You have been hired as part of the networking team at UMUC. After completing orientation and training, your manager calls you into a meeting to discuss your first project.

The university has recently leased a single building in Adelphi, Maryland. The building will house faculty and administrative offices, classrooms, a library, and computer labs. Security is important for UMUC, as the university must protect students’ and employees’ data, as well as any intellectual property that UMUC has on its servers and computers. As a result, IT management would like to take the time to review proposals on how best to move forward on security issues. As a junior network engineer, you have been asked to make a network proposal on how to set up a secure network infrastructure in the newly leased building to support university operations. The network proposal will require three submissions covering network design, network addressing and security, and network customization and optimization.

After speaking to your manager, you are excited about the project, but you realize you will have a busy schedule. As you are writing your proposal, you will also have to prepare for the CompTIA Network+ Certification exam. One of the conditions of your employment at this university is that you obtain this certification within 60 days of being hired.

The network proposal represents a great opportunity to document your expertise. Additionally, it is also a great opportunity for you to form an integrated view of the different aspects of networking which are tested in the certification exam.

In this learning demonstration, you will use the TestOut Network Pro (LabSim) to learn about the topics required to achieve success for each submission (i.e., network design, network addressing and security, and network customization and optimization). Furthermore, these activities will prepare you for the CompTIA Network+ Certification exam. In order to identify your strengths and weaknesses in the first week, you will complete the CompTIA Network+ Certification Practice exam. Review LEO – Content for how to access the CompTIA Network+ Certification Practice exam. Then, during the next eight weeks, as you step through each set of activities in TestOut LabSim, you will also be drafting sections of your network design proposal.

Use the results of the Network+ Certification Practice exam you took during the first week of class to help guide you on which areas within TestOut LabSim you should spend more time studying. You must finish all labs in TestOut LabSim; these are the activities with the computer mouse icon. The Network Design Proposal will be submitted in three submissions: network design, network addressing and security,and network customization and optimization. 

Network Design (i.e., Part 1)

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In this section, address each of the following.

A. Define the network topology that will be used and justify the decision.

B. Select the appropriate cables and connectors and justify the decision. Describe where wired connections will be used within or across the two new academic buildings and justify the decision. Students must use both wired and wireless technologies.

• Student should be specific when discussing the models, types, and costs.

C. Select the appropriate networking and internetworking hardware for each building, and justify the decision.

• Student should be specific when discussing the models, types, and costs.

D. Select the appropriate Wide Area Network (WAN) design and wireless configuration, and justify the decision. Students must use both wired and wireless technologies.

• Student should be specific when discussing the models, types, and costs.

E. Consider that faculty, students, and guests can bring their own devices (BYOD) and use their computer in each of the buildings.

• Student should be specific when discussing the models, types, and costs.

F. Select the appropriate computer systems hardware to use to support the faculty, students, and overall network design; and justify the decision(s).

• Student should be specific when discussing the models, types, and costs.

Students will find the majority of information working through the TestOut LabSim labs. Students should seek additional information to include in each submission as described in the overview by searching scholarly journals and other credible sources as appropriate. Reputable technical websites can be considered a credible source, but make sure to include at least two scholarly sources for each part of the Network Design Proposal.