UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA WILMINGTON
MIS 323 – BUSINESS TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Exercise 7 – Network Design Case
Local Area Network
Sally Wong is excited about installing a new LAN as a key element of the new International Services Division. She
wants you to assist her in developing a plan and proposal for a departmental LAN. You see this as an
opportunity to build a model LAN within NDAS. You can start from the beginning with new equipment and
procedures. Wong is very well respected in the company. NDAS is committed to moving strongly into the
international arena. A successful LAN (or for that matter, an unsuccessful one) in her department will get a great
deal of attention at NDAS.
Now you need to revisit the issue of LAN protocols and configurations so that you can make a final
recommendation. Other issues that need to be considered at this time include the LAN’s cabling, installation,
security, anticipated growth, and access —who or which remote offices can access the LAN. You also need to
consider the operational and managerial procedures that will have to be adopted to ensure successful operation
of the department LAN. And, of course, there are cost considerations.
Wong is excited about starting off with a LAN in her department. She has told you that her group will be using
specialized software and creating a departmental database of customers and vendors. The group will initially
consist of eight people but is expected to grow rapidly to twice that number.
Questions
1. Which is best for the International Services Division, a dedicated -server network or peer-to-peer LAN?
Explain your choice.
2. Describe the general the general layout of the LAN (e.g. number of computers, servers, cables, hubs/
switches) and recommend what type of LAN to install (e.g., 10Base-2, 10Base-T, switched 10Base-T, wireless
Ethernet 802.11b). Justify your recommendation.
3. Sally Wong has heard horror stories about LAN bottlenecks. Prepare a brief discussion of LAN bottlenecks and
what can be done to improve LAN performance.
Backbone Network
There are now four new LANs at NDAS’s Tampa headquarters, and President Coone says he is
getting requests for new LANs “from all over the place, even from Peter Browne of the Fleet
Maintenance Division!” You notice that he seems to be a bit upset over this situation. He says that
Les Coone, now manager of the Information Service/ Data Processing Division (no longer acting
manager) has complained that things are “getting out of control.” Instead of going through a
planned, orderly movement to an integrated NDAS data communications network, everyone
wants to move their departments to new LANs, all at once.
It is clear that President Coone is worried. Although he did not say it, he implied that things are
getting out of control in your area —data communications. And it was, in a way, your fault for
encouraging many departments to ask President Coone for new LANs .
You talk to Bob Jones about the problem. He says that you don’t want to get President Coone
upset with you. He suggests that the best thing to do is to show President Coone that the system
will “talk together ” and that you have everything under control. You resolve to do this
immediately, and you set up an appointment with President Coone.
Map of Facilities
Questions
1. Refer to the facility map of the NDAS headquarters. Assume that there are LANs in four
department offices (Data Processing, Accounts Payable, Information Services, and Agent
Operations) and at Fleet Maintenance and Dispatch in the secondary building.
What type of BN do you recommend for NDAS headquarters? Be prepared to justify your
recommendation. Remember to consider the expected growth of the company.