CSIS 161
LAN Project
Josh Ancel
LAN Study Project
I
started this project thinking that it would be just a simple matter of
recording the nodes on the LAN. I soon found out that it was much more than
just individual computers connected together by one protocol. I originally
chose my high schools network but the
network administrators were not very helpful. So I then went to a company I use
to work for. They turned me down because security regulations had changed and I
no longer had the clearance. After so
many dead ends and running out time I looked to what I already had and knew. This was a home
network, which will become the most common network in the world in the next few
years. This home network has only 8 nodes but still is just as complex as a 40
node network. The network is setup as a
peer-to-peer for file and print sharing
purpose’s but it is used as a client server for the most common use of the
network. The client server is used in
network gaming. The server is a Intel P3 800mhz with 256MB RAM,
running Windows 98, a Intel Pro/100 VE Network Connection Ethernet Adapter,
CDRW, CDROM, FDD, and 28GB HD. This server has several different protocols
running on it so that is can accommodate the software(Games). These protocols
are TCP/IP IPX/SPX, the most common protocol used is TCP/IP but some still
programs use IPX/SPX. Not all the clients computers are setup to run
IPX/SPX because they cannot run the
programs that are using IPX/SPX. (SEE Table 1.1)
Table 1.1
(Workstations Running IPX/SPX)
Type |
Pros MHz |
OS
|
RAM |
HD,FDD, CDROM |
NIC |
|
ETower
533i |
Intel Celeron 533Mhz |
Windows 98 |
96MB |
8Gb HD CDROM, FDD |
Linksys
LNE100TX Fast Ethernet Adapter |
|
Gen |
Intel P3
450Mhz |
Windows 98 |
128MB |
6GB HD, CDROM, FDD |
3Com Home Connect 3C450 Adapter |
|
Dell |
Intel P3 500Mhz |
Windows 98 |
128MB |
8Gb HD, CDROM, 100Mb Zip. FDD |
Linksys
LNE100TX Fast Ethernet Adapter |
|
Tiger Direct |
Intel P3 500Mhz |
Windows 98 |
128MB |
20Gb HD, DVD, 100Mb Zip, FDD |
D-Link
DSB-650 USB 10M Ethernet Adapter |
The
network is a Ethernet network using UTP CAT 5 wire. This was chosen because it
was the least expensive and was the most upgradable. The workstations connect
to one an other through a 8 port NetGear hub. An other hub could be purchased
and added for a small price. This would increase the nodes available for the
network as well as the traffic. You would only be able to connect four hubs
before you would need a type of router, switch , or bridge. The max amount of
nodes that could be added to the eight is 148 nodes or more. This could be done
by adding three 48 port hubs. The cost of doing this would be over $4000.00. This creates a limitation on how many we can
have by how many we can afford. It
would be more likely to add two 16 port
hubs and one 8 port to give us 44 or more nodes on this home based network. The
furthest distance that any node can be from
the 8 port hub is 100 meters(apx. 330 feet). The maximum speed for data transfer is 100Mbps but since the NIC are
only 10Mbps. The network could be updated by adding new 10/100Mbps 3Com Ethernet
Adapters for $69.00 a node. This would allow for a 100Mbps transfer rate. The network is consistently maintained by
the owner. If there is a problem he checks the nodes for the appropriate
problems (Not Plugged in, wrong protocol installed, OS crashes, ect.) The
network topology is a star, (See Figure
1.2) with the hub as the center.
Figure 1.2
(Topology and Nodes)
There are no support fees since the size of the network is so small and it is maintained by the home owner. The cost of adding a station besides the cost of the station itself is minimal, about $15.00. This is for a new 4 port hub. A new server would cost quite a bit more, approximately $300.00.beside the price of the server its self) The server would coast between $900.00 to $1200.00[1] (See Figure 1.3), and a workstation would be between $400.00 to $1000.00(See Figure1.4).
Figure 1.3
(Servers that
could be used)
Work Stations Next Page
Figure1.4 [2]
(Workstations that can be added)
The
network is already working at its highest capacity for what it has. There would
be no real way to add or improve anything with out increasing the cost of the
network. There are a few things that
could be done to make the network run more efficiently. One would be to place
the UTP in places where the do not get any RFI EMI. Another would be to shorten
the distance from the nodes to the hub. They could also try using different
protocols to find if one may be better equipped to handle the interference that
they are receiving. One protocol might be NetBEUI so that it stays a the lower levels of the OSI to correct the problems.