This technical document outlines a comprehensive network infrastructure upgrade for Hans Tech Company, addressing capacity constraints from business expansion to a second location in Chicago. The project proposes installing Cisco routers, switches, and multilayer catalyst switches to establish robust local area networks (LANs) at both New York and Chicago facilities, connected via a wide area network (WAN) using EIGRP routing protocol and MPLS technology. The document details existing network constraints, hardware specifications, addressing schemes, implementation timelines spanning November 2012 to September 2013, and security measures including firewalls and wireless encryption protocols to achieve 99.99% network availability.
The objective of this project is to provide a comprehensive technical document for Hans Tech Company. This paper applies critical thinking skills and technical analysis tools to develop a reasonable solution for the organization's network infrastructure needs. The deliverables include an 11-page technical document addressing current technical constraints, network maps for both LAN and WAN, current address and naming schemes, existing cable and wireless designs, current network utilization, network availability targets, delay and response times, status of major routers and switches, firewall configurations, major traffic sources and flows, and traffic flow diagrams.
Hans Tech Company is a business organization that seeks to implement a modern network system to offer high-quality service to customers and become a leader within the IT industry. The company currently enjoys strong customer patronage and market advantages. This growth has prompted management to expand business operations by opening a second branch in Chicago, Illinois. Since the company's headquarters is located in New York, the existing technology infrastructure can no longer accommodate the expansion. This project designs the latest technology to provide Hans Tech with network advantages and high-speed connectivity between the headquarters and the new Chicago location.
The solution will integrate both LAN (Local Area Network) and WAN (Wide Area Network) technologies with considerable bandwidth to support business growth. The document also specifies appropriate network security measures for both LAN and WAN through firewall integration (Khalil, Hand, & Mariswamy 1995).
The primary technical constraint facing Hans Tech Company is selecting an appropriate strategy for designing a network system that accommodates both the headquarters and new Chicago center without experiencing network failure. The existing LAN infrastructure will not be able to support two centers. A LAN is a computer network that spans a relatively small geographic area (IBM, 2010). While the existing LAN technology currently functions adequately, its capacity is too low to accommodate the expansion.
The company requires a LAN at each center capable of providing scalable, flawless, and reliable network connectivity. Additionally, the organization is concerned about implementing an effective and efficient WAN technology to connect the two centers. The company intends to keep pace with modern technology by upgrading the network system to offer high QoS (Quality of Service) (Murhammer et al, 1999).
The existing network system at company headquarters is experiencing slowdowns due to rapid expansion. Over the last five years, the company has recorded significant employee growth. Between 2008 and 2012, the employee count increased from 200 to 300 without corresponding increases in network system capacity. The company needs additional token ring LANs and network routes to increase system capacity.
The current backbone design consists of seven Cisco 2613 routers utilizing 100BASE-T4 transmission media. The infrastructure includes a four-server farm distributed across the seven routers with 616 Mbps Token-ring LANs for end users and six AS/400 servers per ring operating at 16 Mbps. The AS/400 systems currently provide redundancy. The network consists of six end-user LANs: three support corporate and product design management, while the remaining three serve corporate marketing, sales, and accounting departments but lack redundancy. Each of the six LANs contains workstations, various servers, and printers. The company maintains internet connectivity through an external ISP via a Cisco 2613 router, with the internet router distributing inbound traffic to backbone routers over a 100BASE-T4 connection.
Despite the benefits of the existing network, the LAN configuration lacks sufficient capacity to serve the organization effectively and achieve scalable, efficient operations. The current network maps containing both LAN and WAN diagrams will help the company better understand the proposed network system.
BestLink Communication will assist Hans Tech Company in establishing the entire network system according to a designed methodology that supports the company's expanding infrastructure. The strategy emphasizes seamless network integration, redundancy, easy management, and load balancing. The new network will provide the connectivity required for day-to-day business operations and future growth.
BestLink will establish WAN connectivity through Private IP (PIP) to achieve inter-site communication between New York and Chicago centers. The WAN connectivity will be sustained through carrier-provisioned routers. BestLink will install Cisco 6509 Multi-layer Catalyst Switches and Cisco 7507 routers. The Cisco 7507 features a four-slot chassis that supports multi-protocol and multimedia connectivity, allowing the organization to remove or replace port adapters without interrupting network connectivity. The system will also provide power redundancy to maintain operations during power interruptions (Cisco 2011).
The WAN technology will consist of a 155 Mbps OC-3 circuit positioned within BestLink's MPLS (Multi-Protocol Label Switching) environment. BestLink will also integrate a 45 Mbps DS3 circuit to enhance backup connectivity to both the New York and Chicago data centers. Network connectivity will be established within a virtual mesh connecting the two centers through the cloud.
BestLink will manage the 7507 service router located at Gigabit Interface 5/2, configured and routed through an a/30 subnet assigned to the router on G0/1 and G0/3 sequentially. The company will establish network connections by linking the LANs of both centers over WAN. The Cisco 7507 router will connect through the core 6509E switch using dual copper Gigabit Ethernet. The Gigabit Ethernet connection will link to port 5/2, with redundant links configured as /30 subnets and layer 3 assignments to each usable IP address.
To achieve WAN and LAN routing, the company will select EIGRP (Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol) as the routing protocol for each site. EIGRP will connect to the BestLink WAN router, with BestLink managing the backup router at each center. The BestLink WAN routers will integrate /16 into the BGP (Guillen & Chacon, 2009).
BestLink will implement Cisco 6509E switches at both New York and Chicago centers. The LAN segment at each site will connect to the MDF (Main Distribution Frame) and Cisco 3560E/3750E switches. WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) connectivity will link to the WLC (Wireless LAN Controller) to provide flexible access. The company will integrate UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supplies) systems to maintain uninterrupted connectivity during power failures.
An appropriate addressing and naming scheme is critical for network servers and client computers. Hans Tech will implement a logical naming scheme for all network systems to facilitate hardware identification and recall. The company will name network devices using standardized abbreviations: SV for servers, WS for workstations, PR for printers, TS for terminal servers, and DC for domain controllers. Server types include IIS (web servers), MSX (mail servers), SQL (database servers), SMS (systems management servers), and APP (application servers).
Following this scheme, Hans Tech will attach city codes to hardware codes for easy identification. The New York center naming convention includes Hans-nycsv (New York servers), Hans-nycws (New York workstations), Hans-nycpr (New York printers), Hans-nycts (New York terminal services), Hans-nycdc (New York domain controllers), Hans-nyciis (New York web servers), Hans-nycmsx (New York mail servers), Hans-nycsql (New York SQL servers), Hans-nycsms (New York SMS servers), and Hans-nycapp (New York application servers).
The Chicago center uses similar conventions with the "chg" prefix: Hans-chgsv (Chicago servers), Hans-chgws (Chicago workstations), Hans-chgpr (Chicago printers), Hans-chgts (Chicago terminal services), Hans-chgdc (Chicago domain controllers), Hans-chgiis (Chicago web servers), Hans-chgmsx (Chicago mail servers), Hans-chgsql (Chicago SQL servers), Hans-chgsms (Chicago SMS servers), and Hans-chgapp (Chicago application servers).
The company will establish wireless access using LWAP (Lightweight Access Points) distributed throughout facilities via WLS (Wireless LAN Switch). The WLS will provide traffic tunneling and failover authentication. To enhance wireless security, the company will install encryption systems using WPA/WPA2 protocols with AES encryption at all wireless access points and 802.1X authentication.
The company will redesign the local backbone infrastructure to increase network bandwidth. 100BASE-T4 cabling will connect to the seven Cisco 2613 routers, supporting efficient connectivity for future growth. 100BASE-FX (fiber) cabling will attach to the Cisco 7507 routers, providing expanded capabilities and higher performance. The existing network will integrate with two Cisco 5500 Catalyst switches using separate fiber cabling, delivering a significant bandwidth increase in the New York infrastructure.
Network utilization will be achieved through both LAN and WAN connectivity with QoS (Quality of Service) across the WAN router. To support real-time traffic, BestLink will employ a priority queuing system. Real-time voice over IP traffic receives the highest priority queue (10% minimum reserved bandwidth) with DSCP code point 46 (EF—Expedited Forwarding). Call signaling and video traffic occupy the second priority with 40% reserved bandwidth. Critical data and interactive video use 40% bandwidth at the third priority. Low-priority data is allocated 16% bandwidth, while the scavenger class receives 4%. Best-effort traffic uses any remaining available bandwidth.
Project implementation will span from November 1, 2012, through September 30, 2013. Project delays may result from budget constraints, availability of technical personnel, and procurement timelines. The contemporary technology environment faces a shortage of IT personnel to manage projects post-implementation. Hans Tech will need to train technical personnel for ongoing management. As a publicly owned company, Hans Tech requires Board of Directors approval for funding, a process that may require up to three months.
Preliminary activities include engaging BestLink Communication experts (4 weeks), conducting information security risk assessment (2 weeks), drafting security policy documents (2 weeks), and procuring hardware and software including servers, firewalls, cables, workstations, and antivirus solutions (5 weeks).
New York LAN upgrade tasks include installation of Cisco 7507 routers (10 days), installation and configuration of Cisco 3750E/3560E switches and routers (5 days), configuration of workstations and end-user LANs (5 weeks), creating videoconferencing network segments (5 days), installing Cisco multiplexers (3 days), UPS installation (2 days), installing security appliances (2 days), configuring IPS and IDS (2 days), and creating secure external mail and web servers (6 days).
Chicago LAN upgrade includes Cisco 6509 installation and configuration (3 days), configuration of Cisco Catalyst switches (5 days), configuring workstations and LANs (3 days), deploying videoconferencing segments (6 days), UPS installation (4 days), installing IPS and IDS (2 days), and creating secure external mail and web servers (3 days).
WAN connectivity tasks include Cisco 7507 router installation (5 days), connecting to the 6509E switch (2 days), establishing 45 Mbps DS3 backup connectivity to Chicago (2 days), backup connectivity configuration (3 days), IDF installation with three subnets (1 day), EIGRP selection (3 days), and linking EIGRP routing to WAN routers (2 days).
Wireless LAN implementation includes WLC (Wireless LAN Controller) installation (3 days), encryption protocol installation for WPA2/WEP (2 days), and 802.1X authentication support (2 days).
Server deployment follows a phased schedule. By November 18, 2012, New York will have 24 AS/400 servers and Chicago zero. By December 30, 2012, New York decreases to 18 while Chicago receives 6 (24 total). By February 28, 2013, distribution reaches parity at 12 each (24 total). By May 30, 2013, both centers have 14 servers (28 total). By July 31, 2013, both have 16 servers (32 total). By August 31, 2013, both reach 18 servers (36 total). Final deployment by September 31, 2013, allocates 20 servers to each center (40 total).
Project prerequisites include Chicago facility readiness with routers, switches, and firewalls, LAN configuration supporting three-server farms and 40 workstations, establishment of LAN-to-WAN connectivity, and firewall configuration to block unwanted traffic (Chen, Horng, & Yang 2008).
"Project delivers competitive advantage and operational excellence"
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