Module 2 - Design the Network Structure

Section 3 - Provision Hardware and Media for the WAN

Pretty Paper Ltd.: Solution

• Using the Cisco Reseller Product Selection Tool, the following products were selected:

 
• Cisco 3640
• Cisco 4500
• Cisco 4700

 
• Recommend the Cisco 3620 to provide a cost-effective main office solution.

•  Using the Cisco Reseller Product Selection Tool, the following products were selected:

 
• Cisco 1601
• Cisco 1602
• Cisco 1603
• Cisco 1604
• Cisco 2503
• Cisco 2516
• Cisco 2520
• Cisco 2522
• Cisco 2524

 
• Recommend the Cisco 2503 at the sales offices to provide a logistics and support advantage.

•  Using the Cisco Reseller Product Selection Tool, the following products were selected:

 
• Cisco 1601
• Cisco 1602
• Cisco 1603
• Cisco 1604
• Cisco 2503
• Cisco 2516
• Cisco 2520
• Cisco 2522
• Cisco 2524

 
• Recommend the Cisco 2503 for Internet access to provide a logistics and support advantage.

• The 56-kbps Frame Relay links are the limiting factor on the WAN. With the use of client/server technology, this bandwidth should be sufficient.

 
• You should obtain traffic characteristics of the application software from the vendor or measure the characteristics with a protocol analyzer. Understanding traffic characteristics will help in the selection of an appropriate Frame Relay CIR.

 
• You might also recommend network computers or Xterminals.

•  Include a redundant, alternate path fiber run to the local warehouse to be manually switched.

 
• Include either a redundant, second vendor, Frame Relay circuit or a backup, auto dial telephony path.

 
• Router redundancy would not appear to be economically feasible for this situation.

• Even though the overhead calculated using the Frame Relay Design Tool is very low, less than 2 percent (using the smallest line, DS0, for worst case, you would enter 64 into the BW cell, 8 into the DLCI cell [headquarters, 5 sales offices, and 2 manufacturing sites], 8 IRGP routes, 8 AppleTalk routes, 8 IPX RIP routes, and 0 IPX SAP routes), there really is not sufficient information to definitively recommend a CIR. More information is needed about concurrent sessions and a profile of the application traffic. However, if a DS0 circuit were used, there would be scalability problems because completely new circuits would be required to resolve any insufficiency.

 
• An approach might be to install 128 fractional T1/E1 circuits at one warehouse and one sales office and then analyze the client/server application traffic to calculate the needed circuit and CIR. More than likely the client/server application vendor has had to supply this kind of profile information previously and has it available for the calculations. However, in a client/server environment, these circuits should not be less than a Fractional T1/E1 for scalability. Therefore the headquarters circuit should be no less than a T1/E1.

 
 
 
• The distance from the main facilities to the local warehouse and manufacturing facilities dictates the use of fiber-optic cable to link between a hub in these facilities and the Catalyst 5000 switch in the main facility.

 
• The Internet connection will be secured through the Cisco PIX. The Cisco PIX Firewall will address Pretty Paper’s security needs without the overhead and performance limitations of a proxy server. Its high performance and low cost of ownership make it ideal for Pretty Paper.

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