Research Paper> COMPUTER S 123 Network Design Proposal for Small Office

I. Physical Network Design A. Network Topology Business Needs Small office network is being setup with a secured environment to be in place. Generally, the small offices lack the network of corporate IT networks. The ...

I. Physical Network Design A. Network Topology Business Needs Small office network is being setup with a secured environment to be in place. Generally, the small offices lack the network of corporate IT networks. There is two major requirement of the network in such a scenario straightforward access and network management being easy. The security requirement of the organization is to be updated to the latest requirements of the modern computing environments. The design is simple yet functional and secure with scope of scalable expansion of the network as the business grows up. Proposed Topology Hard-wired networking is still the backbone for most LANs but with the capability of today’s wireless local area networks (WLANs) they are quickly taking the lead. “For many small companies, technology decisions boil down to providing the best possible customer service. Most application and a business-grade wireless network will enhance the business of any type of company, from manufactures and medical facilities to retail outlets and bistros.” Hard-wired networks have the edge when it comes to reliability but wireless allows for greater access where some places cannot be hard-wired. Utilizing both a hard-wired and wireless LAN gives the small office more flexibility, ease of use, growth capability, mobility, and cost. Justification There are several requirements that must be met for in order for a successful and fully functional network security for the office with the occasional guest user. Those requirements are as follows: 1. Separate subnet for guest and LAN network 2. Guess network should be restricted to access only Web Server and be protected with appropriate antivirus software. 3. An IP network design. 4. Hardware must be identified to include the switches and routers. 5. A wireless security with appropriate security features enabled. 6. Wireless network integration of access points for devices. A network topology diagram B. Network Media Business Needs Based on the requirement, switches and access points which have security features should be made available. A web security firewall appliance should be available to protect the web server from malicious attacks from the internet. The office will have 5-10 users (max of 100), which includes the occasional guest user. Access control lists are used for restricting access between the guest and the LAN network. Proposed Network Media Switch: The small office could have a max of 100 users. There is also a web server which needs to be integrated. Access points are also required to setup for wireless access to the network and internet. Access point: Access points which have appropriate security protocols to encrypt wireless data are recommended. Security protocols like WPA, SFTP, and TKIP is required for providing appropriate wireless security Internet router: A router capable of ADSL internet sharing will be the standard to allow for all users to access the Internet Figure 1: Wiring Diagram Justification Two networks are proposed. One network for the connectivity between the firewall and the router, called the insecure network and the other network for the LAN network, called the secure network. This design is used for segregating the networks for better efficiency. An IP network design table and network design will be defined, described and illustrated to paint the overall project design. The Fig. 1 diagram illustrates a home network that includes a main PC for school work and photo editing and printing. There are three laptops used for school work, web surfing, gaming and entertainment. The switch allows all computers and devices sharing capability for music, video, printing, gaming, and access to the internet and volunteer web server. Cloud computing is also available for storing and accessing files, photos, and media as well as access statistics from the visitors of the web server. C. Network Devices Business Needs All hardware used is listed below with item descriptions, models, and quantity. Item | Model Broadband Router | Netgear DG834GT Firewall | SPI Double firewall Access Point | Linksys WAP54G Wireless-G Access Point Switches | Cisco Catalyst 2960S- 24TD-L Antivirus | McAfee Antivirus Plus 2016Vendors: Vendors for the hardware and software are listed with support details for the hardware. Vendor | Support NETGEAR | http://support.netgear.com Linksys | http://www.linksys.comCisco http://www.cisco.com McAfee | http://www.mcafee.comProposed Network Devices Item Broadband Router | Model | Quantity Netgear DG834GT | 1 Firewall | SPI Double firewall | 1 Access Point | Linksys WAP54G Wireless-G Access Point | 5 Switches | Cisco Catalyst 2960S- 24TD-L | 5 Antivirus | McAfee AntiVirus Plus 2015 | 110 License (Desktops, Laptops and Servers)Justification This will describe the process of installing and configuration of the network, routers, and all interfaces. Several key procedures will be utilized to ensure a useable and reliable network is readily available for use. 1. The switches will be interconnected to each other using appropriate cables. 2. The desktop computers are connected to the ports on the switches. 3. The access points are connected to the switch ports. 4. The web server is connected to a switch port. The web application firewall is connected to the internet router as well as to a port on the switch. This would ensure that all traffic originating from the internet is scanned for malicious traffic before it reaches the LAN or the web server D. Network Security Devices Business Needs Firewalls are used to separate networks with differing security requirements, such as the Internet and an internal network that houses devices with covered data, or internal networks that house varying protection levels of covered data (protection level 1 data network vs. protection level 2 data network). Since one of the primary functions of a firewall is to prevent unwanted traffic from entering a network (and, in some cases, from exiting it), firewalls should be placed at the edge of logical network boundaries. It’s important to design the network optimally such that the managed firewall is positioned to inspect all incoming or outgoing network traffic. In the case where multiple entry points (ingress points) allow traffic into the covered network, traffic through each of the entry points should be routed through a firewall (or multiple firewalls) to ensure malicious traffic that would normally be blocked by the main entry point can enter the network by other means. Proposed Network Security Devices