Computer Dynamics is a microcomputer software development company that has a 300-computer network. The company is located in three adjacent five-story buildings in an office park, with about 100 computers in each building. The current network is a poorly designed mix of Ethernet and token ring (Ethernet in two buildings and token ring in the other). The networks in all three buildings are heavily overloaded, and the company anticipates significant growth in network traffic. There is currently no network connection among the buildings, but this is one objective in building the new network. Describe the network you would recommend and how it would be configured with the goal of building a new network that will support the company’s needs for the next 3 years with few additional investments. Be sure to include the devices and type of network circuits you would use. You will need to make some assumptions, so be sure to document your assumptions and explain why you have designed the network in this way.
Assumptions: The two buildings with Ethernet are wired with at least Cat5e cabling and all wiring is run back to a central closet on each floor to a data switch. To connect the floors in the building a fiber cable is run between the closets to connect them to each other, a chassis based switch with a router module installed, and the local service providers WAN.
Rewire the building that has Token Ring to at least Cat5e cabling, Token Ring will not be able to withstand the network load or the anticipated network traffic growth. Install a chassis based switch with router modules installed and fiber ports to connect this building to the newly designed backbone. Chassis switches are robust and scalable; they will survive the demands of the network for the next 3 years. Connect the three building via the chassis switches using fiber from building to building and a dedicated point to point circuit to the service provider’s WAN. This will allow