Planning a Network Upgrade Working at a Small-to-Medium Business or ISP – Chapter 3

Objectives Perform a customer site survey Describe the importance of planning when beginning a network upgrade Describe physical topology considerations when upgrading a network Describe structured cabling Describe network configuration and interaction of network devices Describe other considerations when planning an upgrade

Perform a Customer Site Survey Analyze and document the network configuration and interaction of network devices

Perform a Customer Site Survey Describe the physical and logical topologies of a typical network with both wired and wireless users, as well as shared peripherals, file servers and Internet connectivity

Perform a Customer Site Survey Create network requirements documentation

Planning the Network Upgrade Requirements Gathering Selection and Design Implementation Operation Review and Evaluation

Planning the Network Upgrade Describe issues that relate to the physical environment of the planned network upgrade

Planning the Network Upgrade Describe the types of cabling required for the customer network upgrade

Planning the Network Upgrade Explain the concept of structured cabling Describe types of end-to-end cabling required to facilitate data flow

Planning the Network Upgrade Using provided topology diagrams and site diagrams, or blueprints, create a wiring plan for the customer network including cable specifications, and cabling best practices to be observed.

Other Upgrade Planning Considerations Describe issues that relate to purchasing and maintaining network equipment for an upgrade.

Other Upgrade Planning Considerations Describe the purpose and function of a switch and router

Other Upgrade Planning Considerations Describe factors related to the selection of LAN and Internetworking devices, such as expandability and manageability

IP Addressing Plan Logical Addressing and Network Information.

Summary A site survey including extensive documentation of both physical and logical network information must be performed before a network upgrade can be planned. The five phases of a network upgrade include requirements gathering, selection and design, implementation, operation, and review and evaluation. Structured cabling deals with the placement of cables, location of wiring closets, cable management, and electrical considerations. Cost and expandability are important considerations when planning equipment upgrades.