Competency Name: Networking

Competency Statement: Demonstrate an understanding of networks, and creation of network

Competency Overview/Description: Networking is the study and understanding of connecting computers and other devices together. Advances in technology have made network equipment very affordable and easy to install. This competency prepares you create, design and analyze a variety of complex network environments. You will also consider network protocols, topologies and various designs.

Competency Objectives:

1. Discuss network technologies including Internet, intranet, and extranet, local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), wireless networking, network topologies and access methods.

2. Distinguish between various types of Network Hardware, including switches, routers, and media types.

3. Demonstrate an understanding of Protocols and Services, including OSI model, IPv4, IPv6. DNS, networking services and TCP/IP.

4. Design a network for a business including device type, topology, services, and protocols.

Purpose of This Assessment

The final assessment for this competency addresses network design for a business including device typology, services, and protocol. In this assignment, you are expected to demonstrate knowledge of complex network environments and the ability to compare and contrast various types of network hardware

Network Design Proposal, which will include the following sections:

1. A one - two page Executive Summary / Project Proposal

2. A five - six page (minimum) Network Design Proposal

3. A detailed Network Design Diagram

Step ONE: Preparation

Review the following scenario and take note of key points:

Background

ElekTron Industries is an electronics manufacturer and supplier that builds electronic components for a variety of private and government clients. Their current infrastructure is outdated and has been prone to attacks by hackers that have exploited vulnerabilities in their current DNS, causing system-outages and downtime. The dated networking equipment utilized by ElekTron very unsecure, and does not meet their network and computing throughput requirements. ElekTron currently has 60 employees at their main site located in Los Angeles and 20 in their Chicago location. ElekTron is preparing to add another remote site in Washington, D.C. to support newlyawarded Department of Defense (DoD) military contracts. The Washington, D.C. location will add another 12 employees to the network. ElekTron needs to bring their current infrastructure into strict compliance with government security as a trusted network with access to government data.

Current Infrastructure:

ElekTron is proposing another remote site for the coming year in Washington, D.C. which will add additional 12 employees. These three sites will be connected via a VPN connection built between their three Cisco firewalls. The existing two sites are configured as follows:

The ElekTron internal domain located in Los Angeles, called ElekTron.local uses two domain controllers.

All servers run Microsoft Windows Server 2008.

All client computers run either Windows 7, or Windows 8.

The Director of Information Technology at ElekTron has asked you to design a new networking infrastructure for the company.

Step TWO: Network Design Proposal

The purpose of your proposal is to articulate and illustrate a new networking infrastructure for ElekTron based upon your understanding of network technologies. Your proposal must include the following:

Executive Summary: This high-level summary should be approximately one to two pages in length and should provide an overview of the proposal project. It should be geared towards a non-technical audience and should highlight the benefit/need for this network upgrade.

Network Design Proposal: The network design proposal will consist of four subsections and should be at least five to six pages in length. It will contain the following subsections:

a) Proposed Network Design: Using the details provided in the scenario, design a network that meets all objectives. You should include all the networking devices, types of WAN connections, network protocols and the type of desktop and server operating systems.

b) Project Justification: In this section you should provide a justification for the project and include a cost/benefit analysis.

c) Project Deliverables: Provide a summary of what will be delivered, installed, or replaced. d) Project Plan & Timeline: Provide a project plan and timeline that lists project milestones, key phases, and steps.