Network Design Proposal

The purpose of this report is to discuss review and elaborate the proposed network design for the company Oasis Courier Services. This report will cover in details the desired the network setup, how it will be laid out on all four floors, in respect to what the company specifically required. Configuration issues, network operating system (NOS), hardware requirements will also be analyzed. This report will also account for the common services provided by the chosen NOS to support the operation and management of the network.

The Company Needs

Oasis Courier Services is a medium sized business with a new office building; a modern 4 storey block, with floor area of 200 square metres per level. Different departments in different floors in the building are desired, however more than one department may be placed on the same floor should this make full use of all the floor areas. Remote access to the network is required as some employees may work from home, and employees working offsite would also need access to the network from devices such as PDAs. The following requirements are specifically mentioned by Oasis Courier Services:
• Internet connection

• Local and centralized printing facilities
• Local and centralized data storage facility
• Interconnection of workstations and portable devices
• Security

The company also aims to have their own wireless network, web, email, online tracking system, and database as well as application servers to support their business.

Topology

A star topology will be implemented for this network. This topology is chosen as it is considered reliable because one connection problem will not affect others. It is favorable to use this topology as expanding, installing or replacing, as well as removing hosts or other devices will not be difficult.

A star topology network is easy to manage due of its simplicity, and problems can be easily located logically and therefore is simple to troubleshoot.

Media

When implementing a new network, it is best to install a good cable as future equipments will have increased data rates, and replacing them would prove to be difficult and costly in the long run.

As the company are setting up in a 4 story building with 200sq metres each floor, the media which will be used to connect workstations, users and servers would be 100BaseT twisted-pair cables (UTP) as these media will be able to meet the support necessary for the network design in terms of speed and integrity. These cables will be connected through a main switch for each department to communicate with each other on the same/different floors. These switches will be able to delivery optimal speeds for an efficient network.

VLAN

Considering the size of the company’s building, network, and usage needs, a recommended way to connect the floors in the office is to use VLAN. VLAN is relatively easy to deploy and are more beneficial than the traditional LAN method. This configuration is also simple as they will be invisible to users. The deployment of VLAN is also not costly as additional hardware and cabling are not required.

Internet

The company will have a T1 internet connection from an ISP provider. These lines are normally used in business networks as these lines are able to carry high speed data in higher volumes. A high speed internet access is desired for Oasis Courier Services as due to higher download and upload speeds, considering that employees do not only work onsite but they may work from home, as well as offsite (courier deliveries).

Servers

A few dedicated servers will be installed in the company, according to the company’s needs and budget limitation. These servers should also cater for the database, web, email, and backup required by the company. Having dedicated servers are more reliable and will make the network run faster.

As for the network operating system (NOS), a Windows based NOS would be the best option to pick for the company’s network, as they are the easiest NOS to operate, it would require fewer staff to manage as staff do not necessarily need in-depth knowledge of the NOS in order to be able to manage it.