Term Paper
Case Study Problem
A small, independent, business/home/life insurance company consisting of an owner, a business manager, an administrator, and four agents decides to implement a network. The company occupies half of a small building in an office park. Their volume of business had been stable for the past three years, but recently it has been increasing. To handle the increased business volume, two new agents will be hired.
Figure 1.31 illustrates the current arrangement.
Figure 1.31 Case study model
Everyone in the company has a computer, but the business manager has the only printer. These computers are not connected by any form of networking. When agents need to print a document, they must first copy the file to a floppy disk, then carry it to the business manager's computer, where they are finally able to print it. Similarly, when staff members want to share data, the only means available is to copy the data on one computer to a floppy disk and insert the disk in another computer. Recently, problems have arisen. The business manager is spending too much time printing other people's documents; and it is frequently unclear which copy of a given document is the current and authoritative version.
Your task is to design a network for this company.
To clarify the task of choosing a solution, you ask some questions.
Circle the most appropriate answers to the following questions:
1. Which type of network would you suggest for this company? o Peer-to-peer o Server-based
2. Which network topology would be most appropriate in this situation?
o o o o o o Bus
Ring
Star
Mesh
Star bus
Star ring
Troubleshooting Problem
Use the information in the next section to help you solve the troubleshooting problem that follows. Background Information
Choosing a network that does not meet an organization's needs leads directly to trouble. A common problem arises from choosing a peer-to-peer network when the situation calls for a
A small, independent, business/home/life insurance company consisting of an owner, a business manager, an administrator, and four agents decides to implement a network. The company occupies half of a small building in an office park. Their volume of business had been stable for the past three years, but recently it has been increasing. To handle the increased business volume, two new agents will be hired.
Figure 1.31 illustrates the current arrangement.
Figure 1.31 Case study model
Everyone in the company has a computer, but the business manager has the only printer. These computers are not connected by any form of networking. When agents need to print a document, they must first copy the file to a floppy disk, then carry it to the business manager's computer, where they are finally able to print it. Similarly, when staff members want to share data, the only means available is to copy the data on one computer to a floppy disk and insert the disk in another computer. Recently, problems have arisen. The business manager is spending too much time printing other people's documents; and it is frequently unclear which copy of a given document is the current and authoritative version.
Your task is to design a network for this company.
To clarify the task of choosing a solution, you ask some questions.
Circle the most appropriate answers to the following questions:
1. Which type of network would you suggest for this company? o Peer-to-peer o Server-based
2. Which network topology would be most appropriate in this situation?
o o o o o o Bus
Ring
Star
Mesh
Star bus
Star ring
Troubleshooting Problem
Use the information in the next section to help you solve the troubleshooting problem that follows. Background Information
Choosing a network that does not meet an organization's needs leads directly to trouble. A common problem arises from choosing a peer-to-peer network when the situation calls for a