Think of a modern technical support call center. In a call center, there are people who answer phone calls and provide support to end users. Their phones are typically integrated onto the network and/or their computers. Each phone needs a certain amount of bandwidth, and their computers need bandwidth. There are also managers who use the same technology but to a lesser degree, and support staff who manage the office and keep things running smoothly.
Now, move this office from the modern class and cubicle building to an old 1960s office building in Florida. Each office is a concrete block bunker, each team member has their own office, and the walls have SAND for insulation. (No joke – this is super common.) Also, there is a lining of asbestos in the ceiling and floor, so disturbing anything is a major nonstarter. Now, design the network for this call center so it can effectively operate.
Some data to help you out:
The instructor feels sorry for any network administrator who needs to operate this network, so this isn’t something we should do in the real world
Students are welcome to recommend commercial-grade solutions, but consumer-grade solutions will also receive perfect scores
The computers do not have Wi-Fi cards, and most connect using ethernet cables. You need to recommend switches that can work in mesh mode or client mode
There are 20 individuals working in the office
Each computer requires 50 Mbps of network connectivity during use
Each phone requires 0.5 Mbps (VOIP ethernet connection required)
The computers utilize technology in a data center that hides how the phones and computers communicate
Phone communications are much more important than computer communication. The phones reboot if they cannot contact the VOIP server for two seconds
Telephones are on vlan 1234
Computers run on vlan 1235
The building has a 10-Gbps connection to the server room, and each access point has multiple 1- or 10-Gbps connections to the switch. This connection to the switch may have a single vlan or both vlans applied to it
The project has a $20,000 budget
With this information, design a wired and wireless network solution for this building. Remember, the users are separated by concrete block and SAND.
Parameters: Submit a one-page description of your solution. The solutions must include prices for all products and a two-sentence description of why each product was chosen. The solution must be complete, including, at minimum, ethernet cables, switches, wireless clients, and wireless access points.
Criteria
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeRecommend an access point that distributes multiple SSIDs and allows the SSIDs to be placed on different VLANs.
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeRecommend a wireless switch that can accept multiple SSIDs and place them on multiple VLANs.
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeRecommend a switch and/or wireless client that can support multiple VLANs.
