consolidate the fundamental concepts of network infrastructures, as stated in the learning outcomes below, in a practical way.

Network Fundamentals (U21262) Group Coursework Specification 2014-15
Order Details/Description

Network Fundamentals (U21262)

Group Coursework Specification 2014-15

The purpose of this coursework task is to consolidate the fundamental concepts of network infrastructures, as stated in the learning outcomes below, in a practical way. By providing the opportunity for students to evidence their knowledge and abilities in network systems analysis and design for a given scenario.

Group Coursework:

Groups MUST consist of no more than three people from within the same practical group; two will be acceptable but NOT individual (1) or 4 or more.

Cross practical groups will not be permitted for this coursework.

Names of group members must be submitted to your tutor by 12th January 2015. After this date students not named as part of a group will be automatically assigned to a group to complete the coursework.

Part of this task is the management of working as a group to emulate industrial working practices. Therefore it is the responsibility of the group members collectively to ensure they complete the task as stated.

Hand in Dates:

Full coursework hand in 02-03-15 (Before the CAM desk closes)

Formative feedback sessions will be provided during your normal timetabled practical sessions:

Week Commencing 26th January 2015 – Logical Design deliverable

9th February 2015 – Physical Design deliverable

Names of group members must be submitted to your tutor by 12tht January 2014.

Formative Feedback Sessions (dates as stated above in Hand in Dates section):

These sessions will consist of one group reviewing another’s part of the coursework (As stated above e.g. the logical or physical design). The allocation of the groups will be decided on the day by the lecturer. One group will act as the client, to evaluate if the work of the other group, acting as the contractor, fits with the requirements of the set specification. Each group will act as both client and contractor within each session. The client will complete an evaluation form for their contractor during these sessions.

This will emulate an acceptance of the design accurately covering the coursework specification, again following industrial practices.

Marks and Feedback:

This will be available 20 working days from the submission date stated above. This does not include those days that the University is closed over holiday periods.

This coursework covers the unit Learning Outcomes as stated below:

Recognize computer systems network terminology and use it appropriately,
Computer Networks: Topologies, and Components – The structure of networked PCs – architecture and basic layout, network servers, Networks Topologies – LAN, MAN and WAN
Application Support Protocols – protocol suites, end-to-end transport protocol. Application support services, Session and presentation services, e-mail, File transfer, Remote login directory services

Coursework Requirements Overview

ORCHARD LODGE SCHOOL

Orchard Lodge School is a small school that draws its pupils from a 15 metre radius and is located in a village in the Hampshire countryside in the U.K. The village is fairly quiet, comprising of less than a hundred houses, though the school is near to a small shopping centre which includes a pub and a café (adjacent to the school).

The school has a server running Windows Server 2012 that is less than 6 months old and was bought with expansion in mind. Currently there are 5 networked, PCs, all of which are housed in the Computer Room. The network used is Ethernet running at 100Mbps with PCs and server all connected to a 100Mbps Ethernet hub located close to the server.

Physically twisted pair cable (cat 5e) is run around the computer room in wall trunking at desk height with data sockets in the trunking to which PCs are connected, also via twisted pair cables. There are 3 further stand-alone PCs, one in the Headmaster office and two in the Secretary’s office. The school has a high bandwidth connection to the Internet via a local Internet Service Provider (ISP).

The school is planning to change the way it teaches and will move to collaborative, problem-based learning. The teaching material is stored on a central database located on the main server. The transition to problem based learning using this particular software, means that all students will need to be able to access the databases at any time they are in school. The school also wants to permit students to be able to access the database from home to be able to complete homework. The school therefore needs to expand its computer network.

The school, however, is housed in 3 permanent buildings and two ‘temporary’ buildings. The permanent buildings are: –

the main school building (which has 45 – 50 cms thick, external stone walls),
a science block (brick built)
a gymnasium/assembly hall (steel frame construction with breeze block infill.
The temporary buildings are of wooden construction with internal walls of thin plasterboard on wooden frames. The school site plan (Fig 1) is enclosed at the end of this case study. Further more detailed information about the school and its dimensions can be found from the ‘School Information & Dimensions’ link in the topics menu.

The teacher who is responsible for the existing network (Dr. Lee) has a contact with another school, which has installed a small wireless LAN within their current network. He has brought his headmaster’s attention to this and discussed with him the possibility that Orchard School might have a similar network.

The Headmaster is not very technically literate but likes the idea that wireless access allows pupils the freedom of movement, particularly since pupils move from classroom to classroom during their school day.

He has, however, agreed with Dr Lee that a system of wired sockets should be provided throughout the main school building where there is already the beginning of a wired network in the computer room. Each classroom will need network access for teaching purposes for both teaching staff and students. They have also agreed that wireless access should be available from any of the 5 school buildings including the main building and the gym. This will allow for wearable wireless gym devices to be used in class.

Dr. Lee has agreed to bring in IT consultants (your coursework group) to:-

Make preliminary investigations as to what issues need to be considered when setting up a modern LAN at Orchard School. Outline any assumptions and influences for the design.
Produce draft designs for the proposed network both logical and physical designs.
Identify the equipment that is likely to be needed and estimate how much it might cost.
Write a report addressed to the school Headmaster identifying your findings, presenting your draft design and costs as part of the report.
The Headmaster will then decide whether or not to bring the matter to the attention of the Board of Governors from whom he would ask for the required funds and agreement to the installation of the new LAN network.

Coursework Deliverables

The submitted group coursework should be a single word-processed report not exceeding, 2000 words in length ±10%, sub-divided into the following sections indicated below corresponding approximately to the assessment headings. These should include diagrams of the designs and simulated examples evidencing the efficiencies of your design. The focus of the report is to present your groups understanding of network analysis as stated in the learning outcomes. Theoretically this is a tender put forward to gain a contract with the school.

Together with the main report each group member individually must produce a short reflective account not exceeding, 1000 words ±10% in length (these reports need to be handed in together with the main report).

By relating to the lab books that you have been developing over this year reflect on the lessons learnt in undertaking this coursework (approx 500 Words).
Reflect on the how the group managed the coursework and how well you all worked together. Group work can be challenging and you need to all have good communication skills, but be honest in your reflection. Indicate the lessons you personally have learnt while working as a group (approx 500 Words).
The sections required are:-

Introduction
Assumptions Made
Issues influencing design
Logical Design
Physical Design
Component and Costing List
References
Reflective report (Approx.1000 Words, split as discussed above)
The submission of the work should be both a hard copy (e.g. printer paper copy) and also electronically on CD.

Plagiarism

The main report must have proper citations and references throughout using the Harvard APA referencing system see the University library Harvard APA FAQs. (http://referencing.port.ac.uk/)

The plagiarism disciplinary policy will be invoked if ANY part of this work is found to be directly copied from the Internet printed / published work or another student. Which will result in marks being deducted for poor scholarship and possibly resulting in NO marks being be awarded for the entire assignment

Anonymity

All coursework should be anonymous; therefore you must ensure that students do NOT put their name on their work. Work should only be identified by putting the Student ID number in the document. Please see the Assessment and Examination Regulations for further information at: http://www.port.ac.uk/accesstoinformation/policies/academicregistry/filetodownload,163708,en.pdf

Coursework Marking Scheme

Your coursework for this unit is the production of the above specified report based on the detailed case study. The format is indicated in the ‘Coursework Deliverable’ section above. The emphasis is on the clarity of the ideas contained, so you can make use of bullet points and include any helpful graphics and diagrams as necessary. You should used evidence of the efficiencies of your design. Where there is insufficient detail in the case study you may make assumptions but you must include these in your report as a list of any assumptions you make.

Introduction 5 marks
Statement of assumptions made 10 marks
Discussion of issues influencing design (the rationale behind your design decisions 10 marks
Draft Logical design of Network (connectivity) to include evidence of efficiencies in your design 20 marks
Draft Physical design of Network (location of components and cabling) 15 marks
Component Specification (this should reflect the requirements of your actual design) 15 marks
Individual reflective report
Group reflection
Learning reflection
20 marks
Quality of the Report Presentation (e.g. layout, language, diagrams)
Breadth of Information Resources used and correctness of citations

5 marks

Notes:

Logical Design: is a conceptual, abstract design. You do not need to deal with the physical implementation details yet. This section will incorporate the topology and how the technology connects to make the whole communication system. Throughout this aspect of the design you need only ensure that you adhere to the network infrastructure specification as detailed by the company and any physical constraints imposed that will affect this stage of the design. This can be accomplished by using MS Visio or similar software.

Within this part of the design you are required to test the loading and the throughput of the design to ensure that you have not inadvertently created any bottlenecks within your network. This will prove to your client that your design is robust and the one to chose.

Physical Design: Physical design is incorporating the logical design into the physical space. This has the focus of taking your logical design and then showing how it will fit into the actual physical location. This is where you consider the actual location of the components and the cable plans. Also consider the actual building constraints etc.

Miscellaneous Information and School Dimensions

1.1 Dimensions – General

It is assumed that the top of both the site plan and main school building is “North”.
Where building dimensions are not explicitly stated they may be inferred from the plan. Gaps between buildings are however, as stated below.
For Fig 1 the scale is 3.2 to 1. For Fig 2 the scale is 3.7 to 1.
The north walls of the north most temporary building and the main school building are in line with one another.
Gaps between buildings in the North-South direction are approximately as follows:-
North most temporary building to Gym = 25 metres
Gym to Science block = 12 metres
Gaps between buildings in the East-West direction are approximately as follows:-
South most temporary building to Science block = 4 metres
Main school building to most northerly temporary building = 16 metres.
1.2 Building Sizes and Positions

All the Form rooms are 10 metres wide and 7 metres long?
The most northern temporary building is 21metres East to West and 10 metres North to South.
The Assembly Hall / Gym is 30 metres East to West and 18 metres North to South.
Both temporary buildings are 22 metres East to West and 10 metres North to South.
The Science block is 30 metres East to West and 30 metres North to South. The northern part of this L shaped building is 14 metres East to West and 10 metres North to South. The southern part of this L shaped building is 30 metres East to West and 20 metres North to South.
The Geography Room is 50 metres from the server
The Science Lab is about 100 metres from the server
The English Room is about 85 metres from the server
1.3 Main School Building

The main school building is 50 metres East to West and 23 metres North to South.
The server and computer room it is located in are on the North side of the main school building. The server is 20 metres from the northwest corner of the main building.
All dimensions from the server given in the assessment can be taken as dimensions from the server to the northeast corner of the room or lab in question.
The computer room in the main school building is 13 metres east west by 10 metres north to south
The Headmaster’s office is 4.25 metres long and 3 metres wide.
The Secretary’s office is 4.25 metres long and 5 metres wide.
1.4 School Miscellaneous Information

There are six year groups (Form 3 to Form 8).
Each year group contains one class of never more than 20 pupils
Pupils (& teachers) will be expected to provide their own laptops but the school will provide any specialist wireless equipment and anti-virus software.
Pupils with suitable broadband equipment should be able to access the database from their homes.

 

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