Introducing Greenwood High School

Type of organization

Greenwood is a school dedicated to providing a well-structured education for children in

Kindergarten through 12th grade. It works to improve academic quality, personal development
and social responsibility among students.
Syllabus:
The school offers a comprehensive curriculum that includes core subjects such as math,
science, language arts, and social studies, as well as art, technology, and physical education.
Music and drama clubs, debate teams and student organizations contribute to the overall
development of students.
Greenwood High School is divided into several important departments to manage its activities
and provide quality education:

Ministry of Education:
This department is responsible for the development of educational content, instruction and
assessment at all levels. It includes specialized courses such as the Department of
Mathematics, Department of Science, and Department of Humanities.

Learning Management System (LMS):

Schools use a good LMS like Canvas or Google Classroom to facilitate online learning,
assignments, grading and communication with teachers and students.
SIS is used to manage student information, attendance, grades and other administrative
functions.
Branch location
Greenwood High School is located on a large campus in Boston, Massachusetts. The school
also has two campuses:

Greenwood High School - West Campus:

The school is located in the suburbs of Boston and serves students mostly from the city's west
side and surrounding areas. Located on Boston's East Side, the school serves students from
the East Side and surrounding areas.

Network Architecture of Greenwood High School

Local Area Network (LAN) Topology
Topology Diagram
We use star topology on the LAN at Greenwood High School. This topology connects all
devices to a central switch, providing a reliable and easy-to-manage communications network.
Below is a detailed description of the topology.

Screenshot of the Topology Diagram

Naming Conventions
For clarity and ease of management, each department has a specific name. A detailed
description of the name scheme and the entire LAN design is given below:
Academic Department
Switch: Academic_Switch
Workstations: Academic_PC1, Academic_PC2, Academic_PC3, Academic_PC4,
Academic_PC5, Academic_PC6, Academic_PC7, Academic_PC8, Academic_PC9,
Academic_PC10
Server: Academic_Server
Administrative Department
Switch: Admin_Switch
Workstations: Admin_PC1, Admin_PC2, Admin_PC3, Admin_PC4, Admin_PC5,
Admin_PC6, Admin_PC7, Admin_PC8, Admin_PC9, Admin_PC10
Server: Admin_Server
Student Services Department
Switch: StudentServices_Switch
Workstations: StudentServices_PC1, StudentServices_PC2, StudentServices_PC3,
StudentServices_PC4, StudentServices_PC5, StudentServices_PC6,
 StudentServices_PC7, StudentServices_PC8, StudentServices_PC9,
StudentServices_PC10
Server: StudentServices_Server

Main Switch: Central_Switch

To provide a clear representation:
Router: Main_Router

LAN Topology Justification

Star Topology:
Ease of Management: Centralized switches allow easy management and troubleshooting.
Scalability: New devices can be added without affecting the rest of the network.
Performance: Dedicated communication lines reduce the risk of network collisions, enhancing
performance.

Number of Switches Required

We will need four keys in total:
One key per section (three in total).
One switch for each department (three in total).
One central switch to connect all departmental switches to the router.

Media Selection
Appropriate Media:
Cat6 Ethernet Cables:
Reason: Cat6 cables support high-speed data transfer up to 10 Gbps over short
distances, which is sufficient for a school’s internal network requirements.
Benefit: They offer improved performance and reduced crosstalk compared to older
Cat5e cables, ensuring reliable and fast connectivity for all devices.
Wireless connection in the organization
Choice of wireless technology
Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) technology will be used for wireless connectivity. This technology offers
several advantages:

Faster data speeds: Wi-Fi 6 delivers significantly faster speeds than previous standards,
supports high-bandwidth applications, and ensures smooth streaming and downloads.
Increased capacity: Wi-Fi 6 can handle more simultaneous connections, which is essential in a
school environment with many devices.
Improved performance in dense environments: Enhanced features such as MU-MIMO and
OFDMA improve performance in environments with many connected devices such as
classrooms and libraries.
Advantages of using IPv6 for LANs
Larger address space: IPv6 provides a virtually unlimited number of IP addresses that can
accommodate the growing number of connected devices in a school.
Improved routing efficiency: IPv6 simplifies the routing process, increases its efficiency,
and reduces the size of routing tables.
Enhanced Security: IPv6 has built-in IPsec support for better security at the network layer.
Automatic configuration: IPv6 supports automatic IP address configuration, which simplifies
network management.
Virtual Local Area Networks (VLANs)
Number of VLANs
We implement four VLANs:

VLAN 10: Academic Department

VLAN 20: Administrative Department
VLAN 30: Student Services Department
VLAN 40: Guest network (for visitors and temporary access)
Advantages of VLANs
Enhanced security: VLANs separate network traffic, reducing the risk of unauthorized
access and increasing security.
Better performance: VLAN segmentation reduces broadcast domains, which can improve
overall network performance.
Simplified Management: VLANs allow easier management and troubleshooting of network
segments.
Make and model of switches
We recommend using the following Cisco switches for network setup:

Cisco Catalyst 9200 Series

Model: Cisco Catalyst 9200L-48P-4X

Features: 48 ports, PoE+ support, four 10G SFP+ uplinks, Layer 3 capabilities.
Cisco Catalyst 2960-X Series

Model: Cisco Catalyst 2960X-48TS-L

Features: 48 ports, two 1G SFP uplinks, Layer 2 capabilities, energy efficient design

Citations:
Cisco Systems, Inc. (n.d.). Cisco Catalyst 9200 Series Switches. Retrieved from
https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/switches/catalyst-9200-series-switches/index.html
Cisco Systems, Inc. (n.d.). Cisco Catalyst 2960-X Series Switches. Retrieved from
https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/switches/catalyst-2960-x-series-switches/index.html
WAN Topology Diagram in Cisco Packet Tracer
WAN topology:

Devices Needed:
Routers: Cisco ISR 4000 Series (e.g., ISR 4321)
Switches: Cisco Catalyst Switches (e.g., Catalyst 9200 Series)
Connection Media: Serial cables or Ethernet cables (depending on WAN technology)
Topology:
Place routers for headquarters and branch offices.
Connect them using WAN technologies such as leased lines, MPLS or VPN tunnels.
Use switches to connect to the local network at each location.
Naming:
Rename WAN devices to group member names for clarity.
WAN topology explained:
A WAN topology connects the headquarters and branches using routers.
Each branch has a router connected to the headquarters router via WAN lines.
WAN connections can be established using technologies such as MPLS, leased lines, or VPNs,
depending on requirements.
Suitable media types for WAN connections:
Suitable media types for WAN connections include:
Serial cable: for leased lines or traditional WAN systems. For example, Metro Ethernet or
MPLS. :NAT Internal
Hide NAT Function:
NAT can be used in the central office router to translate the private IP address into an IP
address for the outside communication side. Use Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) or
Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol (EIGRP).
Rationale: OSPF is suitable for large networks with multiple routers, offering scalability and
fast convergence. EIGRP is Cisco proprietary and provides faster convergence, making it
suitable for Cisco-centric environments.
Advantages of using multilayer switches:
Efficiency: Multilayer switches perform both routing and switching functions and improve
network efficiency by reducing latency.
Simplified network design: The integration of routing and switching functions simplifies network
architecture and management.
Enhanced Security: Multi-layer switches support advanced security features such as ACLs
to enhance network security
Make and Model of Devices:
Routers: Cisco ISR 43212]
Available at: Cisco ISR 4321
Switches: Cisco Catalyst 9200 Series
Available at: Cisco Catalyst 92001 Series Switches

Network Tools/Utilities:

PING command:
The PING (Packet Internet Groper) command is used to measure the reachability of a host on
an Internet Protocol (IP) network and to measure the round-trip time (RTT) of a packet of mail
from the site to the site owner. Here's how the PING command works:

Send an ICMP echo request: When you PING by the target host's IP address or domain
name, your computer sends the Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) packet to the target
host.

Receiving ICMP Echo Reply: After receiving ICMP Echo Request packets, the target host
processes and responds with ICMP Echo Reply packets if it is reachable and operational.

Round-Trip Time Calculation: The PING command measures the time it takes for ICMP Echo
Request packets to reach the destination host and for the corresponding ICMP Echo Reply
packets to return to the source host. This time is known as round trip time (RTT).

View Results: The PING command displays various statistics, including transmitted, received,
lost, and RTT counts. It also provides network connectivity and latency information to the target
host.

Process used by PING command:

The PING command generally uses the ICMP protocol to communicate with the target host,
specifically ICMP Echo Request and Echo Response. ICMP is a network protocol used for
diagnostic and control purposes in IP networks. Traceroute command: The traceroute
command (also called tracepath on some systems) is used to trace the path a packet travels
from host to host over an IP network. It helps analyze the path of packets between
intermediate routers and measures the packet forwarding delay at each hop. The traceroute
command works like this:
Send UDP or ICMP echo request packets: When you run the traceroute command followed
by an IP address or host name, your computer sends a User Data Protocol (UDP) or ICMP
echo packet with the requested Name (TTL) value. When a router receives a TTL packet
that has expired, it sends an ICMP Report message to the host and forwards the message to
the next router on the path.

Increasing TTL: The host also sends packets with increasing TTL values, allowing them to
traverse multiple hops in the network. Each detected router decreases the TTL value by one
before sending the packet. Message about the presence of the router on the path. Finally,
the packet reaches the destination host, which sends an ICMP Echo Reply packet to the host.
Display Results: The Traceroute command displays a list of routers (or hops) along the path
to the destination host, along with their IP addresses and transmission delays. It provides
valuable information about network topology and routing paths.

Protocols used by the Traceroute command:

The Traceroute command primarily uses the ICMP protocol, specifically the ICMP Time
Exceeded and ICMP Echo Reply messages, to trace the path to the destination host.
Additionally, some Traceroute implementations may use UDP packets instead of ICMP for
compatibility reasons.

Network configuration in packet tracer:

1)Change the hostname of any switch in your topology diagram to the name of
any group member and put a screenshot in your report
2)Assign IP addresses to workstations, servers, and router interfaces. Use the
private IP address pool e.g., utilise the 10.XX.10.0 IP address with 255.0.0.0
subnet mask. The "XX" in the IP address shows the last two digits of Student ID
of group members.
(3)
Use the IP address of 30.30.30.1 and 30.30.30.2 with 255.0.0.0 subnet mask for the
link between the gateway router of your organization and the ISP router. Change
the hostname of the gateway router to the name of any group member and put a
screenshot of the running configuration of the router showing IP address
configuration on all interfaces Hint: Use Show running-configuration command.
(4) You should include screenshots of the following in your report:
a PING a workstation from another workstation in a specific department b. PING
the default gateway router from any office in a given department.
Conclusion

In summary, Greenwood High School's network architecture is designed to provide a reliable

communication system. The school district network uses a star topology that connects all
devices to a central switch. The overall network topology solution is designed to connect
headquarters and branch offices via routers. Network tools/devices used at Greenwood High
School include the PING command and Traceroute command.
References

Cisco Systems, Inc. (n.d.). Cisco Catalyst 9200 Series Switches. Retrieved from
https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/switches/catalyst-9200-series-switches/
index.html

Cisco Systems, Inc. (n.d.). Cisco Catalyst 2960-X Series Switches. Retrieved from
https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/switches/catalyst-2960-x-series-switches/
index.html