Small Office – Ethernet LAN

Description The project will consist of a 10-page project paper. The 10 pages include only the text, with everything else extra. You are expected to run a spell checker against the paper. More than 12 pages is not expected. As a matter of fact, it will not help you to include more. Supporting diagrams or pictures are welcome, but they do not need to be fancy. The project will be a subset of a network design that still requires you to think about media, hardware, and protocols for either home use or to support a small office. You will write the paper from the point of view of a network designer, and you will try to solve one of these two problems. Problem 1 I am sitting in front of my Intel PC, which is running a Windows XP (or later) operating system, and I am using my Internet Explorer Web browser to access an ISP of your choice. I am doing this at 56 kbs modem speeds, but I want to join the broadband revolution. You will hook my PC up to some broadband access method. You will describe the overall design; describe specific vendor hardware that makes up the design; describe the transmission media; and describe the protocols within the design (note that this includes TCP/IP and HTTP). The three approved solutions for this problem are cable TV, DSL, or wireless. For DSL, you should describe the solution from my PC to the DSLAM or the first ATM switch. For cable or wireless, you should describe access from my PC to where they hook up to the ISP. Problem 2 I want to set up an Ethernet LAN for my small office of 10 people. The parameters are similar to those of Problem 1, except you will be connecting to a LAN. For either problem, your design should include the link from my PC or office workstation to the Internet Service Point (ISP) access point within the vendor’s network. You will have to research one of these solutions and then write your paper. For the DSL solution, you should go to one of the DSLAM vendors, such as Lucent; select a DSLAM; and then describe it. For the cable, wireless, or LAN solutions, you will have to describe how the network components work in general. You will need to include descriptions on the home or office components, as well as an overview of their networks. These terms will become clearer as the course advances. Fine-tuning of the concept will take place when you submit your one-page outline in week 4. The instructor is available for help and suggestions. You are encouraged to interact with the other members of your class. Project Grading The project paper will be graded on the following elements: • introduction (10%) • overall design or high-level description (20%) • hardware (10%) • transmission media (10%) • protocol description (10%) • lessons learned (10%) • grammar/syntax and length (20%) • references (10%)