Small Office Network Design

Abante, Johnny Jendl L., Martinez, Flord Danize B., Ramirez, Bonifacio Jr. E.

Batangas State University Main Campus II

Bachelor of Science in Electronics and Communications Engineering
johnnyjendla@gmail.com, martinezdanize@gmail.com, jrramirez703@gmail.com

25 May 2019

Abstract – In our society today, various companies are rising for customer or owner need in an
area. These companies are also becoming more reliant on information technology that in a modern
computer based technology, every company is in need of a computer network. In this paper, we
will show how to design a computer network of a small office that meets the fundamental
expectations: fault tolerance, scalability, quality of service (QoS), security, and economical
consideration.

I. OBJECTIVES

This paper aims to:

 Design appropriate hierarchical network design for a small office
 Discuss the considerations for designing a network
 Construct a floor plan of the small office area
 Determine the network topology and the IP Address Planning of the network design
 Discuss the basic configuration settings for the network

II. INTRODUCTION

With the involvement of modern science and in the 21st century, the world is now
interconnected with each other with the use of networks, and with the use of Internet. As the
Internet connects people and promotes communication, it allows a platform on which to run
different purposes, and in a company, the need of connectivity is needed in order for it to be
operating and to be connected with each other. In a company, to compete with the modern
computer based technology, every company installs the computer in their office. At first, the
company designs the map of computer network for the company area, and it should be
determined what will be the best design practice of the network. At the same time, the amount
of personal computers, routers, switch, and cables connected in the area is also needed to be
known in a network design. Also, by knowing the different factors and considerations needed
in the network design of an office in a company, this will prevent the cause of problem in the
future.
III. DESIGN STUDIES

3.1 Network Capability

This design has different fundamental expectations which are economic, scalability,
quality of service (QoS), redundancy, fault tolerance, and security.
 Network Economics - A situation in which a business will benefit through the feedback
provided by those who use the product or service. Network economics is a product of the
network effect, whereby an increase in the value of a good or service increases as the
number of buyers or subscribers multiplies.
 Scalability – describes the network’s ability to grow and react to future changes. A scalable
network can accept new users and equipment without having to start over on the design.
Its able to grow without undergoing fundamental change at its core. The Internet is an
example of scalable design.
 Quality of Service (QoS) – indicates the performance level of services offered through the
network. Services such as live video or voice can require more resources than services such
as e-mail. QoS refers to the mechanisms that manage congested network traffic.
Congestion is caused when the demand on the network resources exceeds the available
capacity.
 Redundancy – or the duplication of equipment and media, is a key factor in fault tolerance.
If a server fails, a redundant server performing the same functions should be able to pick
up the work until repairs are made.
 Fault tolerance – means that the Internet will continue to function normally even when
some of the components of the network fail. If a data link fails on a fault-tolerant network,
messages will be routed to the destination on a duplicate route.
 Network security – is essential if the public is to have confidence when using the Internet.
People using the Internet to do business demand security for their financial transactions,
and government and businesses that require personal information must provide the
protection of their clients’ privacy.

3.2 Network Topology

Computers in a network must be connected in some logical manner. The layout pattern
of the interconnections between computers in a network is called network topology. Devices
on the network are referred to as 'nodes.' The most common nodes are computers and
peripheral devices. Network topology is illustrated by showing these nodes and their
connections using cables. There are several types of network topologies, including point-to-
point, bus, star, ring, mesh, tree and hybrid, but this paper will focus on star, ring and hybrid.
Star Topology
In this type of topology all the computers are connected to a single hub through a cable.
This hub is the central node and all other nodes are connected to the central node. Every node
has its own dedicated connection to the hub. Hub acts as a repeater for data flow.

Figure 3.2.1 Star Topology

Advantages:
 Fast performance with few nodes and low network traffic.
 Hub can be upgraded easily.
 Easy to troubleshoot.
 Easy to setup and modify.
 Only that node is affected which has failed, rest of the nodes can work smoothly.
Disadvantages:
 Cost of installation is high.
 Expensive to use.
 If the hub fails, then the whole network is stopped because all the nodes depend on the
hub.
 Performance is based on the hub that is it depends on its capacity

Ring Topology
A ring topology is a network configuration in which device connections create a circular
data path. Each networked device is connected to two others, like points on a circle. Packets
of data travel from one device to the next until they reach their destination.

Figure 3.2.2 Ring Topology

 Advantages
 All data flows in one direction, reducing the chance of packet collisions.
 A network server is not needed to control network connectivity between each workstation.
 Data can transfer between workstations at high speeds.
 Additional workstations can be added without impacting performance of the network.
Disadvantages
 All data being transferred over the network must pass through each workstation on the
network, which can make it slower than a star topology.
 The entire network will be impacted if one workstation shuts down.
 The hardware needed to connect each workstation to the network is more expensive than
Ethernet cards and hubs/switches.

3.3 Definition of Terms

 Networks
A network refers to two or more connected computers that can share resources such as
data, a printer, an Internet connection, applications, or a combination of these resources.
 End Device
These devices is a form that interface the human network and the underlying
communication network. Some examples of end devices are computers ,laptops, file servers,
web servers, network printers, phones, security cameras and mobile handheld devices.
 Router
Routers connect multiple networks together. They also connect computers on those
networks to the Internet. Routers enable all networked computers to share a single Internet
connection, which saves money. A router acts a dispatcher. It analyzes data being sent across
a network, chooses the best route for data to travel, and sends it on its way.
 Switch
A switch acts as a controller, connecting computers, printers, and servers to a network in
a building or a campus. Switches allow devices on your network to communicate with each
other, as well as with other networks, creating a network of shared resources. Through
information sharing and resource allocation, switches save money and increase productivity.

IV. DESIGN ARCHITECTURE

For the network design for the small office, the floor plan must be constructed for the
placement of cabling, servers and other network equipment, as well as developing the network
layout plan. These are essentially important for this will determine the network visualization of
the whole area and is further applied by network engineers and other network-related specialists.
In the figure shown below is the floor plan constructed by the group.
 Figure 4.1 Floor Plan

Then, the network layout is implemented with the use of Cisco Packet Tracer. The layout
is shown in the figure below.

Figure 4.2 Network Layout

Addressing Table
After the implementation was applied, the basics of IP addressing is used to create an IP
addressing plan for the network. The table below shows the IP for the network design.

Device Interface IP Address Subnet Mask Default Gateway

Server VLAN 1 192.168.1.2 255.255.255.0 192.168.1.1
PC0 NIC 192.168.20.2 255.255.255.240 192.168.20.1
PC1 NIC 192.168.30.2 255.255.255.224 192.168.30.1
PC2 NIC 192.168.30.3 255.255.255.224 192.168.30.1
PC3 NIC 192.168.30.34 255.255.255.224 192.168.30.1
PC4 NIC 192.168.20.18 255.255.255.240 192.168.20.1
PC5 NIC 192.168.30.35 255.255.255.224 192.168.30.1
PC6 NIC 192.168.30.66 255.255.255.224 192.168.30.1
PC7 NIC 192.168.20.34 255.255.255.240 192.168.20.1
PC8 NIC 192.168.30.67 255.255.255.224 192.168.30.1
PC9 NIC 192.168.10.2 255.255.255.240 192.168.10.1
PC10 NIC 192.168.30.98 255.255.255.224 192.168.30.1
PC11 NIC 192.168.20.50 255.255.255.240 192.168.20.1
PC12 NIC 192.168.30.99 255.255.255.224 192.168.30.1
PC13 NIC 192.168.1.3 255.255.255.0 192.168.1.1

V. CONFIGURATIONS

The hostname command is used to configure the device hostname. For every router, the group
assigned its hostname with its corresponding name that is incorporated in that router.

Configure a password for the console access which is ‘elective2’. Configure a password for
the telnet access which is ‘elective3’.
 Setting banner for security notices to be displayed every time someone accesses router. These
notices are valid legal notices. This banner is displayed to every user connecting to the router either
via telnet, console port or auxiliary port.

Then make sure do not forget your configuration to be saved by the command “copy run
start”.

VI. TESTING

Figure 6.1 PC8 Ping PC6

PC8 was able to ping PC6 (192.168.80.66) because we configure it in the same vlan. The
same goes on other PC in a star topology that have the same vlan.

VII. References
[] http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/network-economics.html
[] file:///C:/Users/DEL/Downloads/66220_4279_1.pdf
[] https://www.orbit-computer-solutions.com/end-devices-and-their-roles-on-a-network/
[] https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/solutions/sm all-business/resource-
center/networking/networking-basics.html
[] https://www.cisco.com/c/dam/global/fi_fi/assets/docs/SMB_University_120307_
Networking_Fundamentals.pdf
[] https://study.com/academy/lesson/how-star-topology-connects-computer-networks-in-
organizations.html