Creating the Network Infrastructure
By Russ Finney
A big part of creating complex business systems within a modern organization is the interconnectivity of the various technologies being utilized. What this boils down to is carefully selecting the appropriate networking approach for the current business situation, as well as casting a look into to future to anticipate growth needs. When analyzing the current business requirements, consider some of the following items:
Existing network infrastructure
- Does a network already exist?
- Will it support the future needs of the organization?
Geographical communication requirements
- Will geographically separated parts of the organization need to share information?
- To what extent will they need access to the same information?
Diversity of platforms which must be connected
- Which technical platforms will need to be connected?
- What networking capabilities and bridges are available to support the required connections?
Current application software requirements
- Do current applications already utilize networking capabilities?
- What is the level of existing network entrenchment and infrastructure in place to support these systems?
Target platforms for new applications
- What are the requirements for the new systems?
- How compatible are these requirements with the existing network infrastructure?
- Will a new network need to be built from scratch?
Sophistication of the business users
- How transparent should the network be to the business clients?
- How sophisticated are their data sharing needs?
Technical support requirements
- What is the level of sophistication and expertise in network creation and support possessed by the organization?
- Will outside expertise be required during the initial set-up or on an on-going basis?
Once all of these issues have been addressed, the next step is to decide on the nuts and bolts of the network requirements. The physical makeup of a network tends to revolve around laying cables, installing communication cards, and loading networking software, but the big decisions center around the following components:
Local Area Network (LAN)
The connecting platform within a physical office location (FDDI, ATM, Ethernet, Token Ring, etc.).
Wide Area Network (WAN)
The connecting leased line, frame, ISDN, or public switched data pipes between the geographical office locations.
Gateways, Bridges, and Routers
The components on the network which convert data packets from one protocol to another, or which direct the data packets to the correct network destinations.
1999, Russ Finney, All Rights Reserved