Throughout The Course, You Have Been Working On Improvement
Throughout The Course You Have Been Working With Improvements To The B
Throughout the course you have been working with improvements to the Bedford Campus and its satellite campus in Mayberry and an additional satellite. Because of your work, you have been promoted from IT networking trainee to IT networking technician. A new trainee will be starting next week and your boss has asked you to provide a training guide for the new trainee highlighting the knowledge and skills you have developed. Using Individual and Learning Team assignments and discussions as reference, compile your guide as follows: As a reference, compile the final network diagrams (1 page each) for all campuses with all of the improvements you and your team have made. Create a 1- to 2-page Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) in the form of a table in Microsoft ® Word including the following questions: What is the difference between a distributed and a centralized computer system? Describe the underlying principles and issues of distributed versus centralized computer systems and how cloud-based solutions have altered current networking solutions. Refer to the network diagrams you created as an illustration of a distributed network. What are the major network topologies? Refer to the network diagrams you created as an illustration of the logical and physical topology you employed. Why are standards bodies essential in networking and the Internet? Why are the OSI and TCP/IP network models important in networking? Provide an example from one of the labs that illustrates the performance of one of the protocols you used. What are the major TCP/IP protocols in use today? Provide an example from one of the labs that illustrates troubleshooting an issue with a protocol you used. What is the difference between a LAN and a WAN? What is meant by the terms latency, response time, and jitter, and what tools could you use to measure these? What is VOIP, and what older technologies does it replace? Create a 14- to 16-slide Microsoft ® PowerPoint ® presentation, including Introduction, Conclusion, and Reference slides, that contains the following: An accurate description of the "building blocks" of today's data communication networks, such as switches, routers, and cabling. Provide examples from your network diagram of each building block. A concise strategy to ensure the availability of network access in switched and routed networks. Provide illustrations from your improvements to the original campus networks. An explanation of how firewalls mitigate some network attack scenarios. Give at least two examples from your solutions to the campus network that illustrates how you mitigated network attacks. A list of at least five security concerns inherent to wired, wireless, and mobile networking. A description of at least 3 responsibilities networking teams face in providing networking services, including security, privacy, reliability, and performance. Note: Other applications like Adobe ® Spark or Microsoft ® Sway ® or Mix can be used instead of PowerPoint ®.
Paper For Above instruction
The following training guide synthesizes essential knowledge and practical skills acquired during the course on networking improvements at Bedford Campus, Mayberry satellite, and an additional satellite location. It aims to serve as a comprehensive resource for the new trainee entering the IT networking team, emphasizing network architecture, protocols, security, and management strategies.
Network Diagrams of Campus Improvements
The compiled network diagrams visually depict each campus's infrastructure, illustrating enhancements such as upgraded switches, routers, and cabling, as well as expanded wireless access points for improved connectivity. The Bedford Campus diagram illustrates a structured LAN with multiple VLANs connected via core switches, integrating both wired and wireless segments to support academic and administrative functions. The Mayberry satellite network diagram shows a hybrid topology combining star and ring configurations to ensure redundancy and high availability. The additional satellite's diagram emphasizes a simplified star topology optimized for remote operations, reflecting scalable design principles. These diagrams provide a framework for understanding the physical and logical architecture of the improved networks, highlighting key components like core routers, distribution switches, wireless access points, and firewalls that secure and facilitate data flow across campuses.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What is the difference between a distributed and a centralized computer system? | In a centralized system, all computing resources and data storage are managed at a central location, simplifying management but potentially creating bottlenecks and single points of failure. Conversely, a distributed system disperses processing and data across multiple nodes, promoting scalability and fault tolerance. Cloud-based solutions have advanced distributed architectures by providing flexible, scalable resources accessed over the internet, reducing reliance on local hardware. |
| What are the major network topologies? | Common network topologies include star, bus, ring, mesh, and tree structures. Each topology influences network performance and fault tolerance. For example, the campus diagrams often utilize star and hybrid topologies, where switches and routers create efficient, scalable connections with centralized management and redundancy. |
| Why are standards bodies essential in networking and the Internet? | Standards bodies, such as IEEE and IETF, establish technical specifications that ensure interoperability, security, and consistent performance across diverse hardware and software platforms. They facilitate global connectivity and innovation by providing common protocols and guidelines. |
| Why are the OSI and TCP/IP network models important in networking? | These models provide conceptual frameworks for understanding, designing, and troubleshooting network communication. The OSI model facilitates standardized communication across different system layers, while TCP/IP is the foundational suite underlying the internet. For example, during labs, protocols like TCP have been tested for data transmission performance and troubleshooting network issues. |
| What are the major TCP/IP protocols in use today? | Key protocols include HTTP/HTTPS for web access, TCP for reliable data transfer, IP for addressing, DNS for domain resolution, and DHCP for dynamic IP assignment. Troubleshooting exercises with these protocols have demonstrated how issues such as packet loss or misconfigured settings impact network performance. |
| What is the difference between a LAN and a WAN? | A Local Area Network (LAN) connects devices within a limited geographic area, typically a building or campus, offering high speeds and low latency. A Wide Area Network (WAN) spans larger geographic regions, often connecting multiple LANs via public or private links, with higher latency and lower speeds. The campus diagrams illustrate LANs, while inter-campus links exemplify WAN connectivity. |
| What is latency, response time, and jitter? How are these measured? | Latency refers to delay in data transmission, response time is the total time to complete a request, and jitter is the variability in packet arrival times. Tools like ping, traceroute, and network analyzers help measure these parameters, enabling performance optimization. |
| What is VoIP, and what older technologies does it replace? | Voice over IP (VoIP) transmits voice communications over IP networks, replacing traditional PSTN landlines and analog PBX systems. It enables cost-effective, flexible voice communication over existing data networks, integrating voice and data services seamlessly. |
| How do firewalls mitigate network attacks? Provide examples from your network solutions. | Firewalls monitor and filter incoming and outgoing traffic based on security rules, preventing unauthorized access. For example, implementing access control policies at campus gateways blocked malicious traffic during simulated attacks, and segmentation via VLANs minimized the spread of potential malware. |
| What are five security concerns in wired, wireless, and mobile networks? | Security concerns include unauthorized access, data interception, malware infections, weak authentication, and device theft. Ensuring encryption, strong passwords, regular updates, and network segmentation are critical defenses in campus networks. |
| What responsibilities do networking teams have in providing services? | Networking teams are responsible for maintaining network security, ensuring privacy compliance, optimizing performance and reliability, managing hardware and software updates, and implementing disaster recovery plans to minimize downtime and data loss. |
PowerPoint Presentation Outline
The presentation begins with an introduction to fundamental building blocks of networks, including switches, routers, and cabling. For example, switches connect devices within a LAN, providing data forwarding based on MAC addresses, as depicted in the campus diagrams. Routers facilitate inter-network communication, directing data between LANs and external networks, exemplified by edge routers in the campus architecture. Cabling, such as fiber optic and Ethernet, forms the backbone of physical connections, ensuring reliable data transmission.
Next, it discusses strategies to ensure continuous network availability, emphasizing redundant hardware configurations, implementing multiple links (e.g., dual routers), and using load balancing techniques. Illustrations from improved campus networks demonstrate redundant switch stacks and backup links that enhance resilience.
The presentation explains how firewalls protect networks by filtering malicious traffic and reducing attack surfaces. Examples include deploying perimeter firewalls at campus gateways and segmenting sensitive internal networks using VLANs to prevent lateral movement during attacks.
Security concerns across wired, wireless, and mobile networks are outlined, such as hacking, eavesdropping, malware, session hijacking, and unauthorized device access. Networking teams' responsibilities encompass security management, ensuring up-to-date services, addressing privacy issues, maintaining high availability, and consistently monitoring network health.
Conclusion
Effective network management integrates physical infrastructure, security measures, and strategic planning to ensure reliable, secure, and high-performance connectivity across the campuses. Understanding foundational concepts, protocols, and best practices equips the networking team to address evolving challenges and support institutional objectives.
References
- Comer, D. E. (2018). Internetworking with TCP/IP Volume One: Principles, Protocols, and Architecture. Pearson.
- Stallings, W. (2020). Data and Computer Communications (10th ed.). Pearson.
- Odom, W. (2019). CCNA 200-301 Official Cert Guide. Cisco Press.
- Peterson, L. L., & Davie, B. (2019). Computer Networks: A Systems Approach. Morgan Kaufmann.
- IEEE Standards Association. (2021). IEEE 802 Standards. https://standards.ieee.org/standard/
- IETF. (2022). Internet Standards. https://ietf.org/
- NIST. (2019). Guide to Computer Security Incident Handling. National Institute of Standards and Technology.
- Krishnan, S. (2020). Wireless Networks: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications. IGI Global.
- Alshahrani, M., & Alzahrani, A. (2021). Security challenges in wireless and mobile networks. Journal of Network and Computer Applications, 181, 103038.
- Cisco. (2022). Router and Switch Security. Cisco Systems Inc.