In: Computer Science
Stock 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 50 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?
1. Will the network be peer to peer or server-based?
The new Stock Inc. network will follow the client-server model. The company workstations require frequent access to an inventory database, as well as a billing application which are each housed on separate servers.
2. How many computers will be attached to the network?
The corporate network will ultimately consist of 92 connected computers. The description explains that each location contains 25 office workstations, 50 more in the factory, as well as a single server. 46 machines in two locations combine to equal 92 total computers.
3. 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?
For the office, I would recommend the use of star topology. All workstations could connect to a single 26-port switch, or two smaller switches which would allow the Network administrator to divide the office into two sub-networks, delineated by department. Either way, the server would also connect to the switches via twisted pair cable. The wiring closets could be used as linkstations, where a switch could be strategically located for easy access. The CAT% cable would be run up through the ceiling and drop down into RJ-45 wall ports for each workstation and server.
In the factory area, I would suggest using a single wireless access point (WAP) which would be mounted in the center of the ceiling. Each workstation would then be fitted with a wireless network interface card (NIC) for connectivity. Because these machines are used so infrequently, one WAP should be sufficient for bandwidth sharing requirements.
That being said, there is also another viable option for the factory setting. It would be possible to use one 26-port wired switch, mounted to the ceiling, with single drops for each machine. These drops could be made using a retraceablecable leash with a track system that is able to slide along the length and width of the ceiling. This enables the company to accommodate their ever-chainging physical configuration with the factory. This option, coupled with switched Ethernet topology would make sense, considering the sporadic use of these workstations. A switched topology maintains a constant electrical connection between each computer and switch, but disengages the logical connection between the devices when they are not in use. This would be the most efficient option, if Stock Inc. is willing to relinquish the convenience of wireless technology. Either way, the office and factory should be connected to one another by a central router, which would then be responsible for linking the two locations together.
Once each location has been configured, I would then create a wide-area network (WAN), from building to building. The most logical choice of network medium would be a fiber optic connection, as it supports long-distance runs such as this. There is also less chance of electrical interference with a fiber connection and a higher bandwidth rate, overall. Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI) is one such option, and would require the use of a physical ring topology. This is an older technology and has widely been surpassed and replaced with a large extended star topology.
In the end, each location would consist of at least two LANs (one or more for the office and one for the factory), linked by a central router. The two routers would then form a WAN, supported by fiber-optic cable as the network medium. This configuration ensures high-speed data access for all network users, while meeting the specific reqrequirements of Stock Inc. managers.
Note: In 2nd question if exact connected computers were given then the configuartion for the servers, worstation will be acuurate. In the solution the predicted connected computers were given.
Generally the questions comes with additonal information for example.
Example: Counting the servers, and assuming all 20 workstations are attached in each factory floor work cell, a total of 92 computers (two servers, 50 front-office employee workstations, and 40 factory floor employee workstations)
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