Question

My Solutions Pvt. Ltd. is a reputed software development and IT consulting firm. The company's head office is located in Mysuru, and it has a regional office in Chennai. The Mysuru office comprises four departments: Human Resources, Research, Design and Technical Support.

The distances between these departments and between Mysuru and Chennai are as follows:

Human Resources to Research	55 metres
Human Resources to Design	75 metres
Human Resources to Technical Support	140 metres
Research to Design	40 metres
Research to Technical Support	80 metres
Design to Technical Support	60 metres
Mysuru Office to Chennai Office	350 kilometres

The number of computers in each department/office is as follows:

Human Resources	30
Research	80
Design	50
Technical Support	20
Chennai Office	35

As a network engineer, you have to propose solutions for various queries listed from I to V.

I. Identify the most suitable department to install the main server in the Mysuru office. Justify your answer with a valid reason.

II. Create a cable layout design to establish Wired network connectivity between the departments in the Mysuru Office.

III. Suggest the appropriate network device to connect multiple computers within the Research department.

IV. What type of network (LAN, MAN, WAN) would best connect the Mysuru and Chennai office?

V. Which device should be used if the signal strength weakens while transmitting data between the Human Resources and Technical Support departments due to the long distance between them?

Hint:

Put the server where the most computers are. Use a switch inside a department, a WAN between cities and a repeater when the cable is longer than 100 metres.

Answer 1

Step 1: Read the set-up:
The Mysuru office has four departments: Human Resources (30 computers), Research (80), Design (50) and Technical Support (20).
The Chennai office has 35 computers and is 350 km away.
Part II asks for a cable layout, so we also need the distances inside the Mysuru office.

Step 2: Part I - main server:
Research has the largest number of computers, 80 out of 180 in Mysuru.
If the server sits there, most of the traffic stays inside one department and does not travel on long cables.
Research is also close to the other departments: 55 m to Human Resources, 40 m to Design and 80 m to Technical Support.
So the main server should be in the Research department.

Step 3: Part II - cable layout:
Twisted pair (Ethernet) cable works up to 100 m, so every link we use should be shorter than 100 m.
We join the other three departments to Research. The links are 55 m, 40 m and 80 m, all under 100 m, and the total cable is 175 m.

                 Human Resources
                        |
                      55 m
                        |
Design ---- 40 m ---- Research ---- 80 m ---- Technical Support

This is a star layout around Research, the department that holds the server.

Step 4: Part III - device inside Research:
To join many computers inside one department we use a switch. A switch sends data only to the computer that should get it.
A hub also joins computers, but it sends data to all of them, so a switch is better.

Step 5: Part IV - type of network:
Mysuru and Chennai are 350 km apart. That is a city-to-city link over a very large area.
A LAN covers one building or campus. A MAN covers one city. A network over such a long distance is a WAN.

Step 6: Part V - weak signal:
The distance between Human Resources and Technical Support is 140 m. A signal on a cable becomes weak after about 100 m.
A repeater takes the weak signal, boosts it and sends it forward. So a repeater is used.

Final Answer:
I. Research department, because it has the most computers and is close to the others.
II. Star layout with Research in the centre: Research to Human Resources, Research to Design, Research to Technical Support.
III. Switch.
IV. WAN.
V. Repeater.