QAC020N253H Network Design and Troubleshooting

Students who successfully complete this module will be able to:

1.Identify, analyse and communicate principles and processes of Network Design.

2.Critically analyse and evaluate business and technical Requirements.

3.Plan and design a Network Infrastructure (LAN/WAN/MAN).

4.Design and evaluate a management and implementation strategy for a network.

5.Collect and synthesise information to inform a choice of vendor solutions, with the module assignment providing a good opportunity to test this area.

6.Evaluate a range of information comparing alternative methods and techniques used in Network Design.

Be able to troubleshoot and maintain integrated, complex networks

This assignment will assess the following learning outcomes:

1.Demonstrate a broad understanding of the knowledge base of this module and its terminology and discourse.

2.Evaluate network devices to be used for a particular area in the network in relation to requirement.

3.Design and implement a fully functional network infrastructure based on requirements given in the assignment brief.

Demonstrate autonomous learning context and draw on prior experiences reflecting and evaluating on new leaning outcome.

As a computer network engineer, you have been assigned a task to study and evaluate a third party proposed network submitted to comit.co.uk. The company consists of 3 departments; Sales, HR/Finance and Engineering. Each of the departments use a dedicated file server.

The company uses two other servers; web and email by which all departments have access to. The web and email server should be accessible via the internet (external access).

The proposed third party company provided the following design consideration and reasoning as it has been configured based on some of the considerations listed as follows:

1-The existing network was not segmented into many VLAN due to the limited number of 21 users.

2-Each and every department assigned a dedicated file server, which will be managed by the department staff and hence will be located as close to the users as possible to ease the management, for example, HR/Finance server will be close to the HR/Finance users and so is sales etc..

3-The backup services will be performed automatically on an external Hard Disk Drive, the backup device will be placed as close to each server as possible and will be secured in a local cabinet.

The company director expressed concerns and asked you to evaluate the third party network solution and based on which you are to design a new solution.

Comit.co.uk uses private network address of 192.168.21.0/24, and a public IP address of 221.222.223.160/29. Security, availability and scalability are paramount and hence your design and configuration must be based on these criteria.

Table 1 shows the users distribution and requirement according to comit.co.uk’s policy.

Department Hosts Security Requirements

HR/Finance 4 PC Need a complete isolation from all users of other groups

Engineering 8 PC

1 Printer

1 Scanner Need a complete isolation from all users of other groups

Sales 9 PC

1 Printer Need a complete isolation from all users of other groups

File Servers 3 servers Each server proposed to be placed near allocated ie. Sales, HR/ Finance and engineers.

Web, email Servers 2 servers

1 will act as internal dns server Web and email servers will be used by all users including external access.

NOTE:

All computers will use a Microsoft product such as servers and workstations.

LAN Network needs to be physically redundant at least at wiring / Switches level.

Deliverables

The network given in the above scenario may have many areas of network security concerns, you are to perform the following task and provide the following:

A.Evaluate the given network design in terms of security, availability and scalability. Your evaluation should include discussions of potential security impacts of the given network.

B.Using diagrams, design a new secured and reliable network. Your network design should include:

Analysis and evaluation of topology used including Network documentation (topology documentation, Devices configuration tables and end devices configuration table).

Analysis and evaluation of devices / technologies used.

Network security consideration.

Sample related configuration of Switches, Routers (a full configuration including network simulation file must be attached in the appendix).

Test all servers including web and email servers functionality.

Test the connectivity across all network including to/from DMZ.

Please include all configuration scripts and network simulation file in your assignment appendix.