ITEC 275 Computer Networks – Switching, Routing, and

WANs

Week 12 Chapter 14 Robert D’Andrea

Some slides provide by Priscilla Oppenheimer and used with permission

Agenda• Learning Activities

- Documentation• Areas of Interest

- Response to RFP

- Contents of Network Document

- Network Design Testing

- Final Exam Review

Design DocumentA design document describes your customer’s

requirements and explains how your new design is going to meet their requirements.The design document includes the existing network, the logical and physical design, and budget and expenses associated with the new project.A design document includes plans for implementation of the network, and evolving the network design as the company grows. It is important to include that the network design is iterative process. Steps are always being taken to optimize network performance.

Request for Proposal (RFP)A RFP details the customer’s design

requirements and the types of solutions a network design should include.RFPs are sent to vendors and consultants to select the correct vendor. Sending RFPs to vendors is an excellent way to initiate competitive design comparisons, availability of products, pricing, service, and support arrangements.

Typical RFP Categories• Business goals• Scope of project• Existing network and applications• New applications• Technical requirements• Warranty• Environment constraints that could affect

implementation• Training• Schedules and timelines• Legal contractual terms and conditions

RFP Format• Customer’s prescribed format and structure

- Reason might be that customer expects a response to fit into a certain format

(follow-up document)- Some RFPs are in the form of a

questionnaire

No RFP Response Format• Network topology• Information on protocols, technologies, and

products• Implementation plan• Training plan• Support and service plan• Prices and payment arrangement• Qualifications of vendor• Testimonials from other customers• Legal contractual terms and conditions

RFP Conclusion• Highlight the use of ingenuity to ensure your

response benefits your network design• Predict what your competition will do to out

maneuver your new network design.

Contents of a Network Design• Executive Summary states the major points of the

document• Project Goal business goal brief enough to convey the

overall objective of the company• Project Scope details the extent of the project. What

departments and areas will be impacted by the project.

• Design Requirements lists all the major business and technical requirements for the network design. The company goals would be listed in priority order.

Contents of a Network Design- Business goals explain the role the network design will play in helping an organization

provide better products and services to its customers.

- Technical goals should be regularly demonstrated through tests or prediction.

Technical Goals• Scalability is growth a network design must support• Availability available for users MTBF and MTTR• Network performance customer’s criteria of acceptance

(throughput, delay, response time)• Security general and specific goals to protect company

information • Manageability of performance, fault, configuration, security,

and accounting management • Usability ease of use by user community• Adaptability to network failures and its services• Affordability containing costs associated with purchases

The technical goals should also include any tradeoffs the customer is willing to make.

Technical Goals• User Communities and Data Stores

- List major user communities, their sizes, locations, and the principal applications they use.

• Network Applications

- Characterizes new and existing network applications.

Existing Network• Document

- Structure of existing network

- Logical design should include drawings, naming convention, protocols, addressing, network management

- Physical design should describe the features and recommended uses for the technologies and devices. Include pricing for all hardware and software.

- Applications used on system

- Analysis of the health and performance

Network Design Testing• Testing objectives• Test acceptance criteria• Testing tools• Text scripts• Results and observations

The customer should be informed on how the results were determined, through component or live or prototype network testing, load factors applied during testing.

Network Design TestingTypes of tests• Application response-time tests• Throughput tests• Availability tests• Regression tests

Implementation Plan• The Implementation Plan should include

recommendations for deploying network design.• Details of plan dependent on audiance

- IS department will want a very detailed plan

- Sale engineer brief summary of network products

Implementation Plan• Project schedule• Plans for installation of links, equipment, or services.• Outsourcing or management of the network• Plan to communicate design to user community,

network administrators and management• Training for network managers and users• Plan to baseline effectiveness of new design• List of known risks that could delay the project• Fallback plan if failure occurs• Plan to evolve network design as new applications

arise

Implementation PlanThe Implementation Plan should include a project

schedule or timeline. This schedule should include dates and deliverables for major events.

Project BudgetThis document should list the money available

for equipment, maintenance, service contracts, training, and staff.

In addition, include the a Return-On-Investment analysis. Most customers feel better after observing the investment savings.

Document Appendix• Store supplemental information

- Topology maps

- Device configurations

- Network addressing

- Naming convention

- Results from testing network design

Summary• If the customer provides an RFP

- Follow the format presented

- Otherwise, develop a document that describes requirements, existing network, logical and physical design, budget, and expenses associated with the network design.• Executive Summary• Primary project goals• Network topology • Addressing and naming convention• Test results• Plan for implementing and measuring performance, security,

manageability, usability, and availability.

This Week’s Outcomes

– Document Your Network Design– Guidelines for RFP– Document Content– Network Design Testing– Document Appendix

Due this week

• 13-1 – Concept questions 11

Next week

• Review chapter 14 in Top-Down Network Design

Q & A

• Questions, comments, concerns?