Creating an Integrated Networking Services infrastructure Design

Creating an **integrated networking services design** involves a structured approach to ensure that the network meets organizational needs, supports scalability, and integrates seamlessly with existing systems. Here are the **primary tasks** involved in the process:

1. 1. Requirement Analysis
   • Business Requirements:
     • Understand the organization’s goals, priorities, and specific networking needs.
     • Identify services to support (e.g., VoIP, cloud integration, security).
   • Technical Requirements:
     • Assess bandwidth needs, latency requirements, and scalability goals.
     • Determine compliance and regulatory requirements.
   • User Requirements:
     • Gather input from stakeholders and end-users about functionality and access.
2. 2. Network Assessment
   • Inventory and Baseline:
     • Document the existing network infrastructure, devices, and services.
     • Create a network performance baseline (current throughput, uptime, latency).
   • Gap Analysis:
     • Identify gaps between the current network and desired outcomes.
   • Resource Evaluation:
     • Assess physical and virtual resources (data centers, cloud services, etc.).
3. 3. High-Level Design (HLD)
   • Architecture Planning:
     • Define the core architecture (LAN, WAN, SD-WAN, cloud networks).
     • Plan redundancy and failover mechanisms.
   • Technology Choices:
     • Select networking technologies (e.g., IPv6, MPLS, SDN).
     • Choose hardware/software solutions (routers, switches, firewalls, etc.).
   • Scalability and Flexibility:
     • Plan for future growth and adaptability to new technologies.
   • Security Integration:
     • Embed security into the design (firewalls, intrusion detection systems, VPNs).
4. 4. Low-Level Design (LLD)
   • Network Diagramming:
     • Create detailed diagrams showing logical and physical topologies.
     • Specify IP address allocations, VLANs, and routing protocols.
   • Service Integration:
     • Design how services will integrate (e.g., Active Directory, DHCP, DNS).
     • Ensure QoS policies align with application needs (e.g., VoIP, streaming).
   • Configuration Details:
     • Draft detailed configuration settings for devices and software.
     • Plan firmware/software versions and compatibility.
5. 5. Implementation Planning
   • Resource Allocation:
     • Identify the personnel, hardware, and software needed for implementation.
   • Timeline Development:
     • Create a phased implementation plan to minimize downtime.
   • Testing Plan:
     • Develop a testing framework for pre-deployment and post-deployment checks.
6. 6. Deployment
   • Pilot Testing:
     • Roll out a pilot implementation in a controlled environment.
     • Gather feedback and refine configurations.
   • Staging and Full Deployment:
     • Deploy the network in stages, following the planned timeline.
     • Ensure proper documentation of the deployment process.
7. 7. Validation and Optimization
   • Performance Validation:
     • Test the network against the defined requirements (throughput, latency).
   • Issue Resolution:
     • Address any issues discovered during validation.
   • Fine-Tuning:
     • Optimize routing, QoS, and load balancing for efficiency.
8. 8. Documentation and Handover
   • Create Documentation:
     • Compile all design details, configurations, and diagrams.
     • Include troubleshooting procedures and escalation paths.
   • Training:
     • Train IT staff and end-users on new networking features and tools.
   • Handover:
     • Transition operations to the support team with complete documentation.
9. 9. Monitoring and Maintenance
   • Continuous Monitoring:
     • Implement network monitoring tools to track performance and security.
   • Maintenance Schedule:
     • Plan regular updates, patches, and hardware replacements.
   • Feedback Loop:
     • Periodically review the network to align with evolving business needs.

This structured process ensures a comprehensive design and smooth integration of networking services into an organization's infrastructure. Let me know if you'd like to focus on specific aspects of the design!

The selection of networking services is an essential decision when it comes to creating a networking services infrastructure. Equally important is the integration of those services. Your final design must produce a network that is manageable and clearly identifies the criteria for ensuring that the network's security, availability, and performance are maintained. For example, you want to be sure that the networking services you decide to implement will work with your network application environment. You may want to implement Proxy Server 2.0, but your applications are not WinSock^[1] compliant and cannot use the SOCKS^[2] or Web Proxy service. In this case, you will need to reconsider your application or network services environment to assure seamless integration of your network solutions.

• Criteria for Networking Services:
  The objective of your management strategy is to ensure that the criteria specified in your networking services design are reflected in the actual network. The following are the major categories to include in your management design:
  1. Collecting data
  2. Analyzing data
  3. Responding to service variations
  
  The diagram will describe how these categories play out in your design:

  

The client's network must perform at the level they need for the price they are willing to spend. There are obviously practical limitations to what you are able to do as a solution provider. For example, you cannot make a DSL line go faster, but you can manage the bandwidth available on it, so you can potentially provide a modest apparent improvement. If the client can only afford a DSL line, and you can make that line perform as well as it can, that is a successful project.

1. Provides information on network status The data needed for establishing a networking plan includes information about the present network infrastructure, the hardware and software environments of the network clients, and any current problems with the efficiency or reliability of the network. Distributed Network applications such as Microsoft Systems Management Server 2.0 collect this data in an automated and timely fashion.
2. Evaluates the information specified in data collection against design specification. Once it is collected, you need to analyze the data to pin-point trouble spots that need attention before implementing Windows. Programs such as Microsoft Systems Management Server provide excellent reporting capabilities that speed up and ease this analysis of networking components.
3. This brings the services back into compliance with design specification. For example, the design plan may include a minimum bandwidth requirement of 10 Mbps connections for the local LAN environment. If you have segments on the network that are using old version of 4Mbps token ring architecture, you must upgrade them to a network architecture that supports at least 10 Mbps.

• Elements of the Local Area Network
  1. The Local Area Network (LAN) refers to the system of electronic devices and cabling that connects individual hosts (computers, printers, etc.) in a unit to each other and to the backbone network. The backbone network in turn provides connections to other hosts within the system, and to the internet.
  2. The Distribution Layer Switches are the physical presence of the backbone network in each building. They are connected to two different backbone switch-routers so that the failure of a single distribution layer switch will not cause the failure of the backbone network connection to the building.
  3. Vertical Distribution Cabling provides connections between the backbone distribution layer switches and local wiring closets. Vertical distribution cabling may be fiber optics or any of several types of copper cabling.
  4. Access Layer Switches are provided by individual units. They are typically located in wiring closets and are connected to the distribution layer switches via the vertical distribution cabling. They provide network connectivity to the hosts in their area. Other devices, such as uninterruptible power supplies or power over ethernet devices may be associated with the access layer switches for particular applications. Horizontal Distribution Cabling provides connections between the access layer devices and the local hosts. It typically terminates at a patch panel in the wiring closet at one end, and at the wall jack in offices and classrooms at the other end. Various types of patch cables and drop cables are used to complete the connections to the access layer switch and the local host.
     Elements of the building's infrastructure, such as wiring closet ventilation, and electrical power affect the functioning of all of these elements and may constrain your design.

1. DHCP: The Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol is a series of network protocols and services that allow for automatic assignment of IP addressing information to TCP/IP network clients configured as DHCP Client computers.
2. DNS: An hierarchical name service for TCP/IP hosts. DNS allows users to connect to network resources via friendly host names, rather than having to remember IP addresses for network servers.

• Providing networking solutions for organizations When you create your networking services design, remember that your design is the platform for the connectivity and protocol requirements of the organization. You include multiple networking services into your design in order to do the following:
  1. Establish a network foundation
  2. Provide access to public networks
  3. Include connectivity for remote users and locations
  4. Support network-based applications and authentication methods
  In the next lesson, I will discuss how organizational goals map to specific aspects of a design.

[1] WinSock: The Windows Sockets Session Layer interface. Applications written for the WinSock interface use DNS hosts names for resource name resolution.

[2] SOCKS: The Sockets session layer interface. Microsoft Proxy Server 2.0 provides a SOCKS proxy for non-Microsoft clients to access Internet resources via the Proxy Server.