Research Paper On Designing A Data Network For Acme, Inc. (Research Proposal Sample)

Proposal for a New Data Network for ACME, Inc.
Name
Institution
Proposal for a New Data Network for ACME, Inc.
Introduction
A computer network describes a digital telecommunication network that allows various nodes to share resources (Gupta, 2006). According to Gupta (2006), the networked devices exchange data among themselves through a data link. The connections between distinct network nodes are established using wireless media or cable media. Network nodes describe the network computer devices which produce, route and terminate data signals. For instance, network nodes could include hosts like mobile phones, personal computers, servers, and networking hardware among many others. As such, any two nodes are said to be successfully networked together if one node is capable of exchanging data with the other network node (Gupta, 2006).
A data network plays a significant role in organizations and homes. Peterson and Davie (2011) argue that computer networks support a wide range of applications and services including access to the digital video, digital audio, Internet, shared utilization of application and storage servers, fax machines, and printers among many others. Additionally, computer networks support use of instant messaging, IP telephone and email applications and protocols to establish communication between different users of the computer networks. Fascinatingly, computer networks are not the same. Certainly, data networks differ in terms of the transmission medium used to propagate their signals, the network’s size, protocols used to control and define the network traffic, network topology, and lastly organizational intent among many others. The internet is the common and widely known computer network.
This paper aims to provide a proposal for a new data network for ACME, Inc. As a Network Engineer at Networks-R-Us, I like to propose for a data network that spans two building of ACME, Inc. that are located in Dallas. These two offices are Glass and Smith. The two offices are 300 meters apart. The Glass building is on the East side of the street, while the Smith building is on the West side of the street. The Glass office comprises 30 users while the Smith office consists of 15 users. According to the network requirements specification, no cable would be buried in the ground between the Glass building and Smith building. The proposal would commence with providing a preliminary description of the computer hardware and network devices required. Secondly, the proposal would describe the estimated cost of computer and networking hardware. Thirdly, this paper would describe how the network would be implemented with regard to the IP address provided at each location. Lastly, the proposal would describe how the security would be implemented.
Preliminary Description of Computer Hardware and Network Devices Required
This section provides a comprehensive description of the computer hardware and network devices needed to implement the data network for ACME, Inc. One of the basic network components required in the computer network include 45 computers. The Glass building would be allocated 30 computers while the other 15 computers would be used in the Smith building. Each user in the Glass building would be assigned one computer, so the 30 computers would be enough for the 30 users. Likewise, each user in the Smith building would be using one computer. The proposal assumes that the Network Administrator is included in the group of 45 users and is also assigned only one computer.
Another important computer hardware includes the network interface card (NIC). Network interface cards are computer hardware devices that would enable computers to connect and communicate with each other. Each network interface card contain a unique hardware addresses called MAC address that is hardwired in the card chip. The data-link layer uses these addresses to discover other computer devices on the network. Computers might not connect to each other in the absence of the network interface card. This proposal recommends a network interface card that is wireless enabled. Indeed, network interface cards fall into two types including wired and wireless network interface cards. The wired network interface card must use cables and the appropriate connectors as the transmission medium to transfer data. However, the wireless network interface card relies on radio wave technology to establish a connection between two computers. Luckily, all modern computers comprise wireless network interface cards in addition to wired network interface cards. Network adapters support different speeds such as 10Mbps, 100Mbps, and the latest NICs support 1000Mbps. For the purpose of this proposal, I would endorse network interface cards that support at least speeds of 100Mbps.
Cables and connectors are must-have tools in any data network. The data network intended for ACME, Inc. requires cables to connect different devices within each building. As such, the internal connection within the Glass and Smith buildings would be established using cables. However, the connection between the two offices would require a wireless connection because of the city ordinances described in the network requirements specification. Fundamentally, cables would enable transmission of signals between network devices. The internal cable connection would use Category 5 UTP cables. The Cat 5 UTP cables would be terminated using the RJ-45 connectors. The connection between similar devices would use cross-over cables, whereas the connection between dissimilar network devices would be connected using straight-through Ethernet cables. Cable connection is faster and more secure than wireless connection. In particular, the Cat 5 UTP cables would use 100Base-T standard to enable data transmission.
The list of the network devices required would also include one router. The router would reside in the Glass building while the Smith building would contain only a switch and host computers. The router eliminates collisions and broadcasts by default. As a Network Engineer, I would use routers to eliminate network jams and collisions. The router would connect the entire data network to the internet. The proposal endorses a wireless router. This wireless router would support both wired connection and the wireless connection. As a Network Engineer, I would like to use Cisco 880 Series. Specifically, Cisco 880 Series supports enhanced security and integrated wireless options, PBX and IP telephony voice support, and WAN redundancy with both 3G and 4G options.
Another important network device is a switch. The entire data network would require two switches. One switch would be situated in the Glass building while the other switch would be located in the Smith building. The Glass building that hosts 30 users would be allocated the Cisco SGE2010P Ethernet Switch that has 48 ports to accommodate all the 30 users. The Cisco SGE2010P Ethernet Switch supports advanced security features such as ARP Inspection, DHCP Snooping, IP Source Guard, and STP Root Guard among many others. Additionally, this switch allows encrypted management using SSH, SSL, and MAC authentication. The Smith building that has 15 users would use Cisco SG300 that has 20 ports. Hence, the switch would accommodate the 15 users in the Smith office building.
Modem is also an important component in the data network. The modem would enable the users to access the internet. The two buildings would share the same internet connection. The entire data network requires just one modem. This modem would be connected to the router in the Glass building. The Smith building would not require a modem because the modem in the Glass building would provide the internet to the whole computer network.
The entire data network requires two separate Wireless Access Points (AP) that would be mounted at the top of each building. The two Wireless Access Points would face each other to create a straight line of view and to establish a strong point to point wireless connection. As a Network Engineer I would use two Cisco Aironet 3800 Series Access Points because they support the latest Wi-Fi standards, 802.11ac Wave 2, and speeds of up to 2.34Gbps.
The table below exhibits the computer hardware and network devices required in the data network for ACME, Inc. The table provides the description of the device name, model and the number of network devices required in each category.
Computer Hardware and Network Devices

Name

Model

Pieces

Network Interface Card

Aircard 400 for Ricochet

45

Computers

Dell Inspiron 3048 19.5 Inch, Intel core i3, and RAM 4GB.

45

Cables

Category 5 (Cat 5) UTP Cables

Not Applicable

Switch

Cisco SGE2010P Ethernet Switch- 48 ports
Cisco SG300 – 20 ports

2

Router

Cisco 880 Series

1

Wireless Access Points (AP)

Cisco Aironet 3800 Series Access Point

2

Estimated Cost of Computer and Networking Hardware
The computer hardware and the networking devices would be purchased depending on the latest prices in the market. The table below exhibits the estimated cost of the computer hardware and networking devices needed to create the data network for ACME, Inc.
Estimated Cost of Computer Hardware and Network Devices

Name

Model

Pieces

Estimated Cost per Item (USD)

Total Estimated Cost (USD)

Network Interface Card

Aircard 400 for Ricochet

45

$19.99

$899.25

Computers

Dell Inspiron 3048 19.5 Inch, Intel core i3, and RAM 4GB.

45

$827.42

$37,233.90

Cables

Category 5 (Cat 5) UTP Cables.

20000Feet

$10.59 Per 200 FT

$100

Switches

Cisco SGE2010P Ethernet Swit...