Lan Network Proposal

Network Proposal:

The development of a local area network (LAN) able to meet the requirements of your company's hardware and needs is crucial and can be costly if not well thought out. The computer network components include the use of 2Multi-Station Access Unit (MSAU) and a modem and router for the office. All member devices of a network that uses a star-wired ring topology must connect to a special type of device called a Multi-Station Access Unit (MSAU). Externally the MSAU appears to be very much like a normal hub, switch or LAN Switch.

Hybrid topologies are reliable and have increased fault tolerance than other topologies. A hybrid topology can efficiently diagnose and isolate faults. A network fault (such as a faulty node or a break in a network cable) will not affect the performance of the rest of the network. A hybrid network quickly scans all nodes and hardware points to detect where a fault lies, isolates it, and carries out further diagnostic tests. The rest of the network remains fully functional while this fault isolation and diagnosis is carried out. This results in a complex network that is more efficient and effective than individual topologies. It combines the optimal features of its combined topologies. The star-wired ring topology combines the features of a star topology with those of a ring topology. It combines the network extension features of the bus topology with the simplicity and fault tolerance of the star topology.

A Star wired ring hybrid network combines the operating systems or platforms of two or more different networks and is therefore able to provide features and exhibit characteristics of both. It can be employed in a variety of environments and is typically used to wire a corporate network or a large LAN (local area network.) The star topology permits the use of UTP, STP, coaxial and fiber-optic cabling allowing greater diversity and flexibility at setup time. The star topology is backwards compatible with the older cable types so long as the central hub/switch supports it. The nodes themselves only differ in terms of the Network Interface Card (NIC) used. In order to connect machines to an Ethernet network an Ethernet NIC or a Token Ring NIC required. With this being a lab, I'm sure that the company will want to go with the best type of network configuration and hardware possible to benefit from it in the long run.

Computers:

Each employee workstation will house a Dell computer with the following options:

o 2 GHz Pentium 4 Processor

o 256MB RAM

o 13GB Hard Drive

o Netgear FA311 10/100 Network adapters

o 52X CD-Rom

o 8 MB Video Card