Question: Management has been reluctant to spend more money on computers but they have agreed to allow you to design a network that would allow all users to have access to the same information. Your assignment is to design a complete network for a small manufacturing firm with headquarters located in Dallas and manufacturing plants in Detroit and Denver.

The headquarters facility has 20 employees located on three floors who are currently using an "advanced" network technology called sneaker-net. All of the PCs are currently running WindowsXP except for two Apple Macs that are used in the advertising department. There are currently six slow printers installed and two high-speed laser printers.

Each of the manufacturing plants has a need for fifteen employees to be on the new network. This would allow them to gain access to information in Dallas and to also share the three laser printers that are currently installed at each plant. All of the users who need to be on the new network have PCs running WindowsXP. Each plant has a small office building separate from the manufacturing area.

The network should provide the following services to all users:

· Access to common files

· Access to private files

· Shared printers

· Electronic mail

· Connection to the Internet

Your final design should include:

1. A professional execute summary (3 to 5 pages long) that explains why your proposal will meet the current and future networking needs of the organization.

2. A professional WAN/LAN network diagram(s) showing all locations, major network equipment, telecommunications equipment and services (T1, ISDN, etc.), building wiring, servers, high-speed printers, and a few 'sample' clients.

3. Hardware equipment list (prices are not required but may be submitted):

1. Servers

2. Bridges / Hubs / Routers / Switches

3. NIC cards

4. Wiring media

5. Telecommunications equipment (modems etc.)

6. Printers and other peripherals

4. IP Network Addresses

5. A complete list of standards to be implemented and an explanation of each standard

6. A complete list of protocols supported and a brief explanation of why you have included this protocol

Assignment (Due at the end of Module 9)

1. Review the project specifications.

2. You should ask any questions that you think are necessary to clarify the requirements.

3. Submit you initial IP network addressing scheme for your design (Item number 4 above). This will allow me to review your solution and provide suggestions.