Your Organization Opened Seven New Branch Offices In 294094

Your Organization Opened Seven New Branch Offices In Five States Each

Your organization opened seven new branch offices in five states. Each branch office has five floors. All of the branch offices use the same Internet domain name. The organization has approximately 25 servers and anticipates that an additional 30 servers should be purchased. The organization is planning to provide network services for about 5,000 users. All users require access to the Internet. Certain resources such as printing and file sharing will be centralized.

Complete the following for this assignment: Using the scenario and assignment information above, discuss with your group how you should divide the tasks evenly among the members. Perform the following tasks:

- Estimate the quantity of connectivity (routers, switches, etc.) devices that will be needed to link all the branches, and provide your rationale for choosing the quantity of each device.

- Estimate the number of Domain Name System (DNS) servers and the type of DNS server that will be installed in each branch.

- Recommend the connectivity and bandwidth for each branch, with justification.

- Using Visio, provide a network design (a diagram or diagrams) that shows interconnectivity among the branches.

- Compile your final group estimations, recommendations, and diagrams into a Word document.

Paper For Above instruction

Introduction

The expansion of an organization across multiple geographical locations necessitates a comprehensive network infrastructure that caters to connectivity, security, scalability, and efficiency. In this scenario, seven new branch offices spread across five states require meticulous planning for hardware, software, and network design to ensure seamless operations for approximately 5,000 users, with centralized resources such as printing and file sharing.

Task Distribution in a Group Setting

Effective division of tasks in a group setting is vital for designing an optimal network infrastructure. Tasks can be allocated based on expertise, interest, or workload balance. For instance, one member could focus on hardware estimation—routers, switches, and servers—while another handles DNS configurations and domain management. A third member might concentrate on bandwidth and connectivity planning, including branch-specific needs. The remaining members can compile diagrams and drafting documentation. Establishing clear communication channels and deadlines ensures that each component integrates seamlessly into the final project.

Estimating Connectivity Devices

Routers

Since the organization has seven branches in five states, a minimum of one core router per branch is essential for inter-branch data flow and Internet access. Moreover, each branch’s local area networks (LANs) need routers to connect floors and segregate traffic efficiently. Accordingly, approximately one high-capacity router per branch floor, totaling around 35 routers (7 branches x 5 floors), is appropriate.

Switches

Switches are crucial for connecting end-user devices within each floor. A typical configuration might involve 24 or 48-port switches, depending on the number of devices per floor. Assuming 20-25 users per floor, a 48-port switch per floor can suffice, with additional ports used for printers and network infrastructure. For 7 branches, total switches would be around 35–40, distributed based on floor size and user count.

Other Devices

Additional network devices include firewalls and load balancers, especially for centralized resources and Internet access. Estimated 7 firewalls at branch levels, and a minimum of one or two load balancers for application availability.

DNS Server Estimation and Deployment

Given the organization’s use of a common domain across all branches, each branch should host at least one authoritative DNS server to ensure local name resolution, speed, and redundancy. A primary DNS server in each branch can handle local queries efficiently, complemented by secondary servers for redundancy and load balancing.

Type of DNS Servers:

- Primary (Master) DNS server: Handles domain zone updates.

- Secondary (Slave) DNS server: Serves as backup, residing perhaps in a central or highly available data center.

In total, for seven branches, a recommended deployment includes at least seven primary DNS servers and a few secondary DNS servers, possibly centralized in the main data center.

Connectivity and Bandwidth Recommendations

Each branch must support the number of users and centralized resources. For 5,000 users spread across all branches, individual branch bandwidth should scale appropriately.

Estimate:

- For branches with fewer users (say, 50-200 users), 50-100 Mbps links suffice.

- For larger branches with up to 1,000 users, 1 Gbps links may be necessary to avoid bottlenecks.

Justification:

Supporting centralized file sharing and printing requires high throughput. Moreover, hosting servers locally or in a centralized data center impacts bandwidth needs. As such, a hierarchical approach with high-speed WAN links (e.g., fiber optics for larger branches) ensures reliable performance.

Network Diagram and Connectivity

Using Microsoft Visio, a network diagram should illustrate:

- Central data center hosting core servers and DNS.

- Each branch connected via VPN or dedicated MPLS links.

- LAN segments within branches connected through switches, with routers managing inter-branch traffic.

- Redundancies and security layers, such as firewalls.

The diagram should reflect hierarchical connectivity: branch LANs connecting to local routers, with routers connecting to WAN links that tie into the central data center infrastructure. This structure supports scalability, security, and high availability.

Conclusion

Designing a network for a growing organization across multiple states requires careful estimation of hardware, logical deployment of services such as DNS, appropriate bandwidth allocation, and clear interconnectivity schemes. Proper task division among team members ensures a comprehensive and cohesive plan that supports organizational needs for reliable, scalable, and secure network operations.

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