Table of Contents
Organization’s Case Scenario. 3
Current local area network (LAN) 4
Benefits of the proposed system (IBM z13) 5
Analysis of how the changes would meet the Organization’s Goals and Objectives. 7
Introduction
The aim of this section is to create a Local Area Network design diagram that is currently utilized by Matt by describing both its hardware and software resources. Secondly, the paper will create the newly revised LAN design diagram of your proposed network that describes the hardware and software resources that I recommended for implementation. Thirdly, a specific narrative that details the specific changes that I have recommended will be provided and the benefits of implementing the suggested implementations. Finally, an analysis of how the changes recommended for implementation would meet the organization’s goals and objectives will be presented and discussed thoroughly.
Organization’s Case Scenario
The retail store knows that the current network model is not reliable, and adding a Web server to host its Website seems unfeasible. Matt (the information technology [IT] support person) has shared with you that there is an AS/400 mainframe, 15 workstations, a router, and several hubs to support three workgroups of 5 nodes each, a database, and a file server. It is hoped that the company will grow and that it will need to hire more employees in the near future. Internet access is sporadic, but it is supposed to work (according to the cable company).
Network Diagram Design
Current local area network (LAN)
Create a local area network (LAN) design diagram of the current network that describes the hardware and software resources that Matt described.
Sales and customer Department Back-up office department
The information on the current Local Area Network is used to create a design of the current network. Matt’s support person gave the information for information technology. According to the support, the LAN has 15 number of workstations, a mainframe, file servers, a database, a router, and a number of hubs. The hub supports three workgroups, and each workgroup has five nodes. Hubs are used as connections to the computers or network devices in the configuration of the current network (Park, Ergen, Fischione & Johansson, 2017). The sales department and the back office are connected using a hub. However, the hub is less efficient and cannot perfectly contain the network traffic between the two departments. Both the file servers and the Database are located close to end-users. Their location is fine, but the mainframe must use the two devices to operate. However, traffic management in different areas is inefficient since the traffic traverses via inefficient network boundaries because of the type of devices used to manage network traffic. The switch also has an issue because of its configuration. It is not configured with VLAN capabilities, which means it has a low level of protection. Also, this means that to separate the traffic from both the back office and production department would be by segmenting the network. If each workstation has a virtual local area network, and security controls, the level of protection would be higher. The diagram below summarizes this information, which is a representation of the current Network design.
Revised local area network
Create a revised LAN design diagram of your proposed network that describes the hardware and software resources that you recommend to be implemented. Provide a rationale for your network design.
Router
DMZ VLAN 5
Internal VLAN
In support of your revised LAN diagram, provide a specific narrative that details the specific changes that you are recommending and why you feel that those changes should be made.
The current Local Area Network has a number of issues such as security problems, it needs to hire more employees, and it has slow internet access. Therefore, it needs an update because of these reasons. The issues arise because of the type of devices used. First, the AS/400 needs a replacement because the mainframe is outdated, and the series is old. The mainframe system came out in 1988 (Park et al., 2017). This means the costs of maintenance and power and cooling are too high. Additionally, it has high-risk levels of failure because it is very old, cannot support new software, and is incompatible with new technologies. Replacing the system with a new one will reduce maintenance costs. In most cases, a new system has a warranty of at least three years. A new system will also reduce the costs of running and cooling because its efficiency is better. A new system is also environmentally friendly. The AS/400 will be replaced with an IBM z13.
Benefits of the proposed system (IBM z13)
The new system will improve the growth of the business and its performance. It has a better and greater memory, its cache is enhanced, and both the input and output are improved. The bandwidth can serve up more data and has the ability to support larger volumes of mobile transactions. The IBM z13 has real-time insights with transaction processing and integrated analytics at the point of impact (Saenko & Kotenko, 2015). The system has guaranteed delivery of security, especially on data and services, it is reliable, and the risks are very minimal. IBM z13 has a SAN fabric priority, which assures improved data (Saenko & Kotenko, 2015).
Improvements to be made
The outdated mainframe needs to be replaced with a newer one, and the proposed one is an IBM z13. A switch that has the capability of supporting VLAN configuration has to be used to manage the isolated areas of the network. This will mean that every area will be in a position to contain security controls with the right limits on all traffics, including broadcast, inbound, and outbound. Also, the hubs will be replaced with highly advanced switches. The server gear has to be isolated into a single DMZ Local Area Network zone. DMZ LAN has a very high level of security, and it can be reached from outside, which is why it is the most suitable for Matt (Saenko & Kotenko, 2015). The webserver has whitelisting, which is specifically for outbound traffic. This means that there is a limitation in the devices which can communicate externally to the DMZ VLAN. The separation of servers into DMZ will facilitate the implementation of a security model that is improved.
A replacement of the hubs with switches will improve the performance of the network. This is because the hubs lack discretion where packets land on a network. That means every node connected to the hub receives the traffic whenever a single node communicates with another. Hence, any devices connected, whether or not they are the target of receiving the packet, will receive it. The use of switches prevents this issue by ensuring only the target node receives the packet. A more packet discretion is ensured by connecting switches 3 and 4 within the internal local area network. This will also prevent switch two, which is outbound from internal traffic routing. This improvement will ensure that there is a redundancy in case there is a problem with switch four. Also, in a case where between switch three and four there is a break, the packets can traverse switch 2.
Based on the proposed network design, inbound traffic is configured from the main router. This means there is a single line between the virtual LANS, which assists in monitoring all devices. The recommendations given will help the network by providing faster service, providing long-term service, and better internet availability.
Provide analysis as to how this part of the project fulfills the mission and one or more goals of the case study organization.
Analysis of how the changes would meet the Organization’s Goals and Objectives
The multiple changes that have been done on Matt’s current network system will address several goals and objectives of the retail store. The revised network system implemented will be more efficient as it will have more control over packet shaping and routing. The system will reduce unnecessary delays that were witnessed in the current network system that affected the way the retail store was managed and run. The revised network system will reduce the flow of traffic in the network system, and that is required to be processed and transferred by the devices connected in the network system. By doing away with network traffic, the availability of the network will be enhanced, and this would increase the capacity of the network as well as the performance. The enhancement of the network system to reduce the traffic of the network and flow of information within the store is one of Matt’s main goals and objectives, and they have been met by the revised network (Verma & Shriramwar, 2013).
Another important goal of revising Matt’s network was maintaining a reliable and scalable information technology infrastructure that would empower the advanced use of the network technology for improved Matt’s performance. The recommended Cisco Catalyst 6513 Switch that will be used in the revised network system will increase the system’s capacity to accommodate more users without losing its speed, as the new IBM z13 includes both new hardware and software. The introduced VLAN and managed switches will be done by eliminating unmanaged hubs (Verma & Shriramwar, 2013). It will provide several opportunities for securing DMZ and Matt’s internal networks in several ways. Having managed switches in place of unmanaged hubs enhances the auditing of the network traffic without affecting the performance of the devices connected or any servers that may be incorporated. This is helpful during the troubleshooting of security issues and other possible network issues.
The last goal of the Matt store is maintaining safe surroundings by ensuring the integrity, availability, and confidentiality of the important information and data within its systems. The use of the router and firewalls will assist both the inbound and outbound traffic. The revised network system will also contain a web server consisting of both local network segments and VLAN, providing local access of network to all other server assets within the store such as Matt’s databases and file servers (Verma & Shriramwar, 2013). The webserver will not only optimize the common pathways of network traffic between multiple servers of the organization, but it will also provide new and easier approaches of locking down and securing all its servers from any kind of attack from outside. The placement of Cisco Catalyst 6513 Switch before the secured web server proxy will also provide security to the network, meaning that unauthorized persons can access no sensitive information.
References
Park, P., Ergen, S. C., Fischione, C., Lu, C., & Johansson, K. H. (2017). Wireless network design for control systems: A survey. IEEE Communications Surveys & Tutorials, 20(2), 978-1013.
Saenko, I., & Kotenko, I. (2015). A genetic approach for virtual computer network design. In Intelligent Distributed Computing VIII (pp. 95-105). Springer, Cham.
Verma, R. O., & Shriramwar, S. S. (2013, April). Effective VTP Model for Enterprise VLAN Security. In 2013 International Conference on Communication Systems and Network Technologies (pp. 426-430). IEEE.