Question: EBiz.com has 250 networked computers and five servers and uses a star topology wired network to reach employees' offices, with a bus interconnecting three floors in its office building. Because of a staggering influx of Internet business, the network administrator's task is to boost network performance and availability as much as possible. The company also wants a network design that's easy to reconfigure and change because workgroups form and disband frequently, and their membership changes regularly. All computers must share sensitive data and control access to customer files and databases. Aside from the customer information and billing databases, which run on all servers, employees' desktop computers must run standard word-processing and spreadsheet programs. Use the following write-on lines to evaluate the requirements for this network. After you finish, determine the best network topology or topology combination for the company. On a blank piece of paper, sketch the network design you think best suits EBiz.com's needs. Remember: High performance and easy reconfiguration are your primary design goals!

• What type of topology should be used in this network?

• Will the network be peer to peer or server based?

• How many computers will be attached to the network?

• What kind of networking device is easiest to reconfigure? What kind offers the best access to the network medium's bandwidth between pairs of devices?