Network Policies and Troubleshooting
In this assignment you will consider a specific case and answer questions about how to create a secure and reliable network and troubleshoot any issues that arise. When responding to this assignment, assume that you are discussing a local area network (LAN) for a small office with 10 employees. Both wired and wireless connections are required for employees and occasional guests. The company relies on cloud infrastructure and services but does maintain their own internal network for sharing resources within the office. Most desktop and laptop computers used in the office run the Microsoft Windows operating system (OS). Mobile devices that connect to the network might use any standard mobile OS.
Answer the questions in each section to describe your network choices and the techniques you would use to support this network. Be sure to clearly label each section of your paper so that the answer to each question is clear.
- Network diagram: Draw a diagram of how you think this LAN should be set up and include all hardware components. Any topologies you would use for your network should be represented. Be sure to include any hardware devices that you might use for network operations, performance, security, or maintenance. Your drawing should not exceed half of a page.
- Network issues: Identify at least five issues that might occur to disrupt data communication for this organization. For each issue, identify the level(s) from the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model where it occurs. Be sure to discuss issues and disruptions that might occur when relaying messages within the LAN and those that are delivered outside the LAN across a wide area network (WAN).
- Tools and techniques for securing and troubleshooting: As the most knowledgeable person in the organization about the topic of networks, you need to make recommendations to the owner about how to protect and maintain the network. Write a summary of the tools and techniques that can be used to prevent or react to the disruptions (discussed in part 2 above), and ensure that the network performs as required.
- Policies for Windows computers: You realize that is also a good idea to develop policies and standards for the Windows computers that connect to the network. What procedures or tools would you recommend employees use to prevent and identify issues on the network?
