Campus Network Plan

This report is about the network design proposal of the ABC technology institution which is based in America and currently located in the Canberra where there are two campuses that are within Canberra but they are 2.5 km apart, each campus has occupied different area size and thus the facilities required for the network implementation will also differ.

The first campus has a total of four blocks that are in area of 1800 meters length and 1200 meters width and the blocks involved are the IT, physics, chemistry and the library blocks, while the second campus has a total of three blocks which includes administration office, business colleges and a library block and they are built within an area of 1300 meters length and 700 meters width.

The management had decided to install the network in order to enable the use of the latest wireless technology where the users including the students will be able to access the wireless network using their mobile devices ,more over the administration group will be having the privilege to access the wireless and the wired network [1].

Below are the various network requirements for the full implementation of the required services.

1. Network to enable the users to access the wireless network.
2. The network to allow the administration to access the wired and wireless networks.

• The network to enable automatic allocation of the IP addresses to the connected devices using the DHCP server.

1. The network to be able to monitor the types of materials being downloaded by the users.
2. The network to be able to report any inappropriate material downloads to the network administrator.
3. The network should allow the guests to access the wireless network without any authentications.

• The network requires having adequate security for the logged in users.
• The network should be able to accommodate the 6% growth in the number of users in the coming five years. 

The figures  above is the first and second campus network plan where all the devices and the access points are indicated in the various campus buildings that will enable the users to access the wireless network however the figure indicates the type of the wiring that had been done and how the devices are linked to each other.

The proposed network will be implemented to ensure that there is security and safety in the network resources and also to ensure that there is network integrity through the following means.

1. Use of authentication.

To ensure that the network is secure the authenticated users are the only people who are permitted to access the system and thus the network resources will be kept safe including the computers, files and the servers [3].

1. Use of virtual private network.

The private network will be another way that will be used to protect the network system where it enables the network safety through the encryption of the connections where the network is less secured especially through the internet services.

The VPN will therefore be used to enable the users in the remote locations to have access to the resources of the other campus network resources, however the VPN allows the transmission of the data through a tunnel that is secured from any malicious attack.

• Putting the security measures

Network Security Measures

In the process of network implementation various security control measures will be used to ensure that the network is usable, secure and has maintained integrity of the resources and the data.

The below are some of the method to be applied to  achieve the ABC network security.  

1. Encryption of the wi-fi networks.

The wi-fi network will only be identified and accessed using the set password to ensure that all the people accessing the network are authorized.

1. Changing the routers default setting.

The routers are configured by the vendors with some default settings and they are known in the public domain, therefore in order to prevent unauthorized access the default settings will be modified.

1. Turning off any remote access features.

The various routers will be accessed through the internet when the settings are turned on and thus the unauthorized users can manipulate them and use them remotely therefore these remote access features will be turned off during the configuration process.

1. Updating the router firmware.

The updates will be retrieved from the router’s manufacturers in order to boost the network performances and security through following the update defined steps [4].

1. Logout properly.

During the router configuration process the router web interface will be logged out properly after successful modification or making of changes and then the browser will be closed to ensure no malicious person will have access to the router settings.

The proposed network is required to accommodate the entire number of students and staffs in the both branches, however within the next five year the number of students will raise by 6% and therefore the proposed network should accommodate all the new additional students. The campus had purchased the 192.168.0.0 IP address space to be utilized in the network.

The below show the calculation of the IP addresses in each campus network.

The campus will have 650 IT students, 330 physics students, and 200 chemistry students who will add up to 1180, however the IP addresses required will be in addition to 6% growth and thus the total IP address is 1251 IP addresses to access the wireless network access point both indoor and outdoor therefore.

Total Hosts = 1251

2^y = 1251 + 2

2¹¹ = 2048 > 1253

Network’s-Bit = 32 – 11 = 21

Network IP Address= 192.168.0.0/21

Broadcast’s IP Address= 192.168.7.255

Network mask =255.255.248.0.

The campus will have 100 business students and 250 staff and administration who will add up to 350, however the IP addresses required will be in addition to 6% growth on the number of students and thus the total IP address is 356 IP addresses to access the wireless network access point both indoor and outdoor therefore.

Campus IP Addresses

Total Hosts = 356

2^y = 356 + 2

2⁹ = 512 > 358

Network’s-Bit = 32 – 9 = 23

Network IP Address= 192.168.8.0/23

Broadcast’s IP Address= 192.168.9.255

Network mask =255.255.254.0 [5].

Therefore the campus ip addresses will be as below.

Campus name	Network address	Subnet mask	IP address range
First campus	192.168.0.0/21	255.255.248.0	192.168.0.1-192.168.7.254
Second campus	192.18.8.0/21	255.255.254.0	192.168.8.1-192.168.9.254

The network implementation requires the use of various devices which includes the switches, routers and the access points which will enable the interconnection of the network devices and to allow the internet access.

The table below shows the various devices and access points that could be used.

Device brand	Range covered	Access speed
Cisco 1941	1-3km	25 Mbps.
Cisco 2620xm	5-10km	200 Mbps.
Cisco 2621xm	5-10km	250 Mbps.

Device brand	Range covered	Access speed
Cisco 2950-24	100M	20 Mbps.
Cisco 2950T	550M	150 Mbps.
Cisco 2960	1500M	200 Mbps.

Access points.

Device brand	Range covered	Access speed
WLC-WIFI	100m	120 Mbps.
Modem adsl WIFI	300m	150 Mbps.
Hybrid-REAP access points	450m	120 Mbps.
Vogor2120n-plus	50-60m	80 Mbps.
Wireless cable/DSL modem	450m	120 Mbps.
Light weight access point	70m	75 Mbps.
Cisco 1240 series AP	26-30m	54 Mbps
Wireless router	1000-1500m	200 Mbps.

After the analysis of the various access points considering their signal coverage range and the access speed the wireless router was selected as the most appropriate device to use for the wireless network access.

In the implementation process of the ABC network the connection link is required in order to enable the transmission of signals between the two network branches and to enhance the communication therefore the most recommended type of link is the fiber optic cable as discussed below.

The fiber optic cable had been selected to link the two campuses of the ABC institution since it is best in transmission of signals at a very high speed and thus it enables the users to access internet efficiently.

Below are the some of the reasons of using the fiber optic cable link.

1. High data transmission speed.

The fiber optic cable is able to transmit the data very fast at a rate of 1-10Gbps.

1. Low electromagnetic interference.

The fiber optic cable uses the light principle to transmit the data packets and thus it is not affected by the electromagnetic fields around it [6].

• Long distance signals transmission.

The optic cable is able to transmit the data over a long distance between 1-10kms before the signal are weakened unlike the other medium that can only cover 100m and the signals become weak.

1. Low or no signal attenuation.

The optic fiber cable is able to transmit the data and signals smoothly to the destination without being attenuated or weakened.

1. Great data capacity.

The fiber optic cable is bale to transmit large volume of data which can range from 10GBs to 100s GBs over 1km distance compared to other copper media that transmits 100mbs within 100m.

1. Greater repeaters spaces.

The fiber optic can be able to transmit signals over 10km before they require to be amplified through the repeater, therefore only few repeaters are used in the connection and is also economical.

Conclusion 

The implementation of the proposed network will be useful to the institution where all the staffs and students will be able to access the network while they are within the campuses compounds, however the network security will also be enhanced through the use of the students and staffs IDs and self-defined password to access the network as means of users authentications.

References

[1]  A.Behrouz,Data Communication and Networking,3^rd edn. New York:McGraw-Hill Education, 2016.

[2]  C.Tom,IPv6 Address Planning: Designing an Address Plan for the Future ,1^st edn.San Francisco: O’Reilly Media,2015.

[3]  C.Douglas, Internetworking with TCP/IP, Volume 1,1^st edn.California:Addison-Wesley Professional,2017.

[4]  I.Forouzan, Computer Networks: A Top – Down Approach,1^st edn. New York: McGraw-Hill,2014 .

[5]  S.Andrew,Computer Networks,2^nd edn. New York:  Prentice Hall,2015.

[6]  S.William, Data and Computer Communication,4^th edn. New Delhi:Tata McGraw Hill,2014.