Managing Project Teams Scholarly Activity Assignment | College Homework Help

Description

Instructions Previously in the course, you were asked to think of a project you have been involved with at your place of employment. Think of that same project, imagine that you have been appointed the project manager, and complete the following: Create a schedule of the project tasks to be performed, and describe how the behavior of individual team members can determine the tasks they receive. In addition, describe the key processes you would follow when managing the project schedule, including how much oversight each project team member may require, again based on their behavior. Indicate how using the precedence diagram method can help you manage team tasks and avoid conflict within your team. Also, describe the role of the critical path method regarding task assignments and the negotiation of resource allocation within the project team. This assignment should consist of at least three pages, and any sources, including your textbook, should be cited and referenced properly using APA formatting

Building a New Network

Antoine P. Finley

DeVry University

Author Note

This paper was prepared for NETW-208

Taught by Professor R. Gulledge

You Decide Week #: 1

Wide Area Network

When designing and installing of a new network at our company’s branch office in Cleveland. The Wide Area Network (WAN) connection would be most appropriate for this type of project. A WAN is a network that links network resources like computers, printers, and other resources at great distances such as over campuses, buildings, or even cities and states. There are three major characteristics of WANs:

• WANs generally connect devices that are separated by a broader geographic area than can be served by a LAN.
• WANs use the services of carriers, such as telephone companies, cable companies, satellite systems, and network providers.
• WANs use serial connections of various types to provide access to bandwidth over large geographic areas.

The main advantage of implementing a wide area network (WAN) is that it allows the employees of an office to have access to a much larger and more intricate network and be able to connect regardless of the infinite geographical distance.

The disadvantage of implementing a wide area network (WAN) is that WANs transmit data at much slower speeds than LANs, most commonly at about 1.5 megabits per second (Mbps) or less, instead of the tens, hundreds, or even thousands of Mbps achieved by LANs. Another disadvantage to having a WAN is the cost it can incur. Having a private WAN can be expensive. The reason that WANs cost a lot tends to be because of the technology required to connect two remote places, which brings me to the explanation of the technology behind a WAN.

The Hierarchical Network Model

            The hierarchical network model is a framework that helps you visualize and design networks, this model is a useful high-level tool for designing a reliable network infrastructure. It provides a modular view of a network, making it easier to design and build a scalable network. The hierarchical network model divides a network into three layers:

• The access layer grants user access to network devices. In a network campus, the access layer generally incorporates switched LAN devices with ports that provide connectivity to workstations and servers. In the WAN environment, it may give teleworkers or remote sites access to the corporate network across WAN technology.
• The distribution layer aggregates the wiring closets, using switches to segment workgroups and isolate network problems in a campus environment. Similarly, the distribution layer aggregates WAN connections at the edge of the campus and provides policy-based connectivity.
• The core layer (also called the backbone) is a high-speed backbone that is designed to switch packets as fast as possible. Because the core is critical for connectivity, it must provide a high level of availability and adapt to changes very quickly. It also provides scalability and fast convergence.

Installation Details and Requirements

                   Trying to determine the appropriate equipment to install when implementing the new network system is very important. Wide Area Networks use numerous types of devices that are specific to WAN environments:

• Modem: Modulates an analog carrier signal to encode digital information, and also demodulates the carrier signal to decode the transmitted information. A voiceband modem converts the digital signals produced by a computer into voice frequencies that can be transmitted over the analog lines of the public telephone network. On the other side of the connection, another modem converts the sounds back into a digital signal for input to a computer or network connection. Faster modems, such as cable modems and DSL modems transmit using higher broadband frequencies.
• CSU/DSU: Digital lines, such as T1 and T3 carrier lines, require a channel service unit (CSU) and a data service unit (DSU). The two are often combined into a single piece of equipment, called the CSU/DSU. The CSU provides termination for the digital signal and ensures connection integrity through error correction and line monitoring. The DSU converts the T-carrier line frames into frames that the LAN can interpret and vice versa.
• Access server: Concentrates dial-in and dial-out user communications. An access server may have a mixture of analog and digital interfaces and support hundreds of simultaneous users.
• WAN switch: A multiport internetworking device used in carrier networks. These devices typically switch traffic such as Frame Relay, ATM, or 25 and operate at the data link layer of the OSI reference model. Public switched telephone network (PSTN) switches may also be used within the cloud for circuit-switched connections such as Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) or analog dialup.
• Router: Provides internetworking and WAN access interface ports that are used to connect to the service provider network. These interfaces may be serial connections or other WAN interfaces. With some types of WAN interfaces, an external device such as a DSU/CSU or modem (analog, cable, or DSL) is required to connect the router to the service provider’s local point of presence (POP).
• Core router: A router that resides within the middle or backbone of the WAN rather than at its periphery. To fulfill this role, a router must be able to support multiple telecommunications interfaces of the highest speed in use in the WAN core, and it must be able to forward IP packets at full speed on all those interfaces. The router must also support the routing protocols being used in the core.

WAN Link Connections

There are a variety of options for implementing WAN connections, these options differ in technology, speed, and cost. I have compiled a list of possible WAN link connection options:

• Private WAN connection options: Private WAN connections include both dedicated and switched communication link options:
  • Dedicated communication links: When permanent dedicated connections are required, point-to-point lines are used with various capacities that are limited only by the underlying physical facilities and the willingness of users to pay for these dedicated lines. A point-to-point link provides a pre-established WAN communications path from the customer premises through the provider network to a remote destination. Point-to-point lines usually are leased from a carrier and are also called leased lines.
  • Switched communication links: Switched communication links can be either circuit-switched or packet-switched:
    • Circuit-switched communication links: Circuit switching dynamically establishes a dedicated connection for voice or data between a sender and a receiver. Before communication can start, it is necessary to establish the connection through the service provider’s network. Examples of circuit-switched communication links are analog dialup (PSTN) and ISDN.
    • Packet-switched communication links: Many WAN users do not make efficient use of the fixed bandwidth that is available with dedicated, switched, or permanent circuits, because the data flow fluctuates. Communications providers have data networks available to more appropriately service these users. In packet-switched networks, the data is transmitted in labeled frames, cells, or packets. Packet-switched communication links include Frame Relay, ATM, X.25, and Metro Ethernet.

The most effective way to implement a WAN is by having two LAN’s interconnected, to connect two or more LAN’s together we need an access router. The access router is basically a connection with the switch or a hub and acts as a gateway. Use the routers by assigning different gateway addresses on the same subnet to the three routers (e.g. assign router A 192.168.0.1, assign router B 192.168.0.2, C 192.168.0.3) and manually configure all hosts to use an appropriate static IP address and gateway address so they talk to the right router. Then connect the three routers. Alternatively, add an extra NIC to each machine and connect these to a switch (no router should be needed). The machines will assign a 169.x.x.x address on this port and should be able to see and communicate with each other this way. Therefore by connecting an access router, which is a switch or a hub, a direct connection between the two or more LAN’s is established, a LAN-to-LAN connection. Mainly it is through the access router forwards the traffic between the two LANs allowing a smooth access of data and messages. For the connectivity between the LAN’s there are many ways to connect the WAN. One very common way is renting a line from an Internet service provider and using their network (that’s already connecting the nation and the world) and connecting your point A and B. Another way to do a WAN is connecting the devices with various wireless technologies, like cellphone towers or satellites.

The final point to be considered is the security characteristic. Security is a very important feature of a network. To safe guard any attacks on the data or preserve the data and resources a tight security must be maintained in a network.

Coming to the deciding the speed of a network, the speed primarily depends on the capacity and characteristic of the network.

References

Graziani, Bob Vachon and R. Accessing the WAN: CCNA Exploration Companion Guide, VitalSource for DeVry University. Pearson Learning Solutions, 11/2012. VitalBook file. (10-31)

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/internetworking/technology/handbook/Intro-to-WAN.html

http://www.packetworks.net/lan-vs-wan-the-benefits-of-each-network-type/