Networking Essentials Capstone Project - Implement A Tech Solution For A Small Business
Networking Essentials Capstone Project - Implement A Tech Solution For A Small Business
Networking Essentials Capstone Project - Implement A Tech Solution For A Small Business
Objectives
Part 1: Gather information and determine customer requirements.
Part 2: Gather system requirements.
Part 3: Plan the installation.
Part 4: Prepare and present the proposal.
Part 5: Install and configure the network.
Part 6: Test and troubleshoot the configuration.
Part 7: Prepare documentation for sign-off.
Part 8: Provide ongoing support.
Background / Preparation
Congratulations! You have just successfully completed the Networking Essentials 1.0 course. While you have
learned a great deal about networks, this capstone project requires a few more skills to effectively complete it.
You are welcome to go ahead and start this project with your Networking Essentials skills and knowledge.
However, we do recommend that you become familiar with the content in IT Essentials v6.0,
Entrepreneurship, PT Know How, and even some of the CCNA courses such as Introduction to Networks,
and Routing and Switching Essentials.
You have obtained a contract position at a small advertising company called AnyCompany Corporation. Your
contract responsibilities are to help them update their IT resources. The company originally started with two
partners who produced print flyers for local businesses. Their list of customers has greatly expanded, and
their customers are demanding more interactive advertising media, including video presentations. The
partners recognize the business potential in this new market and have hired you to review their existing IT
resources and produce a proposal that allows the company to take advantage of this new market. The
partners have stated that if the proposal meets their requirements, they may hire you full-time to implement
and manage these new resources.
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Networking Essentials v1.0 Capstone Project: Implement a Technical Solution for a Small Business
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Networking Essentials v1.0 Capstone Project: Implement a Technical Solution for a Small Business
Administrative Manager – Duties include scheduling work, hiring and managing part-time workers,
weekly payroll, and project tracking. The administrative manager uses spreadsheet and database
software and must be able to use email provided by the ISP.
Film and Graphics Production Editor (one of the partners) – Requires special editing software that
uses very high-resolution graphics and requires at least 16 GB of memory to run effectively. The software
also interfaces with a video capture interface board that uses PCIex16 slot in the computer. This
specialized software only works in a Windows 10 environment. It is important that the computer
purchased for this position supports high-resolution video and has enough memory to enable the editor to
work quickly. The production editor produces the final copies of the films and works within very tight
deadlines. The editor must also be able to use email provided by the ISP.
Film Crew – The other six employees are mobile workers, consisting of two production assistants, two camera
people, a production manager (one of the partners), and a film director. They are in the office an average of two
days per week. The rest of the time is spent either at customer sites or on film locations.
Because all of the mobile workers are required to have access to email and production schedules, both at the
office and while on location, it is important for them to be able to connect to the main office from anywhere.
They have no special software requirements, but they do need a large hard drive to store the film files while
they are working on them. The mobile workers must work at various locations and may not always be able to
plug into a data port. It is important that they are able to connect to the internal network wirelessly.
Because of the sensitive nature of some of the documents and records required by the administrative
manager, a private color laser printer must be installed in the manager’s office. A combination copier/printer
and high-resolution scanner must also be purchased and shared among all employees.
For the purposes of training and compatibility, all of the computers should use the same operating system and
applications, if possible.
No budget has yet been established for the completion of this project. The company is moving into this new
line of business in order to boost their revenue, so it is important that the project be completed with the lowest
possible expenditures.
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Networking Essentials v1.0 Capstone Project: Implement a Technical Solution for a Small Business
during the day, and also at night, when we are away from the office. These film files are usually between 5
GB and 20 GB in size.
You: The information I received also indicated that you require a shared printer. How do you plan to use this
printer?
Roberts: We want to have a color printer that is also capable of making copies. Because we expect this
printer to be expensive, it is necessary for everyone to be able to print to it when they are in the office. Some
of our storyboard documents are over 100 pages, with lots of graphics.
You: How often are the mobile workers in the office? What do they need access to when they are in the
office?
Roberts: Our mobile workers can be in the office anytime, day or night. They usually work out of their homes
or on location, but when we are near a deadline, they can be in the office for 24 hours at a time. When they
are in the office, they need to be able to use the printer and scanner. I do not want to keep files that the
mobile workers need to use on my computer, because they might need them at times when I am not in the
office, and the computer is not turned on. I also need to share files with Fred while we are working in the
office. These files can be kept on my computer or his.
You: I understand that your email accounts are provided over the web by your ISP. Do you see a need for
locally hosted web or email accounts?
Roberts: We also employ temporary, part-time employees when we need them. We want to be able to set up
email accounts for them to use while they are working with us. We usually don’t have more than five or six
temporary employees at any one time. All of them work from their homes and use their own computers.
You: Thank you for your time. I think I have enough information to get started. Are you the contact person if I
have any further questions?
Roberts: Yes, please call me if you need more information. Thank you.
At this point, it is a good idea to review the notes and information that you have gathered and clearly
summarize the requirements. If something is not clear, go back to the information-gathering step. Do not
guess or assume anything, because mistakes can be very costly.
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Networking Essentials v1.0 Capstone Project: Implement a Technical Solution for a Small Business
Job Role:
Location:
Component Recommendation
Processor:
(Manufacturer, Model, Speed)
Memory:
(Type, Amount)
Hard Drive:
(Type, Capacity)
CD-ROM/DVD:
(Read, Read/Write, Speed)
USB Ports:
(Number, Location)
Video Card:
(Manufacturer, Model, Video RAM)
Sound Card:
(Manufacturer, Model)
Modem:
(Internal/External, Speed, Standard)
Network Card(s):
(Ethernet: speed, Wireless, Standard)
Operating System:
(Manufacturer, Version, Compatibility)
Monitor:
(Size, Resolution, Refresh Rate)
Printer:
(Manufacturer, Model, Type, Speed)
Speakers:
(Manufacturer, Model, Type)
Internet Connection:
(USB, Ethernet, Wireless)
After the end-user systems have been selected, it is time to look at the workflow and decide on any shared
components and network technology to support this workflow. This can include such things as shared
printers, scanners, and storage as well as any routers, switches, access points and integrated service routers.
When planning a network infrastructure, always plan into the future. For larger companies, because it is
usually a substantial investment, the infrastructure should have a lifetime of about 10 years. For smaller
companies and home users, the investment is significantly less and change occurs more frequently.
Activity 2
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Networking Essentials v1.0 Capstone Project: Implement a Technical Solution for a Small Business
Using the Internet and locally available resources, select a high-speed, color copier/printer for the
AnyCompany Corporation office.
Activity 3
Propose a network layout for AnyCompany Corporation. Because the company has limited funds available for
this project, it is important that only equipment designed for the small business and home markets be used.
Activity 4
It is necessary to plan the Internet connectivity, and which services are provided by the ISP and which
services must be provided in-house. Larger companies usually provide services in-house, while small
businesses and individuals normally rely on an ISP to provide these services. Most ISPs offer a variety of
services and service levels. Selecting an ISP is complicated, and not all technologies and services are
available in all regions of the world.
Using the curriculum and other available resources, select a local ISP to provide connectivity for
AnyCompany Corporation. It will rely upon this ISP for DNS and web mail. The ISP must also provide
99.999% uptime for access to the internal FTP/email server. Because you are the only IT person at
AnyCompany Corporation, it is also important that the ISP provides a high-level of technical support. Create a
comparison worksheet for several local ISPs, including costing.
Activity 5
Which internal services must be offered by AnyCompany Corporation, and which devices provide these
services?
Activity 6
Complete the following network planning form as it relates to the proposed AnyCompany Corporation
network.
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Networking Essentials v1.0 Capstone Project: Implement a Technical Solution for a Small Business
Using the provided floor plan and other appropriate information, plan the physical layout of all equipment data
drops and power outlets. In addition, devise an implementation schedule that takes into account the work
practices within AnyCompany Corporation.
Equally as important as planning the physical layout of the network and equipment is planning the logical
layout. This includes such things as addressing, naming, data flow, and security measures. Servers and
network devices are assigned static IP addresses to allow them to be easily identified on the network and to
also provide a mechanism for controlling access to these devices. Most other devices can be assigned
addresses using DHCP.
Activity 8
Devise an addressing scheme for AnyCompany Corporation. The scheme must provide all network devices
and servers with a static address and allow all other hosts to be configured via DHCP. Assign all devices an
appropriate name.
Activity 9
AnyCompany Corporation is concerned that their files and resources may be vulnerable through the wireless
network. Provide a security plan that allows only AnyCompany Corporation employees to connect to the
wireless network and gain access to company information and resources.
After the network is planned, it is important to verify that it works as expected. This is the prototyping stage. It
is not normally done for home or small business installations, but it will be good practice for you to do in this
project. Many different prototyping tools exist in the enterprise world.
Activity 10
Use Packet Tracer to prototype the planned network. Test various scenarios such as traffic coming from the
Internet to the internal servers and host traffic moving to the Internet. Also confirm that the wireless network
behaves as expected. Not all features of the designed network will be able to be tested using Packet Tracer.
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