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Mini-Case 1 Essay example

Decent Essays

Chapter 4:
Mini Case 1: Smith, Smith, Smith, and Smith is a regional accounting firm that is putting up a new headquarters building. The building will have a backbone network that connects eight LANs (two on each floor). The company is very concerned with network errors. What advice would you give regarding the design of the building and network cable planning that would help reduce network errors? I have to make some assumptions regarding the network design for this new building. Since they are a regional accounting firm, constructing a brand new building, and mainly concerned with network errors and data reliability, I have to assume that cost is a lower priority. Cost is always a concern, but having accurate information is the …show more content…

You can very quickly tell whether you have built a poor connector on either end, or if you do not have a solid connection to the switching hardware device. On the cost side, I would contend that the support for future growth in bandwidth and error minimization should easily offset the cost difference.

On the distribution layer, I would suggest using V-LAN devices that are interconnected. By using V-LAN devices you can easily provision separate LANs on each floor while still supporting any network changes in the future. V-LAN devices can provide both switching and routing capabilities because they act as both layer-2 and layer-3 devices. This is a huge advantage in the fact that you can provision separate subnets for each LAN while still allowing certain IPs the ability to communicate to either subnet. This is setup in the router side of the V-LAN software. The V-LAN also easily supports the adding of more user machines (with enough fiber runs established) electronically. Opponents will say that V-LANs required the added expenses of more knowledge and management than the more standard design of separate physical switches and routers. I agree, but we have to keep in mind that this is a new construction process. We want to ensure that we have appropriate hardware to support future growth potential whether it is in

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