1/10/14
IS-3120 Unit 3 Assignment 3
With the current application of 802.11b wireless solution Highbrow Ed is using, hot spots are inefficient for application delivery, and to manage the bandwidth they will need for the collaboration and expansion required in the future. An upgrade to an optimized Wireless LAN (WLAN) architecture will solve all of their business needs.
While an 802.11b/g model for wireless networking using a traditional centralized WLAN switch might work, this solution is very expensive and has several limitations. This type of model is prone to inefficient application delivery, performance bottlenecking, and having a single point of failure depending on the health of the centralized WLAN switch.
Upgrading to an optimized WLAN architecture, using 802.11n technology, provides Highbrow Ed with a scalable, efficient, high-performing wireless network. An optimized WLAN architecture combines the advantages of central management and addresses the limitations of having a central wireless switch. Optimized WLAN consists of intelligent Access Points (Aps) and a WLAN controller. The APs forward traffic and enforce security and prioritization policies, while the WLAN controller centrally manages and controls all APs. The APs dispatch all traffic directly from source to destination without requiring a detour to the controller.
The optimized WLAN architecture, with its distributed traffic forwarding, will not require Highbrow Ed to significantly change their LAN backbone. Highbrow Ed will need to upgrade their WLAN infrastructure to migrate from the 802.11b network to 802.11n network. However, Highbrow Ed will see an increase in productivity and enhanced collaboration solutions. The conversion to the 802.11n architecture will increase their area of coverage for the campus both in the structures and outdoors. 802.11n boosts network capacity and speed up to 600Mbps, and supports voice and data transfers.