IT Network Designing For A Case Study Of Direct Engineering

Requirements Analysis

Discuss about the IT Network Designing for a Case Study of Direct Engineering.
 

Direct Engineering and Logistic Solutions (DEALS) is a new business that will comprise of four businesses merged together in a centralized network infrastructure. The four buildings have been connected by underground fibre cable back to the communications room in the main office. The work that will be performed mainly in this project is merging of IT assets of the four businesses into a new network. This project will determine the client requirements for the new network as well as the server requirements along with required hardware for the new network. This includes the installation and setup of all the network devices, cabling and interfaces, which may include but may not be limited to workstations, multi-function devices, servers, switches, routers, racks, and all related server roles as mentioned in the section 2.1.

The network will be designed to achieve several specific business and operational objectives:

1. Secure Service: The main objective of this network will be to provide secure administrative computing service to DEALS. It will be designed to be functionally and physically isolated from access by people not employed by DEALS to minimize the risk of unauthorized use.
2. Integration and Update: In this project, the installation of necessary network equipment will be in a new building with only exterior walls. The network and equipment being installed will be new state of the art equipment designed specifically for DEALS connecting with the other four branches as NELLS, HEFA, TANB and WIMPS.
3. Versatile Information Processing: The network will enable users to retrieve, process, and store data regarding the operation of the DEALS, its clients, accounting, billing, tracking, and check in and check out of IT assets to be merged at the facility.
4. Scalability: The network design will be scalable so that more network cable equipment can be added if required and as per availability of funds without having to redo the installed network.

The examination of the case study reflected that the clients need a robust network infrastructure with following features:

Scalability: The network design must be Scalable so that it can grow to include new user groups and remote sites andcan support new applications without affecting the level of service delivered to existing users (Channegowda, Nejabati and Simeonidou 2013).

Availability: A network designed for availability is one that delivers consistent, reliable performance 24 hours a day for 7 days a week. In addition, the failure of a single link or piece of equipmentshould not significantly affect network performance.

Security: Security is a feature that must be designed into the network, not added on after the networkis complete. Planning the location of security devices, filters, and firewall features is criticalto safeguarding network resources.

Manageability: No matter how good the initial network design is, the available network staffmust be able to manage and support the network (Develderet al. 2014). A network that is too complex or difficult tomaintain cannot function effectively and efficiently. 

In this report, Project Constraints are defined as the project’s parameters by setting limits on what can be done. For example, if the project has a fixed budget, planners may have to use the equipment they can afford rather than the equipment they consider ideal for the job. The three general categories of project constraints that have been identified for DEALS network infrastructure are as below:

Time constraints: The time constraint for this project that has been estimated for finalization is Twelve Weeks. This estimated time is required for the project, as it will comprise of Four weeks for preparation, Six weeks for Installation and Testing along with additional Two weeks for Training and monitoring.

Necessary Features

Resource constraints: A project’s budget is a common resource constraint. If the proposed budget cannot meet the projected personnel costs, equipment costs, and software costs, the project cannot continue or may need to be modified to address the restraints (Burakowski et al. 2012). The total budget that has been allowed for the IT section of DEALS Network Infrastructure setup project is $365,000. The support staff associated with this project will be allocated in between $30 to $50 per hour for technical personnel’s and will rise for management level staffs along with highly trained staffs. Additionally, in context to the DEALS network infrastructure setup project there is other resource constraints as:

• The appropriate personnel for the network infrastructure development i.e. Network Engineer may not be available or their training may not be sufficient to complete the project.
• Computer resources or hardware equipment may not be accessible.

Schedule constraints: A project schedule also may restrict what the project can accomplish. For example, many organizations do not allow changes to the IT environment during specific times, such as during the end of the corporate fiscal year or peak business cycles (Vleugels and Peeters2012). If the DEALS network infrastructure project is due for completion during one of these periods, the project scope may require modification. The scheduling is considered as an essential aspect in any project however, it should done in such a way that the project does not interrupts the business processes. Hence, in this context to the DEALS Network Infrastructure Setup project, the average business time to cost ratio for possible interruptions was estimated and it has been found that Business is not to be disrupted during the project.

Feature constraints: In context to this, particular DEALS Network Infrastructure setup project these type of constraints can affect a project’s start or scope. For example, if DEALS is evaluating a new product based on a particular feature and that feature is not available or does not meet the company requirements, the organization may choose to cancel the project. If a particular feature is critical, the project scope may be modified to include the feature. The additional features in this project for the development of DEALS network Infrastructure can be imposed on the network as per choice only if it is within the allocated budget. The implementation of the additional features may require alternative actions or route provided it be within the scope of this project.

The project team and business sponsors often negotiate project constraints, as well as business requirements. The budget may seem like a firm constraint, but if increasing the budget results in meeting an important business requirement, the budget may be adjusted to include the requirement (Lu et al. 2013). However, in this project, grouping of physical hardware and logical components will be done which are needed to provide a number of features for the network.

Desirable Features

It is relatively obvious that every server fulfills some kind of role. Some are Web servers. Some are file servers. Others are domain controllers (DCs) or infrastructure servers, such as Domain Name System (DNS) and the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP). Then, of course, there is the DC/File Server/Web Server/Application Server/Firewall/DHCP/ DNS server, also known as “the server” in DEALS business case. However, none of them is anything until they are deployed one or more roles to them (Zhang, Wang and Sun 2013).Because not every server is made equal, it makes sense that the same configuration is not optimal for every server. This seems rather obvious if one considers the fact that to meet the needs of each role the server must have certain software installed and settings made.

A role is a collection of software that collectively enables the server to provide some service to the network. Generally, a role is for what the server has been procured. An example of a role is “Domain Controller” or “Application Server” (Shah2013). Often a role can be installed in one-step, but may require significant configuration to function the way it is desired.

In this particular case study in context to the merging IT assets of NELLS, HEFA, WIMPS and TANB, the examination has been done on server roles that are required as below:

• Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS)
• Application Server
• DHCP Server
• DNS Server
• File Services
• Network Policy and Access Services
• Print Services
• Web Server (IIS)
• Windows Deployment Services (WDS)

The requirement of each server role is explained as below:

Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS): This role promotes the server to a DC. In addition to running dcpromo.exe manually, as in prior versions, this role have to be installed. The AD DS will store information about users, computers, and other devices on the DEALS network. AD DS in the DEALS network will help administrators to securely manage this information and facilitate resource sharing and collaboration between users. AD DS is also required to be installed on the DEALS network in order to install directory-enabled applications such as Microsoft® Exchange Server and for applying other Windows Server technologies such as Group Policy.

Application Server: Provides access to programs written using an application framework. It is typically not used by itself but rather in conjunction with the Web Server role.

DHCP Server: Provides DHCP (dynamic IP address assignment) to computers throughout anetwork.

DNS Server: Provides host name-to-IP address name resolution services throughout a network.

File Services:It adds additional file server services such as the Distributed File System (DFS), the shared folder management tools, and Network File System (NFS) for Unix-based clients (Lundqvist, Mattssonand Kim2012).

Project Constraints

Network Policy and Access Services: This role provides the collection of services related to remote network access.

Print Services: Provides advanced printer management services.

Web Server (IIS): By default, if no configuration options are made during installation of the role, IIS 7.0 provides only static HTML support (Mueller, Ledererand Timmerer2012). This role in DEALS network will allow sharing information with users on the Internet, an intranet, or an extranet.

Windows Deployment Services (WDS): WDS is Microsoft’s latest technology to deploy the operating system remotely to computers over the network.

The network construction for the server roles mentioned in the previous section have to undergo two phases to complete the merging of the four buildings IT assets. The new network will have a client/server configuration and a domain with active directory implemented, all primary server assets are to be located in the new main office. The new network will be implemented in two phases as below:

Phase One–It will involve the setup of the network infrastructure (cabling, switches, routers and printers) and two Domain controllers with all policy requirements implemented along with the required network folder structures and access controls implemented. In this phase there will also be a provision to provide an internal email system so all employees can have internal email.

In this phase of the network infrastructure setup, there will be implementation of following features for the new client/server network with policies:

• All network nodes and devices must be named according to the network-naming scheme
• The network must use an IP addressing scheme that caters for all nodes on the network and allows for easy expansion of the network
• All servers, routers, switches and printers are to have static IP addresses, all other nodes are to use DHCP to gain an IP address
• The network speed required is Gigabit
• Only authenticated user are allowed to access the network
• When users logon they are presented with a message that contains the companies Acceptable Use Policy
• Company policy is to require all users to use complex password for logging on to the network
• Each user is to have a Home drive (H 🙂 mapped on the file server
• All failed login attempts are to be auditable events
• Provide centralized storage of company data in an appropriate file and folder structure and provide backup and restoration capability using a suitable backup program, schedule and media
• Provide an environment where company resources can be shared and easily accessed by the users who require it by implementing access controls that restrict access to data and resources to only employees that require it to carry out their work.
• Auditing of users accessing the following network resources is required
• Staff records folder
• Financial records folder
• Research&Development data folder
• Customer records folder
• User are to be restricted to 4 consecutive login attempts before being locked out of the system
• The lockout period for failed login attempts is to be 15 minutes, after this time period has elapsed the users account is to be unlocked
• All User Accounts are to have the full details of the user included and recorded on a User Account Record sheet
• Details of all server settings, policies and network topology are to be fully documented
• As the management are expecting the company to grow over the next few years they require a network setup that is easy to expand when required
• Provide the capability to implement phase two of the network without major changes or disruption to the network structure

Phase Two – This phase will provide for the implementation of remote login capability, an SQL server, and cater for the future implementation of an in-house web server to host the companies proposed web site.

A network operating system includes special functions for connecting computers and devices into a local-area network (LAN). Some operating systems, such as UNIX and the Mac OS, have networking functions built in (Dean2012). The term network operating system is generally reserved for software that enhances a basic operating system by adding networking features.

The recommended Network Operating System for DEALS is Windows Server 2012 Datacenter edition as it is robust in nature and has added capabilities like Volume Licensing and OEM for maintenance of the IT assets.

The alternative network operating system that can be used for merging the IT assets of the four buildings into DEALS is Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard edition. In this operating system, the Server Manager has been redesigned with an emphasis on easing management of multiple servers. It offers improved reliability for on-disk structures and compatibility with existing APIs as well as technologies.

Initial Server Requirements Proposal

The Windows Server 2012 Datacenter edition offers some essential features of Network operating system as presented below:

Basic Operating Features: It supports the basic underlying operating features of networks such as support for processors and the various protocols that allow computers to share data (Mistry and Seenarine2012). Thus, it will also support the processing of other software applications that run on individual computers within the DEALS network.

Security Features: It supports a number of security features that control access to the network. It will provide DEALS network with authorization and permission for access to the network, with specific control of features such as user management, log-on controls and passwords.

Networking: It is the platform on which computer networking takes place. The DEALS network requires basic features to allow for file, print and Internet connections by using Windows Server 2012 Datacenter (Shimiet al. 2012). Data backup and replication functions are controlled through the network operating system.

Administrative Interface: It has an administrative interface that allows a network administrator to monitor and maintain the system. This interface will have a menu that allows the administrator of DEALS network to perform functions such as formatting hard drives and setting up security protocols for both the system and individual users. 

Windows Server 2012 Datacenter

The PowerShell v3, Hyper-V 3.0 and System Center 2012 are some of the best features that can be found in this network operating system to install it for the DEALS network infrastructure. The following features make this Network Operating System to be suitable for DEALS.

Hyper-V 3.0: It includes two new options for admins to use. The extensible switch extends a virtual network’s functionality in ways that were not possible until now.

PowerShell v3: It makes automation throughout the server while working with programs such as Active Directory to promote cloud-based servers without the need of a deployment wizard directly on the server (Wright et al. 2012).

Microsoft System Center 2012: The suite of updated products help admins run enterprises smoothly with cloud computing. They include Virtual Machine Manager 2012 and Configuration Manager 2012 and make the management of cloud deployment easy.

Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard

It is ideal for Non-virtualized or lightly virtualized environments. Storage Pinning is one of the essential feature in this operating system as Pinning makes it possible to ensure that files you always want on the fastest storage, such as boot disks in a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure deployment, will never be moved to the slower storage tier. Otherwise, files that you always want to take advantage of SSDs might be moved to the HDD tier after some period of relative inactivity.

Required Server Roles

The most useful and recommended Mail server application for the DEALS network is Gattaca Mail Server as it is full featured and 100 % compatible to existing standard (Cahillet al. 2012). It can be used as an internal server also as a server for reception or sending e-mails to others mail servers in the Internet or to main mail server in the organization.

The alternative Mail server application for DEALS to merge the IT assets of the four buildings and to run the business operations successfully is Citadel. It is an e-mail system that can be implemented with DELL Network operating system as Users of Citadel/UX systems also have available to them a web-based user interface which employs Ajax style functionality to allow application-like interaction with the system (Carvalho 2012). 

The purpose of this document is to identify the requirements of the Hardware requirements for each server role. The Hardware requirements analysis provides generic functionality across multiple embedded hardware platforms. This generic functionality can be selectively changed by user code, thus providing application specific software. This document will provide a complete set of identified hardware and each roles that will be installed in favor of the particular hardware for the entire DEALS network infrastructure.The major benefit to this is that offices utilizing the same hardware will only contain thespecificserver roles. Hardware canbe interchanged without effecting how the program logically functions. If the hardware is supported by the roles, a user will be able to utilize the server functionalities using one specific set of hardware and port it to another set just by changing minor configuration and settings. The final goal of this section is to provide enough flexibility to allow for support of multiple hardware components by differentmanufacturers.

The solution for DEALS network setup provides an abundance of features that range from abstracting the hardware from a user’s application to keeping memory requirements to a minimum. Since this solution is targeted towards embedded solutions, optimizationmust be in the forefront. The deployment of Network operating system in DEALS will require anyone of the following steps:

Installation: It is the basic concept of getting the new operating system on the hardware. Specifically, a clean installation requires deleting the previous operating system.

Upgrade: It means moving from the existing operating system to Windows Server 2012 R2, while staying on the same hardware (Matoset al. 2012). Even while staying on the same hardware, some server roles might require specific steps to ensure a smooth upgrade.

Explanation on the Requirement of Server Roles

Migration: It means moving from the existing operating system to Windows Server 2012 R2 by transferring to a different set of hardware (Knight et al. 2012). Migration, which might vary considerably depending on the server roles that have been installed.

The server roles that can be implemented to Windows Server 2012 are:

• Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS)
• Application Server
• DHCP Server
• DNS Server
• Web Server (IIS)
• Windows Deployment Services (WDS)

The below mentioned roles can be implemented in DELL Network operating system:

• File Services
• Network Policy and Access Services
• Print Services

The existing hardware that can be used for this project to setup DEALS Network Infrastructure:

• DELL OptiPlex 745s, DELL OptiPlex 780s
• HP4200dtn Laser Printer
• Cisco 837 ADSL Modem/Router

 The following existing hardware can be upgraded for utilization in the DEALS Network Infrastructure setup:

• HP4200dtn Laser Printer
• Cisco 837 ADSL Modem/Router
• CISCO Catalyst 2900 XL Switch

The recommended hardware details for installing the server roles are presented in the table as below:

Component	Minimum Requirement	Recommended	Sever Roles
Processor	1.4 GHz	2 GHz or faster	·         Active Directory Certificate Services (AD CS) ·         Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) ·         Application Server ·         DHCP Server ·         DNS Server
Memory	512 MB RAM	2 GB RAM or greater
Available Disk Space	32 GB	40 GB or greater
Optical Drive	DVD-ROM drive	DVD-ROM drive

Component	Minimum Requirement	Sever Roles
Processor	1.2 GHz	·         Fax Server ·         File Services ·         Network Policy and Access Services ·         Print Services ·         Terminal Services ·         Web Server (IIS)
Memory	256 MB RAM
Available Disk Space	32 GB
Optical Drive	DVD-ROM drive

Component	Minimum Requirement	Recommended	Sever Roles
CPU speed	1.4 GHz 64-bit processor	Quad-core, 2 GHz	·         Active Directory Federation Services (AD FS) ·         Active Directory Rights Management Services (AD RMS) ·         Windows Deployment Services (WDS)
Memory	512 MB RAM	4 GB
Available Disk Space	32 GB	100 GB

Component	Minimum Requirement	Microsoft Recommended
Processor	1.4 GHz	2 GHz or faster
Memory	512 MB RAM	2 GB RAM or greater
Available Disk Space	32 GB	40 GB or greater
Optical Drive	DVD-ROM drive	DVD-ROM drive
Display	Super VGA (800×600) monitor	XGA (1024×768) monitor

Existing/New	DELL PowerEdge 2800s
Make	DELL
Model	PowerEdge 2800s
Specifications	Processor – 800 MHz Cache Memory – 1 MB RAM – 12 GB DDR SDRAM HDD – 73 GB
Roles Hosted	File Services Network Policy and Access Services Print Services

Existing/New	Cisco 837 ADSL Modem/Router
Make	Cisco
Model	837 ADSL Modem
Specifications	Cable – SOHO/800 series router modem cable, Blue light console cable (RJ-45 2 DB-9) Authentication Method – CHAP PAP, RADIUS, SSH2 protocol, TACACS+. RAM – 80 MB Software – Cisco Security Device Manager 2.0
Roles Hosted	Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) Application Server DHCP Server DNS Server

 

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