Reference no: EM133694214

Enterprise and Cloud Networking

Assessment - The Final Report of Comprehensive Network Design

Assessment Task
Starting from the logical network design that you completed in Assessment Item 1; you are required to undertake the physical design of the network taking into consideration the feedback that you received on your Assessment Item 1 report. You are also required to complete your final network design report.
Your report should include the following, undertaken in the group (Part A) and individually (Part B):

1. Executive Summary Individual (Part B)
2. Table of Contents
3. Introduction
4. Personal Reflection
5. Business Goals and Constraints Group (Part A)
6. Technical Goals and Trade-offs
7. Table of User Communities, Data Stores, Network Applications and Traffic Flows
8. Model for Addressing and Naming
9. Budget Estimation and Management
10. On-Premises Network Topology Design
11. The Explanation and Justification of your Selected Technologies and Protocols
12. Cloud Networking Design
13. The Use of Remote Access Technologies
14. Wireless Network Design
15. Network Reliability Considerations
16. Network Management and Automation

Assessment Criteria
In this assessment task, you are assessed on your ability to undertake the design of a network containing logical and physical designs for the given scenario using the top-down network design methodology and prepare a complete report of your design. The marking criteria for this assessment task are provided on page 4.

The Scenario for Network Design Assessment Tasks

Aussie Mining Corporation (AMC) is planning to establish a new coal mining site in the west-north region of Queensland, situated 100 km west of Mount Isa City. The new mining site covers an area of 5 km by 5 km, where heavy-duty mining machinery will be in operation. Additionally, AMC intends to construct a single 5-story office building located 1 km away from the mining site.

The anticipated workforce at the mining site comprises approximately 100 employees across various roles: 10% executives, 10% marketing professionals, 10% financial and human resource personnel, and 70% engineers and technicians. This workforce may be expanded up to 300 employees in the next 10 years.

To address the diverse needs of the business, AMC aims for a hybrid infrastructure that incorporates both on-premises networks and cloud computing solutions. The local network will connect local servers, workstations, laptops, and mobile devices for all staff and visitors. Simultaneously, the cloud computing platform will host important servers, including company websites and trading information, store critical data, and manage authentication, authorization, and permission controls. To ensure data integrity and confidentiality, a secure VPN is desired.

However, in consideration of the security of company employees and assets, CCTV systems will be deployed. Video footage from CCTV cameras will be stored on a local server and can only be accessed from the computers inside the office build. A dedicated local control system will be implemented to monitor all mining machines and vehicles, which requires a robust firewall to protect against cyber threats. Private IP addresses will be employed within the mining site, a few public IP addresses will be purchased from Internet Service Provider (ISP) for mapping purposes.

To establish a robust connectivity backbone, the company plans to install a dedicated fibre optic network connecting to Mount Isa City, leveraging the NBN network infrastructure node for access to the public Internet. This fibre optic network will link to major routers located in the office build communication closet. Within the office building and mining site, cost-effective solutions like general Ethernet cables and mesh wireless networks are preferred. The network is expected to be operational 24/7, ensuring continuous communication and monitoring of the whole mining site.

While there isn't a specific budget constraint, the management committee is still seeking a cost-effective network design solution. The Managing Director of AMC requires you to provide a proposal with comprehensive design details and budget estimation.

Using the top-down network design methodology, you are required to design a network as per the requirements for AMC. You are allowed to make assumptions in relation to business and technical goals if they are really required to facilitate your network designs. Each step of your network design should clearly explain and justify how you satisfy the business and technical goals.