MIS420-Chapter 6 Network Planning

Making a Network Plan

1. Don't Rush through the planning phase
2. Write down the network plan
3. Let someone else read your network plan

Taking Stock

What you need to know

• Computers' processor type and speed
• size of hard disks and arrangement of partition
• Amount of RAM
• version of DOS/Windows
• type of monitor
• type of printer
• types of software

DOS - MSD (Microsoft Diagnostics) to the rescue!

Win 95 - Control Panel | System | Device Manager

Why Do You Need a Network, Anyway?

• share files
• share data
• share programs
• share software
• communications

Three Basic Network Decisions You Can't Avoid

BND #1: What network operating system will you use?

• Novell's NetWare
• Windows NT Server
• LANtastic
• Windows for WorkGroups
• Windows '95
• Other

BND #2: What arrangement of server computers will you use?

• Use a dedicated server (doesn't have to be the biggest and fasted computer)
• Plan how the program and data files will be arranged
• Consistently assign drive letters to network drives
• How many servers and what types (file, printer, domain controllers, etc.)

BND #3: How will you cable the network?

• Cable
  • twisted-pair (UTP - 10BaseT)
  • coax (thinnet - 10Base2)
  • fiber (10BaseF)
• NICs
• hubs
• network diagram

Networks to Go: Using a Network Starter Kit

A Sample Network Plan

1. Ward's - 120MHz Pentium with 16MB RAM, 2GB hard disk, Win '95, Excel & Word, laser printer
2. June's - 33MHz 486 with 4MB RAM, 300 MB hard disk, Win 3.1, Word, dot-matrix printer
3. Wally's - 386 with 2 MB RAM & 80MB hard disk, Q&A database
4. Beave's - 286 AT with 512K RAM & 20MB hard disk, modem for communicating with online service

Why the Cleavers need a network:

• share printer
• share access to inventory database