Case 1: Office Network Setup

Scenario:
ABC Corp has offices in different cities. The company wants to set up a
network to connect its main office in Delhi with branch offices in Mumbai,
Bengaluru, and Kolkata. Each office has 50-100 employees. The company also
wants to implement secure communication between the offices using a VPN.

Questions and Answers:

1. Identify the type of network (LAN, MAN, WAN) suitable for

connecting all offices of ABC Corp. Justify your answer.
Answer: WAN (Wide Area Network) is suitable for connecting the
offices because the branches are spread across different cities, and WAN
is designed for long-distance communications.
2. Explain how a VPN can be beneficial for secure communication
between the offices.
Answer: A VPN (Virtual Private Network) encrypts the communication
between the offices over the internet, providing secure data transmission.
It also ensures data privacy and security, as unauthorized users cannot
intercept the communication.
3. Suggest a suitable topology for the LAN setup in each office and
justify your choice.
Answer: A Star topology is suitable for the LAN setup in each office. In
Star topology, all computers are connected to a central switch or hub,
ensuring easy management, scalability, and minimal network disruption if
one device fails.
4. Which device would you recommend to connect the main office in
Delhi to the branch offices (Router, Hub, Switch, Gateway)? Justify
your answer.
Answer: A Router is the best choice for connecting the main office with
branch offices because it is designed to connect different networks and
direct data packets across the internet between locations.
5. Discuss any two threats to network security and suggest measures to
overcome them.
Answer:
o Threat 1: Malware (Viruses, Worms) – Use antivirus software
and regularly update it to detect and remove malware.
o Threat 2: Unauthorized Access – Implement strong passwords,
two-factor authentication, and firewalls to prevent unauthorized
access to the network.
Case 2: School Network Implementation

Scenario:
XYZ School wants to establish a computer network for its different
departments: Administration, Library, and Science Lab. They want to
implement a centralized server for storing data and managing the network. The
school has 30 computers in the lab, 10 in the library, and 5 in the administration
block.

Questions and Answers:

1. Which network topology (Bus, Star, Ring) would you recommend for
the school’s network? Explain why.
Answer: A Star topology is recommended because it is easy to set up and
manage, and if one computer or cable fails, the rest of the network
remains operational.
2. Differentiate between client-server and peer-to-peer networks.
Which one is more suitable for the school and why?
Answer:
o Client-Server Network: A centralized server controls network
resources.
o Peer-to-Peer Network: Each computer is equal, and there’s no
central control.
A Client-Server Network is more suitable for the school because
it allows centralized management of resources, user authentication,
and better security control.
3. Name any two wired and wireless communication media that the
school can use. Which one would you recommend for the Science Lab
and why?
Answer:
o Wired: Ethernet cables (Twisted Pair, Fiber Optic)
o Wireless: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
Ethernet (Twisted Pair) is recommended for the Science Lab as it
provides faster, more stable, and secure communication compared
to wireless media.
4. Explain the role of a server in the school’s network setup.
Answer: The server in the school’s network will store data centrally,
manage network resources, and provide services such as file sharing,
database access, and security for the computers connected to the network.
5. Suggest any two security measures that the school can implement to
safeguard its network.
Answer:
o Use a firewall to prevent unauthorized access.
 o Implement network encryption protocols (such as( WPA3 )Wi-Fi
Protected Access -for Wi-Fi) to protect data transmission.

Case 3: E-Commerce Network

Scenario:
An e-commerce company is expanding its operations and wants to enhance its
network infrastructure to handle high traffic and provide secure online
transactions. The company’s operations include an online store, a payment
gateway, and customer support chat services.

Questions and Answers:

1. The company wants to ensure fast and reliable access to the online
store. Should it opt for a CDN (Content Delivery Network)? Explain
how a CDN helps in improving network performance.
Answer: Yes, the company should opt for a CDN. A CDN helps by
distributing content across multiple servers located closer to users,
reducing latency, and improving load times. It ensures fast and reliable
access even during high traffic.

CDNs are groups of servers that are spread out geographically and
connected to each other. They cache internet content from the
network location that's closest to the user, which speeds up the
delivery of content. CDNs are a key part of modern internet
infrastructure, and they improve website performance and user
experience.

2. Discuss the importance of encryption in securing the company’s

payment gateway.
Answer: Encryption is essential for securing sensitive data, such as credit
card details and personal information, during transactions. It prevents
unauthorized access and ensures that data is safely transmitted between
the user and the payment gateway.
3. Identify and explain any two network protocols that the company
would use for secure online communication.
Answer:
o HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure): Ensures
encrypted communication between the browser and the website,
securing sensitive data.
 o SSL/TLS (Secure Socket Layer/Transport Layer Security):
Provides secure communication channels over the internet,
particularly in securing online transactions.
4. The company is concerned about potential DDoS (Distributed Denial
of Service) attacks. Explain what a DDoS attack is and how it can be
mitigated.
Answer: A DDoS attack involves overwhelming a server with massive
traffic, causing it to crash or become inaccessible. It can be mitigated by
using firewalls, traffic filtering, and load balancers to distribute traffic
evenly, or by using DDoS protection services.
5. Recommend any two network security tools or techniques to protect
the e-commerce website from cyber threats.
Answer:
o Web Application Firewall (WAF): Protects the website from
malicious traffic and attacks like SQL injection.
o Intrusion Detection System (IDS): Monitors network traffic for
suspicious activity and detects potential security breaches.

Case 4: College Wi-Fi Setup

Scenario:
A college plans to provide Wi-Fi access to students and staff across the campus.
They want to implement proper bandwidth management and security protocols
to prevent misuse.

Questions and Answers:

1. Which network device should be used to manage bandwidth across

the Wi-Fi network? Explain its role.
Answer: A Router with bandwidth management capabilities should be
used. It manages internet traffic, allocates bandwidth to different users or
devices, and ensures efficient network usage.
2. Explain why the college should implement WPA3 over WPA2 for
securing the Wi-Fi network.
Answer: WPA3 provides stronger encryption, better protection against
brute-force attacks, and improved security for open networks compared to
WPA2, making it more suitable for a college Wi-Fi setup.
3. Suggest a method for restricting access to unauthorized devices on
the Wi-Fi network.
Answer: The college can use MAC address filtering to allow only
registered devices to connect to the network, preventing unauthorized
access.
 4. Discuss the role of a firewall in protecting the college’s Wi-Fi
network from external threats.
Answer: A firewall acts as a barrier between the internal network and
external threats by monitoring and controlling incoming and outgoing
traffic. It blocks malicious traffic and prevents unauthorized access from
external sources.
5. How can the college monitor and manage the network traffic to
ensure fair usage among users?
Answer: The college can implement Quality of Service (QoS) settings
to prioritize bandwidth for essential services and limit bandwidth usage
for non-essential activities, ensuring fair usage for all users.

Be Happy Corporation has set up its new centre at Noida, Uttar

Pradesh for its office and web-based activities. It has 4 blocks of
buildings.

The distance between the various blocks is as follows:

A to B 40 m
B to C 120m

C to D 100m

A to D 170m

B to D 150m

A to C 70m

Numbers of computers in each block

Block A 25
Block B 50

Block C 125

Block D 10
 (a) Suggest and draw the cable layout to efficiently
connect various blocks of buildings within the Noida
centre for connecting the digital devices.

(b) Suggest the placement of the following device with

justification

(i) Repeater

(ii)Hub/Switch

Ans: Repeater: between C and D as the distance between them

is 100 mts

Hub/ Switch : in each block as they help to share data packets

within the devices of the network in each block

(c) Which kind of network (PAN/LAN/WAN) will be formed if the

Noida office is connected to its head office in Mumbai?

Ans: WAN

(d) Which fast and very effective wireless transmission medium

should preferably be used to connect the head office at Mumbai
with the centre at Noida?

Ans: Satellite
Question : What are the difference between LAN, MAN and WAN.

Property LAN MAN WAN

Range 10m to 1 km < 50kms 100 kms -1000 kms

Owned by service Owned by service

Owned by individuals or
Ownership providers or government providers or government
Organizations
agencies. agencies

More expensive than Most expensive of the

Cost Relatively inexpensive
LANs three.

Transmission Very high (up to 10 Gbps or

Moderate (up to 1 Gbps) Slower (up to 45Mbps)
Speed more)

can be any topology, but can be any topology, but

Typically Star or Bus
Topology most commonly Ring or most commonly Mesh
topology
Mesh Topology

Internet, international
Home Networks, Small City wide networks,
Example leased lines, satellite
office, Schools cable TV networks
links.

What are the difference between Gateway and Bridge.

Bridge Gateway

Connects two or more LANs to form a single Connects two networks that use
Function
layer LAN. different communication protocols.

Uses MAC addresses to forward traffic between Uses IP addresses to route traffic
Addressing
networks. between networks

Operates at the Network Layer (Layer

Operating Layer Operates at the Data Link Layer (Layer 2)
3)

Doesn’t filter traffic between connected can filter traffic based on predefined
Traffic Filtering
networks security policies.
 Connects similar networks using the same Connects dissimilar networks using
Network Connectivity
protocol. different protocols.

Doesn’t pass broadcasts, and instead

Broadcasting Passes broadcasts to all connected segments
forwards unicast packets

Low latency, because traffic is forwarded based Higher latency, because traffic is
Latency
on MAC address. forwarded based on IP address.

Question : What are the difference between Hub and Switch.

Feature Hub Switch

OSI Layer Physical Layer Data Link Layer

Broadcasting Broadcast data to all connected devices Sends data to the intended device only

Bandwidth Shared Bandwidth Dedicated bandwidth per port

No collisions between devices on

Collisions High potential for collisions
separate ports

Network Faster and efficient with minimal

Slower due to collisions and shared bandwidth
Performance collision

Intelligence No intelligence Intelligent and can filter data.

Cost Inexpensive More expensive than a hub

Security Less secure More secure

Question : Galaxy Provider Ltd. is planning to connect its office in Texas, USA with its branch at Mumbai.
The Mumbai branch has 3 Offices in three blocks located at some distance from each other for different
operations-ADMIN, SALES and ACCOUNTS. As a network consultant, you have to suggest the best
network related solutions for the issues/problems raised in (a) to (d), keeping in mind the distances
between various locations and other given parameters.

Layout of the Offices in the Mumbai branch:

Distance between various location No of computers install at various locatio

ADMIN
255
Block
ADMIN to SALES Block 300m

ACCOUNT
75
SALES BLOCK to ACCOUNTS BLOCK 175m S Block

ADMIN Block to ACCOUNTS Block 350m SALES

30
Block

MUMBAI Branch to TEXAS Head Office 14000 km

TEXAS
30
Head Office

a) It is observed that there is a huge data loss during the process of data transfer from one block to another.
Suggest the most appropriate networking device out of the following, which needs to be placed along the path
of the wire connecting one block office with another to refresh the signal and forward it ahead.

i) Modem

ii) Ethernet Card

iii) Repeater

iv) Hub

Answer : Option iii) Repeater

b) Which hardware networking device out of the following, will you suggest to connect all the computers within each bloc

i) Switch

ii) Modem

iii) Repeater

iv) Router

Answer : Option i) Switch

c) Which service/protocol out of the following will be most helpful to conduct live interactions of employees from Mumba

Branch and their counterparts in Texas?

i) FTP

ii) PPP

iii) SMTP

iv) VoIP

Answer : Option iv) VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)

d) Draw the cable layout (block to block) to efficiently connect the three offices of the Mumbai branch.
Question : MyPlace University is setting up its academic blocks at Naya Raipur and is planning to set up
a network. The institute has 3 academic blocks and one Human Resource Center as shown in the
diagram

Center to Center distances between various blocks No of computers install at various location

LAW Block to BUSINESS Block 40 m

LAW Block to TECHNOLOGY Block 80 m LAW Block 15

LAW Block to HR Block 105 m Technology Block 140

BUSINESS Block to Technology Block 30 m HR Block 80

BUSINESS Block to HR Block 35 m BUSINESS Block 25

Technology Block to HR Block 15 m

a) Suggest the most suitable place (i.e., Block/Center) to install the server of this University with a suitable reason.

Answer : Most suitable place to install the server is HR center, as this center has maximum number of computers, thus

 Decreasing the cabling cost for most of the computers

 Increasing the efficiency of the maximum computers in the network.

b) Suggest cable layout for the MyPlace University.

 b) Which device will you suggest to be placed/installed in each of these blocks/centers to efficiently connect all the
computers within these blocks/centers.

Answer : Switch

d) Suggest the placement of a Repeater in the network with justification.

Answer : Repeater is used when the distance between two blocks is more than 70m. But in our above layouts

we don’t have distance more than 70m.

e) The university is planning to connect its admission office in Delhi, which is more than 300 km from university.

Which type of network out of LAN, MAN, or WAN will be formed? Justify your answer.

Answer : WAN is preferred network.

Question : Granuda Consultants are setting up a secured network for their office campus at Faridabad
for their day office and web-based activities. They are planning to have connectivity between 3 buildings
and the head office situated in Kolkata. Answer the questions (i) to (iv) after going through the building
positions in the campus and other details, which are given below:
Distance between various buildings Number of computers install at various locatio

Green Building to Red Building 120 m Head Office 10

Green Building to Blue Building 50 m Building Green 150

Blue Building to Red Building 65 m Building Blue 51

Faridabad to Head Office 1460 kms Building Red 25

a) Suggest the cable layout of connections between the buildings.

b) Suggest the most suitable place to house the server of this organization with a suitable reason.

Answer: Most suitable place to install the server is Building Green, as this building has maximum no of computers, so
  Decreasing the cabling cost for most of the computers

 Increasing the efficiency of the maximum computers in the network.

c) Suggest the placement of the following devices with justification: i) Switch ii)Repeater

Answer : Placement of Hub/Switch in the above layouts are :

Placement of Repeater (use only if distance is more than 70m between 2 buildings) in the above layouts are:

c) The organization is planning to provide a high speed link with its head office situated in
the KOLKATA using a wired connection. Which of the following cables will be most suitable for this job?
i) Optical Fiber ii) Co-axial Cable iii) Ethernet Cable

Answer : option i) Optical Fiber

e) Suggest the role of firewall in a network.

Answer : A firewall is a network security device that monitors incoming and outgoing network traffic and
decides whether to allow or block the specific traffic based on a defined set of security rules. A firewall can be hardware, software

f) Company is planning to get its website designed which will allow employees to see their all

details after registering themselves on its server. Out of the static or dynamic, which type of website will you suggest.

Answer : Dynamic Website