networking planning the physical network. initial customer meeting obtain the customer requirements...
TRANSCRIPT
Initial customer meeting
Obtain the customer requirements(could be an internal or external customer)
Examine his or her perceived objectives Listen to them without jumping to
conclusions, don’t assume…! Take notes and confirm their needs with
them
Health and Safety
H&S is VERY important at the planning stage
Deciding on the best and safest route for cables (Future Desk moves??)
Installation of Hubs in offices/meeting rooms etc (consider racking)
Server room safety H&S considerations will affect your costing
Siting of Hardware
Think about:- Security Ventilation Fire precautions Ease of access for IT personnel Central point for ease of cabling
Security of physical equipment
Need to think about:- Dedicated systems room Access
Types of locking system e.g.Identity card, Pass card, Coded locks, Retina or fingerprint scans
Cabling Infrastructure
Physical topology Logical structure (BUS, RING STAR) Switched network or flat? Cabling is the largest part of the initial
installation costs Cabling length signalling limitations
Choices of Architecture
Choice of peer to peer or Client / Server In a P2P environment users cannot just turn off their PC’s
without considering other users!!, Think NAPSTER..! Average PC’s are not designed to be left on 24X7… Danger of many (out of date) copies of same data on P2P
networks not acceptable in a business environment More difficult to backup data as it is dispersed around the
network BUT…
easier to install and configure on a small network.
C/S v P2P Continued…
Client/Server More time consuming and complex to install and configure More expensive hardware (server) and NOS
BUT… More security provided by the NOS Central store of corporate data (no “out of date” copies) Servers are designed to be available 24X7 “Easier” Centralised administration Faster access times Allows centrally “served” applications
Hardware considerations
Consider high specification server with RAID or low end server, high end servers have:-
Redundant cooling Redundant power supplies Normally RAID 5 disk storage Can use dual or quad processors More cache memory (512k) “Hot plug” drive bays Built in SCSI interface UPS
What services are required
Application server Email Server Data server Web server Mirror server(s) RAID Backup
Remote Access
Some users may wish to access the LAN remotely, how can we implement this?
Via Modem or ISDN Via a permanent LAN to Internet
connection There are obvious security issues –
Firewall considerations
Remote Access continued…
Windows NT and 2000 server provide a RAS service which can be installed, configured and used
3rd party network manufactures provide multiple line RAS “boxes” that simply plug into your network but are far more expensive than the Microsoft solution
Connecting LANS
Some larger companies may require the connection of two remote LANS to create a company “WAN”
This would almost always mean a permanent connection via the PSDN(Public Switch Data Network)
There is a need to determine how much traffic is likely to flow across the WAN link
This will determine the amount of bandwidth you need to buy (normally provided in 64k blocks) Can be very expensive…!
Providing Internet Access
Decide on the amount of Internet traffic/Downloading/Hosting the company will require.
Decide on Permanent/Dial up access Decide on the bandwidth required Dial up via Modem or ISDN Permanent via Megastream (2Mb/s) or
slower links such as 256Kb/sHardware required – Router + Firewall
Server Hard Disk Calculation
Factors Disk Size(Gb)
System disk drive (Normally C:)
A A
Applications Drive Size of each application
Number of applications being run from the server
D = B*C
B
C
DD
User Data Budgeted disk space per user
Number of users
Add 10% (“slack” space)
H = E*F*G
E
F
G (1.1)
H
H
TOTAL SYSTEM DISK SPACE REQUIREMENTS A+D+H
Implementing Internet email
Choice of several email systems:- Microsoft Exchange 5.5 (Windows NT) Pegasus (Freeware) First Class (First class server) Eudora NT Mail
Disaster Recovery Plans
As Physical security is very important so is the security of the company data
In the event of a major breakdown the customer will need a “disaster recovery plan”
Therefore, as part of this plan, regular backups of corporate data is ESSENTIAL…
You may even think about a mirror server stored off-site that could be used in the event of a total loss of service e.g. a Fire…
How much money would the business lose if the network was “down” for a day or more…?
Typical backup strategy
Aim to backup all critical data every night Have a separate DLT or DAT tape for each
night of the week so that you can “roll back” a few days if necessary
Take full weekend backups and store for a month before overwriting
Take “Off-Site” backups on a regular basis Store all “On-Site” backup tapes in a fire
proof safe every night
Checking with the customer
When you have almost finished your analysis, arrange a final meeting to:-
Make sure you have covered all your objectives from the first meetings
Outline the headings of your analysis to make sure you have included everything (this helps both YOU and the customer)
Give the customer the opportunity to ask any final questions or change any requirements
Fix a date and time when you can present or deliver your report
Writing the report
Provide a clear and uncluttered title page, include company logo etc…
Provide a “Table of Contents” Give a clear and concise introduction outlining the
aims of the report “This reports aims to….” Include the title and page number in the document
footer for ease of reference Make sure you have achieved your stated aims Conclude with your recommendations and summary
of the main points
Choices and Justification
Normally the customer will expect two configurations and a justification for each…
You will recommend one system and give your reasons for it
Remember that the customer is depending on you for advice and will compare that advice with other suppliers so if you try and “blind the customer with science” you may get found out… B.B.B. doesn’t always work…!
Presenting your report
Be confident Introduce yourself and the report Present in a logical sequence Summarise Allow time for questions