ASSIGNMENT

In a 2-3 page APA-formatted paper, research and describe 3 approaches to detecting errors within a network, including how the approaches work, the probability of detecting an error, and any other benefits or limitations. If you have used any network monitoring tools before, describe your experience and any challenges you may have experienced.

Choose one of the following two options and write your work in a 3-4 page APA-formatted paper.

Include diagrams within your work as appropriate, and if they are brought in from outside sources, be sure to provide proper citations and references.

Do not go overboard with your designs, but consider each option carefully and provide an overview of the recommendations.

Option 1

You have been hired by a small company to install a backbone to connect four 1000base-T Ethernet LANs (each using one 24-port switch) and to provide a connection to the Internet. Develop a simple backbone and determine the total cost (i.e., select the backbone technology and price it, select the cabling and price it, select the devices and price them, and so on). Prices are available at www.datacommwarehouse.com, but use any source that is convenient. For simplicity, assume that category 5e, category 6, and fiber-optic cables have a fixed cost per circuit to buy and install, regardless of distance, $100, $120, and $300, respectively.

Option 2

You have been hired by a small company to install network infrastructure with shared storage. The office has 15 users. Business administration has requested that the accounting department, which has one user, not be on the same network as the operation network to protect business financial data traffic and maintain separate access to files and data.

Either Option:

In either case, consider the following requirements, but do not write your paper to solve all of these needs. Simply consider the needs in your network design solution:

Windows Server and Active Directory requirements

DHCP and DNS

IP addressing, VLANs, and subnet mask requirements to accommodate the number of users

NAS/SAN as appropriate

Print Server (if required)

Provide diagrams of at least two design options.

Discuss and compare the advantages and disadvantages of each proposed design and justify your recommendations. Consider cost, security, on-going maintenance, adding new users, printing, log-in, and Internet connection to all users.

Although it is important to protect all servers, some servers are more important than others. In a 2-3 page APA-formatted paper, answer the following questions:

Which server(s) are the most important to protect and why?

Which criteria would you use to determine which servers to protect first?

What are some of the methods you would use to protect the different services?

Which requirements may differ between protecting local servers vs. cloud servers?

You have been tasked with setting up a new company branch office for an existing organization. The company headquarters is in a different state but houses the main accounting server and company databases. The new branch office will need high speed Internet access and a VPN connection to the main office. The branch is expected to host 15 to 20 users. Due to the secure nature of the accounting and database systems that must be connected, you also must develop a plan to incorporate network security to meet their needs.

Research and design a solution to address these requirements. While cost is always a factor to some degree, it would be best to recommend two options, good and optimal. Write your plan in a minimum 4–5-page APA-formatted paper, including network maps and pricing charts as appropriate. You will deliver your proposed solution in the Week 8 live class session.