WAN and LAN Concepts and Technologies for Network Configuration Assessment

Learning Outcomes tested in this assessment:

1) Critically review WAN and related LAN concepts and technologies.

2) Model and predict performance of WAN systems.

3) Design and create LAN and WAN systems, and justify your design, implementation and testing strategies.

4) Communicate complex problems and solutions clearly and effectively.

Nature of the submission required:

This is an individual assignment. The network is not intended to be physically realised. You should build the network topology and conduct the configuration in GNS3.

Expected size of the submission:

The usual University penalties for exceeding the word limit apply.

Your report must use a font size no smaller than 10. You may, if you wish, include further additional material in an appendix, e.g. a complete print out of configurations for all routers, but this will not contribute to the marks and you should not explicitly refer to any appendix to illustrate results etc.

The following requirements have been agreed and must be implemented:

1. In BRACKNELL Head Office, EXEC and ADMIN are to be directly connected using a Gigabit Ethernet link. Please note that sensitive material will be communicated via this link, so please also consider carefully how you can secure the link.

2. BRACKNELL HO ADMIN, HARLOW LOGISTICS and LUTON MANUFACTURE 2 are to have a full mesh MPLS VPN connection.

3. BRACKNELL HO EXEC is to have a direct MPLS VPN link to HARLOW PAYROLL. The link between BRACKNELL HO EXEC and HARLOW 1 PAYROLL LAN A will additionally be protected by implementing IPSec. The link between BRACKNELL HO EXEC and PAYROLL LAN B will NOT use IPSec.

5. An SFTP (Secure File Transport Protocol) server, providing data for the users of the BRACKNELL HO EXEC LAN only, must be placed either in the HARLOW LOGISTICS or in the LUTON MANUFACTURE 2 LAN. Your decision where to place the SFTP server should be based on performance modelling using the following information:

You can assume for this requirement only that the connection Bracknell to Harlow is 120km long and provides 30Mbps; the connection between Bracknell to Luton is Users of the BRACKNELL HO EXEC LAN must have access to the SFTP server only if the SFTP session is originated from the BRACKNELL HO EXEC LAN.

6. The Company has stipulated that all routers must be locally secure.

7. Each client router will distribute appropriate IP addresses to client workstations in a dynamic way. The IP addressing scheme needs to be efficient.