your objectives. What you need to do at this point of time is to describe the test cases and what it is you will be measuring to determine if the objective was fulfilled or otherwise. In a report, there will be a dedicated chapter for results from the tests and a discussion on the results.