They are ready to begin considering options for both Internet and remote connectivity

This is a TEAM ASSIGNMENT which must be completed with a team of two or three students. Team members may be students in any of Mr. Moats' CGS 1550 classes. However, they must be students, and they must participate equally in completing the assignment. Team members MAY NOT participate on any other team.

Assignments completed individually are not acceptable and will not be graded.

EACH and EVERY team member MUST SUBMIT the assignment. This is the only method by which WebCT permits the entry of a grade.

Prior to attempting an Application Assignment submission, please practice with the Practice Assignment. You have only ONE submission attempt allowed. You cannot submit a second attempt so be careful and follow the directions.

Complete the following exercise and submit your answers as follows.

Save this file to your computer by selecting "FILE" then "Save As" on the browser menu bar and then selecting a destination on your computer. If using a College computer save to removable media (floppy disk or Zip disk).
Do not save to the hard drive of a College computer. It will be deleted automatically when the computer is rebooted.
Open an HTML page editor like Word97/2000, Wordperfect 7/8, FrontPage, or Netscape Composer.
Open the saved file by selecting "FILE OPEN" and browsing until you find the saved the file.
Search for answers and then answer the questions on this page. Be sure answers appear as RED text.
Enter the following information here:

1) STUDENT NAME: Stanley Calloway
SECTION NUMBER: CGS1550TTH800Spring

2) STUDENT NAME: Antone Vick
SECTION NUMBER: CGS1550TTH800Spring
Save the edited file as "assign-2.htm".
Be certain to select "Save As File Type .... HTM/HTML or Webpage" (may vary depending upon the options available).
Return to WebCT and select "Submit Application Assignments".
Select "Application Assignment 1".
Follow the directions to select, upload and submit the completed file.
Note that improperly completed and/or improperly identified mail WILL NOT be graded.

Assignment

As a network consultant for Network-ology Associates, you have been called to provide help to MedMal & Associates in the design, installation, and implementation of a computer network in their new office building. MedMal & Associates is a small but up-and-coming law firm specializing in medical malpractice cases. They are now expanding into a new office.

They presently have two lawyers, two paralegals, an investigator, and a receptionist/secretary. Their computer equipment includes one computer for each employee, one large laser printer connected to the secretary's computer (via parallel port), one laser printer on the senior lawyer's computer (via parallel port) and one small color inkjet printer connected to the investigator's computer (also via parallel port).

As a law firm, their typical computer use is in generating legal documents, letters and other correspondence, billing, and internal file notes to each other about the case. As a medical malpractice firm, they tell you they take and scan many high-resolution photographs of clients to show injuries and pre/post-surgery situations. Internet access is not an initial concern but will be added in the phase two expansion when they open a second office.

In general, remember that all networking installations must remain within a budget and require consideration of the most cost-efficient solutions. That means cost is always an object of concern. Always remember to justify decisions when requested.

They are ready to begin considering options for Internet and remote connectivity as well as their own WAN. They will be opening two more offices giving them locations in Tampa, Washington, D.C., and Atlanta, Ga. They must consider all options for current needs as well as the potential for increasing access as the firm grows and a server-based network is installed. Thus, they will need a) Internet access; b) remote access to the LAN from employees at home or on the road; and c) interconnection (WAN) between the three offices.

1. In considering Internet access via dial-up, state two options that would use dial-up telephone lines (PSTN) and what equipment is needed to connect.

2. In considering the two dial-up options above, give two advantages and two disadvantages for each.

4. Considering two broad categories of DSL service - symmetrical and asymmetrical, explain their similarities and differences.

5. Explain two important advantages and two disadvantages of Cable service compared to DSL.

8. What additional equipment will be needed for all the computers to share the Internet connection?

9. Considering circuit-switched versus dedicated-circuit networks, how are they different and how are they similar? Which would be better in this installation and why?

10. In connecting the three offices, what WAN topology would be appropriate? And why?

Answer: Extranet would be appropriate because it allows "users outside the organization who access it over the internet", and can allow persons to access information services, and other internal organizational databases (only provided those who have paid for access). The biggest plus is that it is also a lan technology, so people in the organization can view the files from ither the office or remotely.

11. What is a managed network? And how does a managed network differ from other networks and what are the advantages and disadvantages?

Answer: A managed network requires both hardware and software: hardware to monitor, collect, and transmit traffic reports and problem alerts, and network management software to store, organize, and analyze these reports and alerts. Unlike other networks a managed one uses managed devices that route, switch, and also record data on the messages they process. If an problem were to happen it finding and fixing the problems is much simpler than other networks and requires minutes and not hours.

12. List and explain two network management protocols. Explain their similarities and differences.

Answer: Two network management protocols most commonly used are Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) and Common Management Interface Protocol (CMIP). SNMP is the internet network management stardard, while CMIP is a newer protocol for OSI-type networks developed by the ISO. Both perform the same basic functions, but are incompatible.SNMP and CMIP can operate with hardware that uses ither network management standard.

13. List and explain two approaches to minimizing network traffic over the Internet. Be sure to explain the similarities and differences.

Answer: Two approaches to minimizing network traffic over the internet is by Content Caching and Content delivery. The basic idea behind content caching is to store other peopls web data closer to your users. With content caching, you install a cache engine close to your Internet connection and install special content management software on the router or routing switch. Content delivery (pioneered by Akamai) is a special type of Internet server that works in the opposite directions. Rather than storing other peoples web files closer to their own internal users(content caching), a content delivery provider stores web files for its clients closer to their potential users.

Answer: Three types of security controls are Firewalls, Disaster Recovery Plans, and Physical Security. A firewall is a router or special purpose computer that examines packets flowing into and into out of a network and restricts access to the organization's network. A disaster recovery plan is a in which you plan before hand to address various levels of response to a number of possible disasters and should provide for partial or complete recovery of all data, application software, network components, and physical facilities.Physical security is meant to prevent outside intruders from gaining access to the organization's offices or network equipment facilities.

15. Describe and explain two types of firewalls. Include how are they similar and how they differ.

Answer: The two types of firewalls are packet-level and application-level firewalls. A packet-level firewall examines the source and the destination address of every network packet that passes through it. It allows into or out of the organization's network only those packets that have acceptable source and destination addresses. Some packet-level firewalls are vulnerable to IP spoofing. An application-level firewall acts as an intermediate host computer between the internet and the rest of the organization's networks. This kind of firewall is generally more complicated to install and manage than is a packet-level one. Anyone wishing to access the organization's networks from the Internet must log in to this firewall and can access only the information he or she is authorized for, based on the firewall account profile he or she accesses. Both of types of examine the address's and packets of external sources .One difference between the two firewalls is that with application-level firealls any acess that has not been explicitly authorized is prohibited, with a packet-level firewall any access that has not been disabled is permitted.

Answer: It is a plan in which you plan before hand to address various levels of response to a number of possible disasters and should provide for partial or complete recovery of all data, application software, network components, and physical facilities.

17. List and explain methods of preventing interruptions in network service or loss of data due to network failure.

Answer: Using redundant hardware such as a UPS: a separate battery-operated power supply unit that can supply power for minutes (or even hours) in the even of a power loss. Another way of preventing interruptions (such as natural disaster) is not storing all critical data on the same server or even multiple servers in the same building, or for floods dont locate key network components in the basement rooms near rivers or oceans. Lastly hire a disaster recovery firm, they can provide secure storage for backups and once a company declars a disaster, the disaster recovery firm immediately beins recovery operations using backups stored on-site.

18. What is PKI ? Explain the private key and public key and how they are used.

Answer: Public and private keys are forms of encryption and differ from symmetric single-key systems. The public key is used to encrypt a message, while the private key is used to decrypt the message. With these forms of encrpytion they greatly reduce key management problems and also permit authentication.

19. List and explain three types of intrusion detection systems? Include how are they similar and how they differ.

Answer: The 3 types of ids are Network-based, host-based and application-based. With network based a ids sensor (a device that monitors all network packets) is placed on key network circuits.Host based ids monitors activity on the server and the incoming circutis and reports intrusions to the IDS management console. Application based IDS monitors one application on the server. Application and host based are similar IDS's application only monitors one application on the server where host based monitors both server activity and incoming circuits and reports intrusions to the IDS management console. Network based only monitors only network circuit actvity whereas the other two monitor both server and incoming circuits.

20. What is desktop management? What advantages and disadvantages does it provide?

Answer: Desktop management also called ESD (Electronic Software Distribution) enables network managers to install software on client computers over network without physically touching each client computer. An advantage is that it reduces cost of configuration management over the long term because it eliminates the need to manually update each and every client computer. But on the flip side an disadvantage is that it increases cost in the short term because it costs money ($50 to $100 per client computer and requires network staff to manually install it on each computer.

Submission Instructions

Assignment