University Network Using Cisco

Packet Tracer

Submitted by:
Hamza Umar
FA19-BCE-026
Muhammad Kaleem Ullah
FA19-BCE-007
Program: BS in Computer Engineering
Submitted to:
Course Instructor: Dr. Shujat Khan Tanoli
Lab Instructor: Engr. Ayesha Saqib

A Project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for

the degree of bachelors of Science in Computer Engineering

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

COMSATS University Islamabad, Attock Campus, Pakistan.
 Declaration

I declare that the project report University Network Using Cisco Packet Tracer is
based on our own work carried out during the course of our study under the supervi-
sion of Dr. Shujat Khan Tanoli and Engr. Ayesha Saqib
I assert the statements made and conclusions drawn are an outcome of my research
work. I further certify that

1. The work contained in the report is original and has been done by us under the
general supervision of my supervisor.

2. The work has not been submitted to any other Institution for any other de-
gree/diploma/certificate in this university or any other University of Pakistan
or abroad.

3. We have followed the guidelines provided by the university in writing the report.

4. Whenever we have used materials (data, theoretical analysis, and text) from
other sources, we have given due credit to them in the text of the report and
giving their details in the references.
 Dedication

First and foremost we offer our sincerest gratitude to our course instructor, Dr. Shujat
Khan Tanoli and lab instructor Engr. Ayesha Saqib, who encouragement, guidance
and support from the initial to the final level enabled us to develop an understanding
of the subject. Without his guidance and persistent help this project would not have
been possible.
To our parents, we would like to thank to them for supporting us in our daily lives,
for going to school every day, and having them by our side to guide us always, their
prosperity and love for us.
 Acknowledgements

Thanks to ALLAH (s.w.t), the Greatest, the most Merciful and the most Gracious,
Whose countless blessings bestowed upon me kind, talented and wise teachers, who
provided me sufficient opportunities, and enlighten me towards this research work.
I would like to extend my deepest thanks to our project supervisors, Dr. Shujat Khan
Tanoli and Engr. Ayesha Saqib for giving ua the opportunity of undertaking this
project under his determined directions. Their support, dedication, encouragement,
excellent supervision and guidance are what made this thesis possible.
Thanks to my beloved family, whose prayers, dedication, support and love are the
most precious assets, I had (and I have), during the course of my Engineering work
and for all of my endeavors.
I am very thankful to the administration and faculty of COMSATS University Islam-
abad, Attock Campus for providing me a great environment that helped me a lot in
conducting our project related activities.

Thank You!
 Abstract
Computer network in the recent time has continued to evolve and has gone beyond
just a collection of interconnected devices. Networking is a process of connecting
computers, printers, routers etc. over a medium for the purpose of sharing informa-
tion/resources. It is a very viable tool in the day-to-day running of an organisation.
Research in data communication and networking has resulted in new technologies in
which the goal is to be able to exchange data such as text, audio, video etc. Recently,
no good establishment can effectively and efficiently work without a good computer
network or internet [1].

Computer networks have a significant impact on the working of an organization. It

participates not only on one side of life but in nearly every station, especially in ed-
ucational organizations. The key aim of education is to share data and knowledge,
making the network important for education. In particular, it is essential to ensure
the exchange of information; thus, no one can corrupt it. To safe and trustworthy
transfers between users, integrity and reliability are crucial questions in all data trans-
fer problems [2].

University network is an important part of campus life and network security is essen-
tial for a campus. Campus network faces challenges to address core issues of security
which are governed by network architecture. Secured network protects an institution
from security attacks associated with network.

Universities depend on the proper functioning and analysis of their networks for ed-
ucation, administration, communication, e-library, automation, etc. An efficient net-
work is essential to facilitate the systematic & cost-efficient transfer of information
in an organization in the form of messages, files, and resources. The project provides
insights into various concepts such as topology design, IP address configuration, and
how to send information in the form of packets to the wireless networks of different
areas of a University.

Therefore, we have developed a secure campus network (SCN) for sending and receiv-
ing information among high-security end-users. We created a topology for a campus
of multi networks and virtual local area networks (VLANs) using cisco packet tracer.
We also introduced the most critical security configurations, the networking used in
our architecture. We used a large number of protocols to protect and accommodate
the users of the SCN scheme.
Contents

1 Introduction 1
1.1 Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.2 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.3 Motivation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.4 Report Break Down . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

2 Literature Review 4
2.1 Literature Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2.1.1 Network Topology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

3 Proposed Methodology 7
3.1 Block Diagram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
3.2 Flow Chart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
3.3 System Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
3.4 Software Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

4 Simulation and Results 11

4.1 Simulation Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
4.1.1 Logical Topology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
4.1.2 Statistical Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
4.1.3 Using Command Prompt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

5 Conclusion and Future Work 15

5.1 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
5.2 Future Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Bibliography 16

xi
Chapter 1

Introduction

This project is totally dedicated to the Network Engineer for new and smart learning
of the Network Structure. In this concept it is possible for the networker to check
the Network Structure of a company spread in the big campus area. The incoming
and the outgoing traffic can be maintained along with some security concepts as well.
In this logic we use the multiple Routing Protocols in different areas of the univer-
sity. The practical shows us the proper movement of the packet from one part of the
company to the other part of the company. The project comprises of the different
departments spread in different buildings of the company. Multiple Routing proto-
cols have been used in different branches and all the departments can communicate
with other different departments through the Redistribution among different Routing
Protocols.

The East Building has a DHCP server for assigning the IP Addresses to the Hosts in
the building as well as a DHCP server has been used in the West Building as well.
The Internet Service Provider has been used for Communication of the East and
West Building with the Data Centre and Internet through ISP, using the Frame Relay
Switching Technology available for Wide Area Network. Routing Protocols EIGRP
along with the Synchronous Number, Static Routing, and its concepts including the
Default Routing as well has been applied. The different Routing Protocols are running
and which has been synchronized to work with Frame Relay Switching Technology.

1.1 Objectives
The objectives of this project are:

1. To get familiar with how to established a network for any company.

2. To simulate the network using Cisco Packet Tracer.

3. To get familiar with networking protocols.

1.2 Introduction
Technology has reached its highest peak of development, especially in making life
easier for people. Well implemented technology is faster than human in processing
calculation and is more accurate. Technology has become an important concept in
our life. It assists in connecting communities together. Obviously, people have started

1
to use technology in every field of life including education, health, the military, etc.
The computer network represents a component, especially on how it enhances the
functional performance in different fields and organizations, such as companies and
schools.

A schools computer network performs so many functions, such as connecting stu-

dents with the university, faculty, and the library. Most universities today use the
network to provide online education by connecting widely dispersed students with
their professors directly.

Figure 1.1: A Campus Network

For this reason, computer networks play a vital role in the education area by provid-
ing efficient communications for the university environment. However, the design of
computer networks differs from one university to another. This is as a result of many
factors which determine the differences. Such factors include; adaptability, integra-
tion, resilience, security, and cost. Installing networks in a university relies on the
universitys budget, which differs by institution and from country to country.

For instance, there are many countries whose universities do not have the financial
capability for designing the perfect or ideal network. Yet these universities from
these third world countries still need to have good quality and more secure network
equipment with less cost. This is because these schools aspire to deliver capability in
line with the leading prestigious universities despite low budgets.

1.3 Motivation
The word digital is very significant in todays world, with an increase in the de-
velopment of technology the entire world is moving towards the digital era. The
educational institution plays an important role in this digitalization, hence the cam-
pus should adapt to digital means of networking as well and become a digital campus.

Campus networking becomes an important part of campus life and provides the
main way for teachers and students to access educational resources, which gives an

2
important platform to exchange information. As laptops and intelligent terminals
are widely used, demand for access to information anytime and anywhere has become
more and more urgent. Campus network provides an efficient way to explore the
internet with a mobile terminal for teachers and students. This is an important mark
of the modern campus. With the development of network and communication tech-
nology, cable networks on a university campus bring much convenience for teaching
and research work.

1.4 Report Break Down

The major focus of this report is on the findings of the proposed project i.e. University
Network using Cisco Packet Tracer.
This Report is organized as follows:

In chapter 2, literature review is provided in detail about the work which is already
been done on Network using Cisco Packet Tracer and will give a brief details about
the articles, papers and literature review.

In Chapter 3, Proposed Methodology is presented in which you will be able to see

the method we will work on the designing of a complete project source code to the
diagrams.

In Chapter 4, Result and Simulations are being discussed, in which you will see
all kind of finding related to the Campus Network using Cisco Packet Tracer.

In Chapter 5, we have concluded and summarized the project work and also
presented few new research ideas for future studies.

3
Chapter 2

Literature Review

In the chapter 1 we have given the introduction of our project, objectives and a thesis
break down. Our introduction chapter is giving a complete overview of this project
report. This chapter is about the work which is already been done on University
Network using Cisco Packet Tracer, and will give a brief details about the articles,
papers and literature review.

2.1 Literature Review

This chapter is about studies and literatures that are related to the University Net-
work using Cisco Packet Tracer that the proponents made use of different reading
materials (such as thesis, articles, and other web articles) that will help extending
the knowledge of the topic. These reading materials will also guide the proponent to
improve and develop their proposed system more effectively.

2.1.1 Network Topology

A network topology defines how hosts are connected to a computer network. It
characterizes how the PCs and other hosts are organized, and linked to each other.

Point to Point Topology

Point to Point topologies connect two computers together with a single line connec-
tion. The advantage of Point to Point Topology is that it gives a faster connection,
and it is also less expensive than other topologies. The strength of this topology is
more than other kinds of connection[3].

Figure 2.1: Point to Point Topology

4
Bus Topology
Bus topology, with the inexpensive configuration, many computers are connected by
a single line of cable. Each side of the main cable must be connected to terminals.
This type of network topology is small and very easy to connect devices together to
making the network. The bus topology uses one main cable for all the connection,
and its usually seen in smaller networks. If the main cable is broken, there will be a
network failure such as that seen at a local office level[4].

Figure 2.2: Bus Topology

Ring Topology
Another topology is the ring topology, which uses a connecting computer in a circle
shape. The source computer sends information to the cable ring, and this information
searches for its destination by accessing each computer on the ring until it gets its
destination node. According to the article “A review of Network Topology” by Jiang,
Adjacent pairs of workstations are directly connected. Other pairs of workstations
are indirectly connected, the data passing through one or more intermediate nodes
[5].”

Figure 2.3: Ring Topology

Mesh Topology
The mesh topology requires each computer to be connected directly to multiple com-
puters, with more than one line connecting all computers to each other. One good

5
thing about this topology is that if one line fails or cut, it will use the other paths to
send information to the destination. This reduces the probability of a total network
failure. Mesh topology is faster compared to other kinds of topology, but it is very
expensive. According to the Clarke “A disadvantage of a mesh topology is the cost
of the additional cabling and network interfaces to create the multiple pathways be-
tween each system [6].“

Figure 2.4: Mesh Topology

Star Topology
The star topology is generally used for all networks whereby each device or computer
is connected to a center hub by a direct line. The center hub can be a switch, router,
or server. Each computer connects directly to the center device such as the hub,
router, and server. “A star topology is designed with each node connected directly
to a central network hub, switch, or concentrator [5].” It is easy to add and remove a
computer from the network without affecting the network. Pandya, Kartik mentioned
in their article, “It is easy to replace, install or remove hosts or other devices, the
problem can be easily detected-It is easier to modify or add a new computer without
disturbing the rest of the network by simply running a new line from the computer
to the central location and plugging it to the hub [4].”

Figure 2.5: Star Topology

6
Chapter 3

Proposed Methodology

In the previous chapter, we have discussed the theories that support this research
related to the University Network using Cisco Packet Tracer. In this chapter we will
proposed our methodology for this project.

Basically we are following the given below question step by step.

COMSATS University is a large university which has 4 main buildings situated apart.
The university’s students and staff are distributed in 4 departments: these includes
the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Department of Mathemat-
ics, Department of Computer Sciences, & Admission Office.

Each member of staff has a PC and students have access to PCs in the labs.

Requirements

• Create a network topology with the main components to support the following:
1. Building A: Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering is dis-
tributed in the building offices for the faculty, and labs. It is expected that
they will share networking equipment (Hint: use of VLANs is expected
here)
2. Building B: Department of Mathematics including offices, lecture hall-
s/lecture rooms.
3. Building C: Admission office distributed in different offices.
4. There is also an email server hosted externally on the cloud.
5. Building D: Department of Computer Sciences (CS) this can acts as a
smaller campus as well as. It includes different offices and labs.
• You will be expected to configure the core devices and few end devices to pro-
vide end-to-end connectivity and access to the internal servers and the external
server.
1. Each department/faculty is expected to be on its own separate IP network
2. The switches should be configured with appropriate VLANs and security
settings
3. RIPv2 will be used to provide routing for the routers in the internal net-
work and static routing for the external server.

7
 4. The devices in building A will be expected to acquire dynamic IP addresses
from a router-based DHCP server

3.1 Block Diagram

Let us look at the detail block diagram in Figure 3.1, which illustrates the main
components involved in University Network using Cisco Packet Tracer.
In this diagram, we have used:

1. 2911 Router, for the main campus network

2. 3650-24PS Multi Layer Switch, for different departments in the buildings

3. 2960-24TT Switches, for each department

4. A cloud router,

5. Servers, email server hosted externally on cloud, and a web server for IT de-
partment

6. Host Devices, a PC and a printer

7. Wire, Serial DCE (HWIC-2T) for routers connections, Copper cross over for
switches connections, and Copper straight through for the host devices connec-
tions.

Figure 3.1: Block Diagram of University Network

3.2 Flow Chart

Figure 3.2 shows the flow chart of the University Network. Basically the main objec-
tive of the project is the communication between different departments. To do so, we
send message from one of the department’s pc to any other department’s pc or printer.

We will configure the network first, and than will check out if the IP of the next
computer and our computer is working well. It will transfer our message packet to
the destination host.

8
 Figure 3.2: Flow Chart of University Network

3.3 System Model

A large campus with groups of buildings can also use WAN technology to connect the
buildings as shown in the Fig. 3.3. Although the wiring and protocols of a campus
might be based on WAN technology, they do not share the WAN constraint of the
high cost of bandwidth. After the wire is installed, bandwidth is inexpensive because
the company owns the wires and there is no recurring cost to a service provider.
However, upgrading the physical wiring can be expensive.

Figure 3.3: System Model of University Network

9
3.4 Software Selection
We will simulate our campus network using Cisco Packet Tracer Version: 7.3.0.0838.
Cisco Packet Tracer is a powerful network simulator for CCNATM and CCNPTM
certification exam training allowing students to create networks with an almost un-
limited number of devices and to experience troubleshooting without having to buy
real CiscoTM routers or switches.

Cisco Packet Tracer features an array of simulated routing & switching protocols
with STP, HSRP, RIP, OSPF, EIGRP, and BGP to the extent required by the cur-
rent Cisco CCNA curriculum as well as application layer protocols (HTTP, DNS, )
to simulate network trafic .

It also includes Cisco IOS 15 with licence features, wireless capabilities with WLC
and lightweight access point, security devices with ASA 5505 and 5506-X firewalls,
and SDN controller.

Figure 3.4: Cisco Packet Tracer

Note: You can simulate this network on any latest version as well as.

10
Chapter 4

Simulation and Results

In the previous chapter, we have discussed about our methodology for this project
while giving details about block diagram, system model, flow chart, software selection
of this project. In this chapter, we will provide the viewable logical topology, and
results of the project.

4.1 Simulation Results

As discussed in the previous chapter in the section of software selection, we have used
Cisco Packet Tracer to simulate our project.

4.1.1 Logical Topology

In the Fig. 4.1 a main branch topology is shown which contain three departments,
Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, Mathematics Department, Admis-
sion Department, and a Cloud Server.

Figure 4.1: Main Branch Topology

11
 Whereas in Fig. 4.2, department of Computer Science is shown which contains
different offices and lab. The reason we called this COMSATS Branch Campus is
because it is quite apart from the other department in this case we can consider this
as a Branch Campus. We can include this in the main branch too but the reason of
treating this as a campus is to learn how to connect campus network with the main
network.

Figure 4.2: Branch Topology of CS Department

4.1.2 Statistical Analysis

Fig. 4.3 shows the results of the simulation. In which, we have forwarded a message
from source host i.e., PC0 to the destination host i.e., PC4.

Figure 4.3: Simulation Results

Fig. 4.4 it’s showing a complete path which it follows to reach to the destination
host and than acknowledge back to the source host with the time it take while using
Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) which is a network layer protocol used by
network devices to communicate.

12
 Figure 4.4: Simulation Panel Results

4.1.3 Using Command Prompt

The ping command is a very common method for troubleshooting the accessibility of
devices. It uses a series of Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) Echo messages
to determine:

• Whether a remote host is active or inactive.

• The round-trip delay in communicating with the host.

• Packet loss.

The ping command first sends an echo request packet to an address, then waits for a
reply. The ping is successful only if:

• the echo request gets to the destination, and

• the destination is able to get an echo reply back to the source within a predeter-
mined time called a timeout. The default value of this timeout is two seconds
on Cisco routers.

Fig. 4.5 shows a different way to check if our network connectivity is reliable. We
have used command prompt of PC2 and have ping two hosts: one from the branch/CS
Department host i.e, PC8 with IP address 192.168.10.2/24 and second from Admission
Department host’s i.e., PC6 with IP address 192.168.7.2/24.

13
Figure 4.5: Command Prompt Results

14
Chapter 5

Conclusion and Future Work

In the previous chapter, we have shown all the simulation and results of our proposed
project. From introduction, Literature Review, Proposed Methodology, Result and
Simulations. In this chapter, we will conclude our project and will

5.1 Conclusion
This work describes the COMSATS University Islamabad, Attock Campus Network.
We have:

1. Successfully simulated our topology using Cisco Packet Tracer.

2. Learned basic knowledge of how department communicate with each other in

any organization.

3. Discussed a real life university scenario.

In this project, we have done following tasks:

1. Planned, designed, and prototyped the network topology for our university i.e.,
COMSATS University Islambad, Attock Campus.

2. Configured the network in Cisco Packet Tracer with appropriate settings to

acheive the connectivity and functionalities.

5.2 Future Work

For future work, we recommend the Following things:

1. Practical implementation of the network.

2. Work on the security of the network.

3. Can simulate the network on any other simulation software.

4. Can work on the accuracy and time of the received signal.

15
Bibliography

[1] L. Ezema, W. Mbonu, U. Nwogu, and C. Owuamanam, “Plan, design and sim-
ulation of university network,” International Journal of Advanced Computer Re-
search, vol. 4, no. 3, p. 834, 2014.

[2] A. H. Ahmed and M. Al-Hamadani, “Designing a secure campus network and sim-
ulating it using cisco packet tracer,” Indonesian Journal of Electrical Engineering
and Computer Science, vol. 23, no. 1, pp. 479–489, 2021.

[3] P. Kornilovitch, R. Bicknell, and J. Yeo, “Fully-connected networks with local

connections,” Applied Physics A, vol. 95, no. 4, pp. 999–1004, 2009.

[4] R. S. S. AlSarhan, “Computer network design for universities in developing coun-

tries,” 2016.

[5] R. Jiang, “A review of network topology,” in 4th International Conference on

Computer, Mechatronics, Control and Electronic Engineering, pp. 1167–1170, At-
lantis Press, 2015.

[6] G. E. Clarke, CompTIA Network+ Certification Study Guide. McGraw-Hill, 2009.

16