CS Description
Brief Description
Our Local Area Network (LAN) comprises networking devices such a Cisco Switch and a Router, which support the communication of client devices such as Windows computers, printers, and servers. The core connectivity is on 1000BaseT Ethernet cables at a speed of 1GB per second or 1000MBps. Our 1000BaseT Ethernet cables are IEEE 802.3ab, which is an IEEE standard that defines gigabit transmission over unshielded twisted pair (UTP) as opposed to IEEE 802.3ah, which supports the fiber connection. The categories of UTP cables within our LAN are namely 5 and 5e, and they can support up to 1GB of data transfers per second.
The critical components in our LAN are routers and Switches. The router is used to route packets from one network to the other. Different ports on the router define different interfaces. The router also has a security mechanism that filters inbound and outbound traffic to ensure only accepted packets get into the LAN. There are three 24-port Cisco switches in the LAN to forward traffic from one device to another. The switch inspects the incoming message frame to find a physical address, also known as MAC address, and decide which devices to receive the message.
Along with Routers and Switches, some Servers help to support different operations. The Optical Carrier 48 (OC-48) in the WAN system helps to generate a generic frame mapping device with LAN data, which has fiber channels and Ethernet interface to allow accessible digital signals connectivity to routers of clients and local business. There is a webserver called Apache that helps to manage static files and all web systems accessed by clients within the Local Area Network. There is also a file server powered by the Windows server, which takes care of file access and storage within the LAN. Additionally, a printer server schedules printing operations while a database server manages data stored and retrieved by clients. Once a user is on the network, the network printer requests a node name or an IP ( Internet Protocol) address that, when matched with an interface card, allows connectivity. The printer then receives print jobs directly as each port number and service name is specific to a type of printer. Other clients with desktop computers and a smart card reader access the network via a Virtual Private Network. A VPN transfers encrypted data containing router information securely to clients. A firewall-based VPN uses a firewall to restrict access to internal internet by prompting business clients to use authentications, alarms while logging in and connecting to the routers. The information contained in a firewall-based VPN, such as Proxy servers, are unreadable without decryption keys.