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Charles Breakfield and Roxanne Burkey
The organization discussed in this chapter is a national corporation headquartered in Virginia. Currently, the companys corporate locations interconnect through a Banyan wide area network (WAN) for access to business software, national databases, and E-mail. Each location contains a network service area for user support and connects to other locations, including the Virginia headquarter offices.
Space reconfiguration at a corporate location in Texas prompted a move of approximately 125 support staff to the fourth and sixth floors of an adjacent building, approximately 100 feet away from the primary building. The Banyan WAN resided on the seventh floor of the primary building, and the main support areas for data access were to remain there.
The relocating staff, however, required network data access from two of the existing servers on the seventh floor to perform their work, but providing network servers and the associated support staff to the new location was not an option. Exhibit 1 illustrates the wiring layout of the primary building.
An additional consideration was that the organization was consolidating business activities. Broader plans for the year were to consolidate network operations to enable an overall reduction in support staff. Therefore, any system changes made for this relocation of the 125 support staff had to:
Exhibit 1. FSC Server Wiring Layout.
A feasibility study determined the technology needed for data connection from the fourth and sixth floors of the adjacent building to the seventh-floor server room of the primary building.
This article describes the three connectivities (i.e., fiber optics, infrared, and microwave) considered in the feasibility study, the advantages and disadvantages of each, the estimated time to complete installation, and the draft estimated costs. The article also puts all these factors in the context of the companys business operations.
Finally, the article also supplies a proposed plan for the solutions implementation and installation. The recommended course of action is based on the technology feasibility, time frames, costs, and flexibility for known future organizational changes.
A feasibility study certified the data connection method among the existing services and the remote new services and outlined the most viable option for connectivity within the confines determined by upper management. The study began with an itemization of existing resources and criteria for deciding on technology options.
Staff members familiar with the existing Banyan network conducted the study over a nine- week period. Detailed reviews of the existing and planned systems included a review of the wiring configuration for the new space, data specifications, building requirements, and existing ATT services to determine the project requirements.
The staff investigated the possibility that appropriate technology might already be in use elsewhere in the company, as well. They conducted a nationwide, corporatewide investigation of the options available for data connectivity requirements. A step was also completed to locate in-house support staff with experience with similar installations, problems that might come up with a specific technology, and available materials.
The criteria for evaluating the options were determined based on the initial request and follow-up discussions with staff. The criteria, in order of importance, included the operational time frames, connection reliability, technical support provisions, and cost.
The physical hardware and wireless connection possibilities were reviewed based on the criteria, and three viable options were selected to undergo in- depth analysis. After the technology investigation was complete, a review with building management was conducted to ensure acceptance of the recommendation.
The existing Banyan WAN servers were located on the seventh floor of the primary building. Staff was in place at the primary location to support the requirements of Banyan WAN users at the primary building and of users selected for the move to the adjacent building.
The adjacent buildings floor configuration included freestanding cubicle work areas and walled offices with freestanding desks. Each workstation required power to support the electrical equipment, an RJ- 45 data jack for the phone connection, and an IBM data connection to support the existing Token Ring topology.
Wiring closets were installed on each floor at the remote location; the closets had three wire racks as well as punch blocks. The wire racks contained the data cables terminated into patch panels and mounted in the top third of the wire racks. The power drops for the walled offices included voice, data, and power connections. Power poles fed voice, data, and power connections for each cubicle. Each workstation contained Type 2 cable, Type 1 data cable for the Token Ring connection, and 4-pair wire for the voice connection.
Banyan support service for the remote location was possible by means of one of the following,
The option that best suited the companys long-term needs was establishing a new connection into the existing configuration at the primary site, without adding support staff. The project then was to provide a data interface between the two buildings.
The requirements for data access included a network connection from the three wire racks in the fourth-floor wire closet and three wire racks in the sixth-floor wire closet of the adjacent building to the wire racks located in the seventh- floor server room of the primary building. The final link between the selected technology and the target servers would require connection to a Token Ring Type 1 drop cable. The cost considerations had to include any adapters or converters needed for linking the existing system to the recommended technology.
There were, in this case, possible limitations on the use of physical hard-wiring networking items; the building management might determine certain equipment to be dangerous to the property, building staff, or other tenants. Because physical wiring above ground was not allowed, the access had to take place below ground under the parking garage or via equipment to be located on the roof.
The method selected had to provide reliable connectivity for data while remaining cost- effective. To meet this requirement, both physical and wireless connectivity options were explored. Several potential methods were reviewed; three of these were selected for final consideration.
Physical wiring of a WAN is the single largest cost factor of materials and installation labor.
Twisted-Pair Cable. Cable standards include either twisted-pair or coaxial cable. Hardware connection performance for a Token Ring network environment is measured by the rate at which it can move data. Twisted- pair cable can reliably move data at the rate of 10M bps and coaxial cable can reliably move data at 16M bits.
Fiber Optic Connectivity. Fiber optic connection is considered by many today as the premiere connection for voice and data. It provides a reliable connection and allows for an increase in system throughput.
Today, wireless network connection is concentrated in three areas, including spread spectrum UHF, infrared, and microwave radio technologies.
Spread Spectrum UHF. This is designed to appear as background noise in most radio frequency transmitters and receivers. Consequently, data is very secure; only an authorized user is able to access the data. Data is not susceptible to interference from other signals or electronic devices; however, transmission speed is limited and best suited for a small LAN environment.
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