1 unit 2 assignment brief

You are employed as a network engineer by Nguyen Networking Limited, a hightech networking solution development company, which has branches in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Da Nang and Can Tho. The company has been contracted to implement a networking project from a local educational institute. The specification of the project is given below: People: 200 students, 15 teachers, 12 marketing and administration staff, 5 higher managers including the academic heads and the programme managers, and 3 computer network administrators. Resources: 50 student lab computers, 35 staff computers, and 3 printers. Building: 3 floors, all computers and printers are on the ground floor apart from the IT labs – one lab located on the first floor and another located on the second floor.

Assignment Brief 1 (RQF) Higher National Certificate/Diploma in Computing Student Name/ID Number:

Unit Number and Title: Unit 2: Networking

Assignment Title: Networking Infrastructure

● The submission is in the form of an individual written report This should be written in a concise,

formal business style using single spacing and font size 12 You are required to make use ofheadings, paragraphs and subsections as appropriate, and all work must be supported withresearch and referenced using the Harvard referencing system Please also provide a bibliographyusing the Harvard referencing system

Submission

● Students are compulsory to submit the assignment in due date and in a way requested by the Tutor

● The form of submission will be a soft copy posted on http://cms.greenwich.edu.vn/

● Remember to convert the word file into PDF file before the submission on CMS

Note:

● The individual Assignment must be your own work, and not copied by or from another student.

● If you use ideas, quotes or data (such as diagrams) from books, journals or other sources, you

must reference your sources, using the Harvard style

● Make sure that you understand and follow the guidelines to avoid plagiarism Failure to comply

this requirement will result in a failed assignment

Unit Learning Outcomes:

LO1 Examine networking principles and their protocols.

LO2 Explain networking devices and operations.

Assignment Brief and Guidance:

Assignment scenario

You are employed as a network engineer by Nguyen Networking Limited, a high-tech networkingsolution development company, which has branches in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Da Nang and CanTho The company has been contracted to implement a networking project from a local educationalinstitute The specification of the project is given below:

 People: 200 students, 15 teachers, 12 marketing and administration staff, 5 higher managersincluding the academic heads and the programme managers, and 3 computer networkadministrators

 Resources: 50 student lab computers, 35 staff computers, and 3 printers

 Building: 3 floors, all computers and printers are on the ground floor apart from the IT labs –one lab located on the first floor and another located on the second floor

Task 1

The CEO of the company, Mr Nguyen, has asked you to investigate and explain networking principles,protocols and devices and submit a report

You will need to produce a report that includes the following:

 An introduction to provide an overview of your report

 Benefits and constraints of different types of networks and networking standards

 The impact of network topology, speed of communication and bandwidth requirements

 Effectiveness of networking systems

 Discussion on operating principles of networking devices and server types and networkingsoftware

 Discuss the relationship of workstation hardware with networking software

 Explore a range of server types and justify the selection of a server, considering a given scenarioregarding cost and performance optimization

 For the given specification, identify the topology protocol for the efficient utilization of anetworking system

Learning Outcomes and Assessment Criteria (Assignment 1):

benefits and constraints of different network types and standards

P2 Explain the impact

of network topology, communication and bandwidth

requirements

M1 Compare

common networking principles and how protocols enable the effectiveness of networked systems

D1 Considering a

given scenario, identify the topology protocol selected for the efficient

utilization of a networking system

operating principles ofnetworking devices and server types

P4 Discuss the

inter-dependence of workstation hardware with relevant

regarding cost and performance optimisation

Assignment Brief 1 (RFQ) 1

Higher National Certificate/Diploma in Computing 1

P1 Discuss the benefits and constraints of different network types and standards 6

1 Define network 6

1.1 LAN(Local Area Network) 6

1.2 MAN (Metropolitan Area Network) 7

1.3 WAN (Wide Area Network) 7

2 Protocols and standards 8

1.1 Network Protocol 8

1.2 International standard 11

3 OSI Model 11

P2 Explain the impact of network topology, communication and bandwidth requirements 12

1 Network topology 12

2 Physical topology 12

3 Logical topology 13

4 Difference between Physical topology and Logical topology 13

5 Other topologies 14

5.1 Mesh 14

5.2 Star 15

5.3 Bus 15

5.4 Ring 16

6 Network communication 17

7 Bandwidth 17

P3 Discuss the operating principles of networking devices and server types 18

1 Networking Devices 18

1.1 Switches 18

1.2 Routers 19

2 Other common networking devices 19

2.1 Gateway 19

2.2 Firewall 20

3 Types of servers 21

3.1 DHCP server 21

3.2 DNS server 21

P4 Discuss the inter-dependence of workstation hardware with relevant networking software 22

1 Interdependence definition 22

2 Workstation hardware 23

3 Networking software 23

4 Interdependent between software and hardware 24

References 29

List of Figure Figure 1 - Define Network 6

Figure 2 – Local Area Network 7

Figure 3 - Metropolitan Area Network 7

Figure 4 - Wide Area Network 8

Figure 5 - Network Protocol 8

Figure 6 – TCP/IP 9

Figure 7 - HTTP 9

Figure 8 - DNS 10

Figure 9 - DHCP 10

Figure 10 - ICMP 11

Figure 11 - OSI Model 12

Figure 12 - Network Topology 12

Figure 13 - Physical Topology 13

Figure 14 – Logical Topology 13

Figure 15 - Comparison Table 14

Figure 16 - Mesh 14

Figure 17 - Star 15

Figure 18 - Bus 16

Figure 19 – Ring 17

Figure 20 - Bandwidth 18

Figure 21 - Switch 19

Figure 22 - Router 19

Figure 23 - Gateway 20

Figure 24 - Firewall 20

Figure 25 – DHCP Server 21

Figure 26 – DNS Server 22

Figure 27 – Interdependence definition 23

Figure 28 – Workstation hardware 23

Figure 29 – Networking software 24

Figure 30 - Interdependent between software and hardware 25

P1 Discuss the benefits and constraints of different network types and standards

1 Network Definition

A network is defined in information technology as the connecting of at least two computer systemsvia a cable or wireless connection The most basic network consists of two computers linked by acable Peer-to-peer networks are the name for this form of network In this network, there is nohierarchy; both participants have equal privileges Each computer has access to the other's data andcan share resources including disk space, software, and peripheral devices (printers, etc.) Today'snetworks are a little more complicated, and they aren't merely made up of two computers Client-server networks are commonly used in systems with more than ten players A central computer(server) in these networks distributes resources to the other network participants (clients).

Figure 1 – Network Definition

(WELCOME TO THE NORMAN NETWORK | NORMAN, 2022)

1.1 LAN (Local Area Network)

The LAN, or Local Area Network, is a network that allows personal computers and workstations toshare data, tools, and programs A switch, or stack of switches, connects a set of computers anddevices using a private addressing system provided by the TCP/IP protocol In comparison to othercomputers on the local network, private addresses are unique Routers are located at the LAN'sedge, linking it to the broader WAN Because the number of computers connected is limited, data istransmitted at a very quick rate The connections must, by definition, be high-speed and hardwaremust be reasonably inexpensive (Such as hubs, network adapters, and Ethernet cables) LANs areprivately owned and span a smaller geographical area (size is restricted to a few kilometres) It can

be used for a variety of purposes, including business buildings, homes, hospitals, and schools.LANs are simple to set up and manage Twisted-pair cables and coaxial cables are utilized as aLAN communication method Because it only traverses a limited distance, the inaccuracy and noiseare kept to a minimum

Figure 2 – Local Area Network

(What is Local Area Network? Definition and FAQs | HEAVY.AI, 2022)

1.2 MAN (Metropolitan Area Network)

The Metropolitan Area Network, or MAN, covers a wider area than a LAN and a smaller area than

a WAN It connects two or more computers that are located in different cities but are connectedthrough a network It serves as an ISP and covers a vast geographical area (Internet ServiceProvider) Customers who require high-speed connectivity will benefit from MAN MAN speedsare measured in megabits per second A Metropolitan Area Network is difficult to develop andmaintain The fault tolerance of a MAN is lower, and the network is also more congested It isexpensive, and it may or may not be held by a single entity MAN has a moderate data transfer rateand propagation delay Modem and Wire/Cable are the devices that are utilized to transmit datathrough MAN A MAN is a component of a telephone company's network that can offer a high-speed DSL connection to a client or a city's cable TV network

Figure 3 - Metropolitan Area Network

(Bagci, 2022)

1.3 WAN (Wide Area Network)

A Wide Area Network, or WAN, is a computer network that spans a vast geographic area, however

it may be limited to the boundaries of a state or country A WAN is a network of local areanetworks (LANs) that link to other LANs via telephone lines and radio waves It can be restricted to

a single firm (a corporation or organization) or open to the public The technology is both speed and low-cost

Figure 4 - Wide Area Network

(Networking Service - Wan Networking Service Retailer from Noida, 2022)

2 Protocols and standards

2.1 Network Protocol

A network protocol is a set of rules that govern how data is exchanged between devices connected

to the same network In essence, it enables connected devices to interact with one another despitevariations in internal operations, structure, or design Network protocols are responsible forallowing you to interact with individuals all over the world, and they play an important part inmodern digital communications They ensure that computer network devices, independent of theirdiffering designs, hardware, or infrastructures, can transmit and receive data using a commonlanguage The end-to-end processes of timely, secure, and managed data or network communicationare governed by network protocols They can be implemented in hardware or software, and they're

so crucial that, in practice, every network relies on them for communication and connectivity

Figure 5 - Network Protocol

(Computer Network Protocol, 2022)

Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) is a set of communication protocols thatare used to connect network devices on the internet In a private computer network, TCP/IP is alsoused as a communications protocol (an intranet or extranet)

IP address that other machines use to locate it DNS servers minimize the need for people to learn

IP addresses like 192.168.1.1 (in IPv4) or more complex modern alphanumeric IP addresses like2400:cb00:2048:1::c629:d7a2 (in IPv6) (in IPv6)

- International Organization for Standardization (ISO)

- American National Standards Institute (ANSI)

- Information Technology Industry Council (ITIC)

- National Committee for Information Technology (NCITS)

- Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)

- Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA)

- Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA)

- International Telecommunication Union - Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T)

- European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI)

3 OSI Model

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) developed the open systemsinterconnection (OSI) model, which allows different communication systems to communicate viastandard protocols In layman's terms, the OSI establishes a standard for computer systems tocommunicate with one another The OSI Model can be thought of as a universal computernetworking language It's based on the idea of breaking down a communication system into sevenabstract layers that are piled on top of each other

Figure 11 - OSI Model

—are referred to as physical network topology Logical network topology is more abstract andstrategic, referring to the conceptual knowledge of how and why the network is set up the way it is,

as well as how data flows across it

Figure 12 - Network Topology

(Ghahrai, 2022)

2 Physical topology

The interconnected structure of a local area network is referred to as physical topology (LAN) Thephysical topology is defined by the method used to link the physical devices on the network to thecables, as well as the type of cabling utilized Logic topology, on the other hand, specifies anetwork's media signal performance and how it trades device data

Figure 13 - Physical Topology

(Internet of everything, 2022)

3 Logical topology

A logical topology is a networking concept that describes the architecture of a network'scommunication mechanism for all nodes The logical topology of a network can be dynamicallymaintained and modified using network equipment such as routers and switches Physicaltopologies refer to the physical linkages of all devices in the network, whereas logical topologiesrefer to the logical interconnections of all devices in the network

Figure 14 – Logical Topology

(2022)

4 Difference between Physical topology and Logical topology

The physical layout of the network medium is referred to as physical topology Logical topology,

on the other hand, refers to the manner in which data is transported throughout a network

In a logical topology, the physical topology would not prevent data from being transmitted from onedevice to another

Physical topology can be altered, however logical topology is intangible

Comparison Table

Figure 15 - Comparison Table

(Difference Between Star and Ring Topology (with Comparison Chart) - Circuit Globe, 2022)

Conclusion

Network topology is an important aspect of networking since it serves as the foundation for laying out a network efficiently When it comes to planning and deploying a network, both physical and logical topologies are equally important If not carefully planned, physical topology can influence

cost and scalability aspects, whilst logical topology can have a detrimental impact on data traveling

in the form of packets

5 Other topologies

5.1 Mesh

All nodes or devices in a mesh architecture are directly or partially connected to one another Apoint-to-point link is made through mesh topology Mesh topology used to be half-duplex, whichmeant data was either received or sent at the same time However, mesh topologies now offer full-duplex transmission, which means data is sent and received at the same time Mesh topologies can

be wired or wireless, and they can be used in both LAN and WAN environments

Figure 16 - Mesh

(2022)

Advantages:

- It has a lot of strength

- The problem is easily identified Data is secure because it is transmitted across specific channels

or linkages between devices

- Provides privacy and secure

Disadvantages:

- It's difficult to set up and configure

- Because bulk wiring is necessary, cable costs are significant, making them ideal for a smaller number of devices

- The cost of upkeep is prohibitively high

5.2 Star

All of the devices in a star topology are connected to a single hub via a wire This hub serves as thecore node, with all other nodes connecting to it The hub might be passive in nature, meaning it isnot an intelligent hub like broadcasting devices, or it can be active, meaning it is intelligent.Repeaters are found in active hubs