DESIGN TASK AND FAULT FINDING

Design Task and Fault Finding

Design Task and Fault Finding

This paper is based on Network Technology module. The basic purpose of this assignment is to design a network for a new University campus and to identify any fault in network operations. Therefore, this paper is divided into two scenario-based tasks.

Scenario A: Design Solutions for Simple Network Tasks

Local Area Network (LAN) is a high speed computer network used for connecting computers and sharing resources over a relatively small area (few kilometers). Typically, LAN can be implemented in an area as small as a dorm room to one that is as large as a university campus. In this project, we will design a wired LAN for one such campus layout. Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN) are implemented as an extension to wired LANs within a building and can provide the some meters of connectivity between a wired network and the mobile user. In wireless LANs the computers or nodes are linked to one another by radio. Each computer contains a sophisticated modem that both transmits and receives over a short distance. Each wireless node is linked backed to a server that makes the connection between nodes. Over the years a number of wireless LANs have been developed and abandoned.

There are three physical layers for WLANs: two radio frequency specifications (RF - direct sequence and frequency hopping spread spectrum) and one infrared (IR). Most WLANs operate in the 2.4 GHz license-free frequency band and have throughput rates up to 2Mbps. The new 802.11b standard is direct sequence only, and provides throughput rates up to 11 Mbps. Currently the predominant standard, it is widely supported by vendors such as Cisco, Lucent, Apple, etc.

The network design featuring the UTP cable will be implemented using star topology in which all devices will communicate on the network by passing data through a hub.

1: The WAN link to the Caerleon Campus and to the internet

Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) cable consists of eight insulated copper wires grouped together to form four pairs. The wires in each pair are twisted around each other to reduce signal degradation from interference. The number of twists per meter for each pair can be varied to further reduce crosstalk noise. The Category 5 UTP (also 100BaseT) used for fast Ethernet, supports data rates of 100 Mbps or higher and has a maximum segment length of 100-meters. The standard connector for UTP is an RJ-45 connector. By far, UTP is the most popular and generally the best option for wired LANs. Thin Coax cable consists of an insulated copper wire surrounded by a woven copper braid to reduce the amount of outside interference. An outer jacket covers the two conducting elements. Coax cable supports data rates from 10 to 100 Mbps and can be laid over greater distances than UTP with fewer repeaters.

Fiber Optic cable consists of a center glass core surrounded by layers of protective plastic shield, followed by a very strong plastic Kevlar (used in making armor) and an outer ...