Executive Summary
Australian Institute of Technology (AIT) operates several campuses nearby. It has recently signed a number of agreements allowing it to open campuses in Singapore, Malaysia, and Hong Kong. The institute will be offering a Distance Course Delivery (DCD) to students in far places. To enhance communication and effective running of the institute, the institute needs one big network that incorporates all the local area networks in each and every campus. The current computer systems in the institute are not efficient in building the one big network needed to enhance the distance course delivery. The computer systems need to be upgraded. New and more powerful servers, DCD systems and printers are required. The current computer systems need to be upgraded so that they have 2 GHz processors, 1 GB RAM 250 GB hard drives, 15.4” LCD screens, and DVD writers. This will increase the processing speed and memory for the office operations. Offices in the new campuses will be installed with computer systems with similar features. Each campus will have an independent local area network. All the computer systems in a given campus will be connected to a server in the campus using Ethernet via a hub. The main campus will be installed with a wide area network where all the local area networks will be connected. This will allow efficient sharing of data and resources across the network. Each campus will have multifunction printers connected in the parallel port so that they can support both local and foreign printing. Systems supporting distance learning will be implemented. Data encryption and storage of backup in a separate place will reduce risks of privacy, unauthorized access and loss of information as a result of errors or calamities.
Hardware and Operating System Requirements
The emergence of new technologies especially the computer has helped bring great advancement in society. A computer network defines a collection of computers and other devices connected by communication channels. It allows users to communicate and share some resources such as printers, files and others. The type of computer network installed depends on the needs of the owners. The hardware required and the operating system in turn depend on the type of network required. A Computer network that coverage is limited areas geographically such as a school, hospital or office is referred to as local area network Local (LAN).
A Wide Area Network (WAN) on the other hand defines a computer network that covers a broad geographical area such as a state, a province or a country. It is comprised of many small networks such as the Local Area Network or Metropolitan area networks. Australian Institute of Technology (AIT) operates several campuses in close proximity. It has recently signed some agreements allowing it to open campuses in Singapore, Malaysia, and Hong Kong. The institute will be offering a Distance Course Delivery (DCD) to students in far places. To enhance communication and effective running of the institute, the institute needs one big network that incorporates all the local area networks in each and every campus. The current computer systems in the institute are not efficient in building the one big network and enhance the distance course delivery. The computer systems need to be upgraded. New and more powerful servers, DCD systems and printers are required. This paper will seek to provide an upgrade strategy that AIT requires to incorporate all its campuses in one big network.
Upgrade of Australian Institute of Technology’s Computer Systems
The computers needed by the institute are for simple jobs such as accessing the internet and word processing. These are jobs that do not need much memory. The important features to be looked at include memory and the processing speed. To avoid wastage of resources, the systems need to be upgraded just to have high productivity. The amount of memory needed is little and the processing speed need not be very powerful. The processor determines the performance of a computer system because it is the place where actual processing takes place. A mid-grade Intel processor of two GHz is efficient in the computer systems. The Random Access Memory (RAM) helps in running programs. A one GB RAM is sufficient for accessing the internet, word processing, and printing purposes. The systems to be bought should also have memory upgrade slots so that they can be expanded later if need be (EZ-Zone Software Ltd 2009, para.8). The hard drives help in storage of information. Two hundred and fifty GB hard drive is effective for each system. Some systems should have DVD Writers to help in writing backup information. All the computer systems should provide for external ports and connections so that peripherals such as internet, iPods and others can be connected. Each system should have five USB ports, a firewall port, and an Ethernet connection for internet and networking. Fifteen-inch Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) monitors are very efficient. The monitors occupy less space and consume low power compared to the cathode ray tube monitors. They will therefore help save power. The other integral components for a functional system are output devices such as keyboard and the mouse. Each system will cost about two hundred and seventy-five U.S. Dollars. Those systems that already exist should be upgraded to meet these requirements; the availability of these slots will make future expansion easier.
Local Area Network in Each Campus
The process of building one big network will begin by building local area networks on every campus. The current local area networks will be upgraded while the new campuses will be installed with new servers. In each campus, there are several departments with each department having many offices. Each office has some computers operated by the individuals who work in these offices. Each campus will have a server that stores the resources shared. Such files include printers, files, and other applications. A Novell server that provides for five connections will be efficient. Each department will have a direct connection to the server. The NetWare 5.0 goes for about three hundred and eighty-eight United States dollars. Some hardware is needed to connect all the computers together (Addison 2001, para.6). Ethernet will be used to connect the systems together. One advantage of using Ethernet is that it is widely used and therefore readily available and relatively cheap. Ethernet has a baseband of ten Mbps and is available from Intel, Xerox and Digital equipment. Every computer will require an Ethernet Interface Card to enhance building an internet hub. The number of departments in every campus can be many, several hubs will be required. The hubs must be compatible with Ethernet and they should have as many ports as possible so that they can accommodate all the computers in any department. Ethernet cables of 10Base T will be required and they should be used with compatible jacks especially the RJ45 jacks. The cables will be used to connect the computer’s NIC cards with the hub. Linux operating system will be used. It is efficient than other operating systems because acquiring it is relatively simple and cheaper. It can be downloaded or purchased at prices ranging between twenty-five and fifty United States dollars. All the computers will access the internet using the Linux operating system and a router will therefore be needed. This local area network will allow all individuals connected to it to communicate with all other departments and access resources from these departments.
Local Area Network Connection
The Wide Area Network
To form one large network, a central server will be located on the main campus. All the servers in the local area networks in every campus will be connected to the main server. This will enhance movement of information from one campus to the main server and other campuses via the main server. Wide area network components hardware required include access servers, WAN switches, routers, modems, ATM switches, ISDN terminal adaptors, and multiplexers (WAN Redundancy 2008, para.5). A G-WAN server is efficient for this purpose. It is compatible with Linux and works at a higher speed. The WAN switch will be used to internetwork the devices that make up the WAN. It has multiple ports to allow for the connection of several devices. It has one main advantage in that it allows easy switching of traffic. Access servers will be used by internet service providers to allow users to be connected to the internet. While modems are needed for data transfer over the links. It will be used to transfer data from the WAN cable links and encode and encode digital information. Routers on the other hand serve as a means of transferring data packets across the network.
Wide Area Network Connection
Printers
Each campus needs a multifunction printer that prints scans, faxes and copies. The Canon PIXMA MP640 Inkjet Multifunction printer goes for about two hundred and fifty U.S. dollars depending on the place. Each printer will be connected to the parallel port in one of the servers. Since all the computers in an institution are connected to the server, the printer can be accessed by all the local computers in the specific institution. The connections of the printers will be coded so that an individual in one institution can access a printer in different institution by specifying its number.
Distance Education System
To facilitate distance learning, the institute will be connected to the internet to keep in touch with the students who will not be attending classes physically. An instructions system will be designed so that both the synchronous and the asynchronous technologies are applied. Distant students will be able to access materials directly from the internet using their usernames and passwords and to do this, they are required to make their arrangements to get equipment that is compatible with the upgraded system at the institute. This will encourage synchronous technologies such as video conferencing where the students can interact with the tutors just like the other students in the compasses (Anderson and Jackson 2000, p.222). An electronic information exchange system will be implemented as support tool for distant learners.
Issues of Privacy, Unauthorized Access and Backup Data
Connection to the internet increases the risk of privacy of sensitive information (Peterson and Davie 2007, p.142). Some information in the systems is private and only specific individuals should have access to such information. To prevent unauthorized access and to keep information private, data encryption will be done so that the data is encoded in a way that unauthorized users cannot understand. This will protect the data when both in storage and in movement from one system to the other. If the systems happen to crash, all the software and information stored is likely to be lost. To avoid such incidents, the institution will have backup stored in CDs, DVDs, Flash Disks, external hard drives, and others. The backup will be stored in a different place from the systems so that in case of a calamity, the backup will be used to restore the systems to their previous status.
Recommendations
- The features of computer systems needed include; 2 GHz processor, 1 GB RAM, 250 GB hard drives, 15.4” LCD screens, and DVD writers- 275 U.S. dollars per system.
- Netware 5.0 server, hubs, Ethernet cables, and NIC cards for the LAN-2500 U.S. dollars per compass.
- G-WAN access server, WAN switches, routers, modems, ATM switches, ISDN terminal adaptors, and multiplexers- 3000 U.S. dollars.
- CDs, DVDs, Flash disks, external disk drives, and others for backup- 100 U.S. dollars per branch.
Conclusion
AIT requires an upgrade strategy to integrate all its compasses into one big network. The hardware and operating system required for the creation of a network depends on the needs of the institution. The computer systems need to be updated so that their processing speed and memory are efficient. Each institution will have a local area network supplied by one server in each institution. A Novell server is efficient for the connections. Ethernet will be used to interconnect all the systems to the server. A G-WAN will be installed on the main campus. Each campus will be provided with a multifunction printer that serves residents and individuals from other campuses. Some systems need to be integrated so that the WAN can support distance learning. Data encryption and storage of backup in a separate place will reduce risks of privacy, unauthorized access, and loss of information as a result of errors or calamities.
Reference
Addison, D. 2001. Setting up a Local Area Network. Web.
Anderson, M., & Jackson, D. 2000. Computer Systems for Distributed and Distance Learning. Journal of Computer Assisted learning, Volume 16, No.1, pp.213-228.
EZ-Zone Software Ltd, 2009. EZ-Zone Computer System Requirements: Computer Hardware and Operating System Software for your EZ-Zone Software Products. Web.
Peterson, L. L. & Davie, B. S., 2007, Computer Networks: A Systems approach. Fourth Ed. N.Y: Morgan Kaufmann.
WAN Redundancy, 2008. WAN Configuration. 2010. Web.