Christian Yates 6/7/2010 Network Proposal For a small rural school, keeping cost at a minimum and the lifespan

of the setup must be a priority. For these reasons, the school will want to avoid outdated and expensive technologies that would require a high level of maintenance. The school will also want to purchase hardware that is manageable remotely. This will decrease the cost and trouble for maintenance. All of the components to the network should be geared to reduced cost and increased longevity. This makes a UTP cable choice the easiest pick. If the school wants to increase the longevity of their network, with the goal of expansion, it would be advisable to use Category 6 cable. While more expensive than Cat5 or Cat5e, rewiring is expensive and troublesome, which would make Cat6 a better choice for the school. If Cat6 is too expensive, the same setup proposed here would work with Cat5e or Cat5. If the 6 desktop computers do not currently have a networking card, then 6 NICs would have to be purchased. The motherboards of these desktops would determine the type of NIC card suitable (PCI, PCI express, etc.). This will be vital to connect the computers to the network being installed. Four more computers (for the other employees), and two servers (e-mail and file), will have to be purchased as well, but they will most likely already have NICs installed in them. The school will also want to purchase a heavier duty printer/copier. This printer/copier should be network ready, with an Ethernet port already installed or wireless capabilities. This will allow all users on the network to access the printer/copier. The inkjet printers that were attached to each computer would probably not be network ready, and may not be durable enough to handle 10 computers having acess.

Due to the heavy traffic that can occur in offices, the wires should be run through a drop ceiling or through the walls. A Cat6 wire will be run between each of the 10 computers, the 2 servers, and the printer/copier to a switch. Using a switch will limit collision domains, allow for remote management by the technician, and limit broadcast traffic. Since there would be 13 devices going into the switch, and they are frequently sold with 16, 24, 44, 48, 50, 52, 68, and 96 ports, it would be advisable to purchase a switch with at least 24 ports to allow for expansion. Fortunately, the switch will allow the computers to share files at a fast rate (1GB/s) for a relatively inexpensive price. The switch will then be connected to a router via another Cat6 cable. The reason for connecting a router is to enable the school to have access to the internet in the future. It would be advisable to purchase a router that has remote management for ease of access for the technician. If the school ever wants to set up a network for the students or faculty in another building, the router will allow them to connect to that network as well. The diagram for the entire network setup is shown below.

In conclusion, a network using Cat6 to connect the 10 workstations, 2 servers, and a printer/copier to a switch, which is ultimately connected to a router will enable the school to spend the least amount of money and still ensure the longest possible life out of their network. This will also enable the school to connect to the internet whenever they are ready, share files and applications, have separate email accounts, and share a printer.