Computer Network Exam
An access point or wireless router and some wireless NICs Description.
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An access point or wireless router and some wireless NICs Description: Add wireless networking to the extended star network you built in Challenge Lab 3-1. Expand the drawing you created to include the AP or wireless router. If you don’t have the necessary equipment, just expand the drawing.
Answer the following questions:
- Which device in your extended star did you connect the AP to and why?
- Which wireless mode are you using: ad hoc or infrastructure?
- What logical and physical topology does adding wireless bring to this network?
Challenge Lab 3-3: Download and Install inSSIDer
Time Required: 20 minutes
Objective: Install a wireless scanning tool and scan your network.
Required Tools and Equipment:
A computer with a wireless NIC and access to the Internet or an already downloaded copy of inSSIDer Description: In this lab, you download inSSIDer from http://metageek.net and install it on a computer with a wireless NIC. Your instructor might need to install it for you if you don’t have the necessary permissions. After it’s installed, start a scan of your network to look for access points.
Answer the following questions:
- Approximately how many wireless networks did inSSIDer find?
- Which wireless channels are the most heavily used?
- If you were to set up a new wireless LAN based on what inSSIDer found, what channel would you use for the network?
Case Project 3-1
Old-Tech Corporation has 10 computers in its main office area, which is networked in a star topology using 10 Mbps Ethernet hubs, and wants to add five computers in the manufacturing area. One problem with the existing network is data throughput. Large files are transferred across the network regularly, and the transfers take quite a while. In addition, when two or more computers are transferring large files, the network becomes unbearably slow for users. Adding the manufacturing computers will only make this problem worse and result in another problem. Because the ceiling is more than 30 feet high, there’s no easy way to run cables to computers, and providing a secure pathway for cables is next to impossible. Devise a 140 Chapter 3 Network Topologies and Technologies Copyright 2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s). Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it. solution to this company’s networking problems.
As part of your solution, answer the following questions:
- What changes in equipment are required to bring this company’s network up to date to solve the shared-bandwidth problem?
- What topology and which type of device can be used in the manufacturing area to solve the cabling difficulties?
Case Project 3-2
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?
Case Project 3-3
ENorm, Inc. has two sites in Pittsburgh that are four miles apart. Each site consists of a large factory with office space for 25 users at the front of the factory and up to 20 workstations in two work cells on each factory floor. All office users need access to an inventory database that runs on a server at the Allegheny Street location; they also need access to a billing application with data residing on a server at the Monongahela site. All factory floor users also need access to the inventory database at the Allegheny Street location. Office space is permanently configured, but the manufacturing space must be reconfigured before each new manufacturing run begins. Wiring closets are available in the office space. Nothing but a concrete floor and overhead girders stay the same in the work cell areas. The computers must share sensitive data and control access to files. Aside from the two databases, which run on the two servers, office computers must run standard word-processing and spreadsheet programs. Work cell machines are used strictly for updating inventory and quality control information for the Allegheny Street inventory database. Workstations in the manufacturing cells are switched on only when they’re in use, which might occur during different phases of a manufacturing run. Seldom is a machine in use constantly on the factory floor. 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 ENorm, Inc.’s needs.
- Will the network be peer to peer or server based?
- How many computers will be attached to the network?
- What topology works best for the offices, given the availability of wiring closets?
- What topology works best for the factory floor, given its need for constant reconfiguration?
142 Chapter 3 Network Topologies and Technologies Copyright 2016 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s). Editorial review has deemed that any suppressed content does not materially affect the overall learning experience. Cengage Learning reserves the right to remove additional content at any time if subsequent rights restrictions require it.
