Course Design Guide

College of Information Systems and Technology

NTC/409 Version 1

Global Network Architecture and Design

Week One: Introduction to the Roles of Network Architect and Network Manager

Details

Due

Points

Objectives

1.1  Identify traditional and building-block approaches to network design.

1.2  Describe the roles of the network architect and network manager.

Reading

Read Ch. 7, “Backbone Networks,” of Business Data Communications and Networking.

7/23

Reading

Read Ch. 11, “Network Design,” of Business Data Communications and Networking.

Reading

Read Ch. 12 “Network Management” of Business Data Communications and Networking.

Reading

Read the Week One Read Me First.

Reading

Review this week’s Electronic Reserve Readings.

Participation

Participate in class discussion.

2

Discussion Question

Logical and Physical Design Differences

Write a 200- to 300-word short-answer response to the following:

·         As a network architect, you will be responsible for the logical and physical design of the network. Describe the differences between logical design and physical design. How does creating the logical design help the architect with the physical design?

7/24

1

Discussion Question

Traditional Network Approach

Write a 200- to 300-word short-answer response to the following:

·         Describe a scenario where the traditional network design might be more favorable than a building-block approach. What are the risks when using the traditional network design model?

7/26

1

Nongraded Activities and Preparation

OPNET^® IT Guru Installation and Tutorial

Download the OPNET^® IT Guru Academic Version and install it on your computer.

Read the introduction to the tutorial and follow the instructions for the Small Internetworks Tutorial to learn the tool.

Learning Team Instructions

Learning Team Charter

Read the Learning Team Toolkit.

Complete your Learning Team Charter.

Learning Team Instructions

Riordan Manufacturing WAN Project

Your team project will address the wide area network in the virtual organization Riordan Manufacturing. The current network diagrams are available under the Intranet Information Systems link on the student website.

·         In Week Two, teams create a project outline and assign team members to the tasks for the course.

·         In Week Three, teams build a model of the WAN using the OPNET^® IT Guru tool.

·         In Week Four, teams write a paper analyzing the existing WAN and suggesting enhancements to the current structure.

·         In Week Five, teams build a model of the WAN incorporating the enhancements recommended in their week 4 paper.

IndividualSwitches, Routers, and Gateways

Write a 2- to 3-page paper comparing and contrasting switches, routers, and gateways.

Include the difference between a layer 2 switch and a layer 3 switch and explain how a layer 3 switch differs from a router.

7/29

10

Week Two: Traffic Analysis and Forecasting

Details

Due

Points

Objectives

2.1  Describe the standards and tools for forecasting traffic.

2.2  Compare analog and digital bandwidth requirements.

2.3  Describe the role of Quality of Service (QoS) in Local Area Networks (LANS) and Wide Area Networks (WANS).

Reading

Read Ch. 1, “Introduction,” of Business Data Communications.

Reading

Read Ch. 2, “Business Information,” of Business Data Communications.

Reading

Read Ch. 5, “Network and Transport Layers,” of Business Data Communications and Networking.

Reading

Read the Week Two Read Me First.

Reading

Review this week’s Electronic Reserve Readings.

Participation

Participate in class discussion.

2

Discussion Question

Quality of Service Role

Write a 200- to 300-word short-answer response to the following:

·         How does QoS play a role in integrated networks that have both voice and data traffic in a LAN and in a WAN? What are some other strategies that can be implemented to reduce latency issues with voice data?

7/31

1

Discussion Question

Analog and Digital Transmission

Write a 200- to 300-word short-answer response to the following:

·         Explain the difference between analog and digital transmissions. What are some issues that analog signals might have that are solved by using digital transmissions? What requirements might you see with analog signals that are not relevant to digital signals?

8/2

1

Individual

Forecasting and Monitoring Tools Paper

Write a 3- to 4-page paper on two tools that are available:

·         One for forecasting network bandwidth requirements

·         One for monitoring network traffic

Describe the strengths and weaknesses of each tool based on your research.

8/5

10

Learning Team

Riordan Manufacturing WAN Project Part I

Review the Riordan Manufacturing material.

Create a 1- to 2-page project outline that assigns tasks for the following assignments to each team member:

·         Riordan Manufacturing WAN Project Part II, creating a model of the existing WAN using the OPNET^® IT Guru tool, due in Week Three.

·         Riordan Manufacturing WAN Project Part III, paper analyzing the WAN and suggested enhancements due in Week Four.

·         Riordan Manufacturing WAN Project Part IV, a revised model with the enhancements included, due in Week Five.

8/5

2

Week Three: Service Levels

Details

Due

Points

Objectives

3.1  Describe the importance of international standards in global network design.

3.2  Identify key standards-setting organizations.

3.3  Differentiate between class of service and quality of service.

3.4  Describe the importance and purpose of service level agreements.

Reading

Read Ch. 8, “Internet Operation,” of Business Data Communications.

Reading

Read Appendix B, “Standards Organizations,” of Business Data Communications.

Reading

Read Ch. 1, “Introduction of Data Communications,” ofBusiness Data Communications & Networking.

Reading

Read the Week Three Read Me First.

Reading

Review this week’s Electronic Reserve Readings.

Participation

Participate in class discussion.

2

Discussion Question

Discussion Question

Write a 200- to 300-word short-answer response to the following:

·         What role do the international standards for networking play in globalization? In your opinion, are the proprietary versions of some of these standards used by some networking and telecomm vendors a good or a bad thing? Explain your answer.

8/7

1

Discussion Question

IEEE Roles

Write a 200- to 300-word short-answer response to the following:

·         What different roles do the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the Wi-Fi Alliance play in wireless networking technologies? Why is there a need for both organizations instead of one?

8/9

1

Individual

Standards Paper

Identify 3 to 5 technology or telecom standards organizations and the role they play in the industry. Choose one organization to look into in more depth.

Write a 3- to 4-page paper on a pending standard that your chosen organization is working on.

8/12

15

Learning Team

Riordan Manufacturing WAN Project Part II

Create a new project model in OPNET^® OpenIT for the existing Riordan manufacturing WAN. Name your new model “Team_X” and replace the X with your team identifier.

Begin creating your model by creating an empty scenario. Choose “World” for the network scale. You will find some of the devices in the UOPX Palette that were copied when you installed the software and the rest in the existing palettes. Use the Visio^® models from the IT section of the intranet as a basis for your model.

Share the model with your fellow students. Copy the files that start with “Team_X” in the op_models directory. (Note.You do not need the backup files that  have bk in the name and reside in the op_admin directory). Attach these files to a post in your team room.

Attach the finalized files to your assignment submission.

8/11

2

Week Four: LAN Design Tools and Techniques

Details

Due

Points

Objectives

4.1  Describe wired and fiber cable types and their advantages and disadvantages.

4.2  Identify protocols used in wired networks.

4.3  Explain how wireless LANs operate.

4.4  Define wireless protocols currently in use.

Reading

Read Ch. 11, “Wireless LANs,” of Business Data Communications.

Reading

Read Ch. 3, “Physical Layer,” of Business Data Communications & Networking.

Reading

Read Ch. 6, “Wired and Wireless Local Area Networks,” ofBusiness Data Communications & Networking.

Reading

Read the Week Four Read Me First.

Reading

Review this week’s Electronic Reserve Readings.

Participation

Participate in class discussion.

2

Discussion Question

International Standards

Write a 200- to 300-word short-answer response to the following:

·         What are the advantages of a fiber network over a wired network? What are the disadvantages? What would be some considerations when choosing one over the other in a specific LAN environment? What protocols would most likely be implemented in each?

.

8/14

1

Discussion Question

International Standards

Write a 200- to 300-word short-answer response to the following:

·         What are the areas that must be considered if a company is considering implementing wireless in their LAN? How would you secure a wireless LAN? How does a wireless LAN function differently from a wired LAN?

8/16

1

Individual

LAN model

McBride Financial has hired a consulting firm to help with the LAN design on two of its offices. Abram LaBelle met with Hugh McBride and a transcript of the conversation can be found in the Client Projects section of Smith Systems Consulting’s intranet site.

Prepare a LAN design using OPNET^® OpenIT based service request SR-mf-005.

·         Name your project “005_LastName_FirstInitial” and choose Create an Empty Scenario.

·         For the network scale, choose Office, and uncheck use metric units. After choosing your scale, select the ethernet model family to design your LAN.

After completing your project, attach the files that start with “005_LastName_FirstInitial” or from the op_models directory to the assignments submission.

8/19

15

Learning Team

Riordan Manufacturing WAN Project Part 3

Write a 4-5 page paper based on your analysis of the existing WAN for Riordan Manufacturing that describes

·         the existing WAN.

·         the weaknesses in the WAN.

·         your proposed upgrade to the WAN.

2

Week Five: WAN Design Tools and Techniques

Details

Due

Points

Objectives

5.1  Define how circuit and packet switching networks operate.

5.2  Explain how 3G communications differ from traditional cellular communications.

5.3  Explain the advantages and disadvantages of satellite communications.

Reading

Read Ch. 12, “Circuit Switching and Packet Switching,” ofBusiness Data Communications.

Reading

Read Ch. 13, “Frame Relay and ATM,” of Business Data Communications.

Reading

Read Ch. 14, “Wireless WANs,” of Business Data Communications.

Reading

Review Ch. 3, “Physical Layer,” of Business Data Communications and Networking.

Reading

Read the Week Five Read Me First.

Reading

Review this week’s Electronic Reserve Readings.

Participation

Participate in class discussion.

2

Discussion Question

ITU Standards

Write a 200- to 300-word short-answer response to the following:

·         In the Fall of 2010, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) changed its criteria for 4G communications (originally defined as 100MB per second or higher) to an ambiguous definition of “a substantial improvement over 3G” after pressure from cell providers who were using the term 4G in their marketing. Do you think that this move has hurt the ITU’s reputation as a standards-defining body? Why or why not?

8/21

1

Discussion Question

3G Technology

Write a 200- to 300-word short-answer response to the following:

·         Explain how 3G technology differs from the previous generation of cell technology. What are some of the functionalities that 3G (and now 4G) provide that were not available previously?

8/23

1

Learning Team

Riordan Manufacturing WAN Project Part IV

Make all appropriate changes to the WAN model for Riordan Manufacturing submitted in Week Three.

Submit your team’s updated model with the file name “Team_X_Final” and change to X to your team designation.

8/26

24