djphoenix
join:2001-03-24
Kalispell, MT
| Advice on Networking.
ok so I'm writing a paper for a systems Management class. we have this virtual company and I need to propose system changes that are going to streamline things. It is my proposal that they network all 4 sites in 4 different locations around the globe, I want an intranet that is accesible only by company employees and secure enough that nobody outside the company can access the data but when site A stores somthing on network drive K, I want the data accessible on network drive K at all sites. I'm not asking anybody to do my homework for me but I am struggling finding exactly what I want and need to do this, can someone point me in the right direction? |
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Schivelrybrn
join:2007-07-17
Berrien Center, MI | »No, I Will Not Fix Your #@$!! Computer
they might be able to give you a little nudge in the right direction. |
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The Dv8or
DSLReports Forums -- The Mouse House 2.0
Premium
join:2001-08-09
Danbury, CT
clubs:
| reply to djphoenix
Most companies with any kind of size and budget with several sites are set up this way. The internal network is separated from the Internet with a firewall, and maybe a router. There's a lot of missing and widely interpretable variables here that could take us in a zillion different directions. If there's a lot of data that routinely needs to be accessed by several sites, you may want to look at dedicated T1s between the offices. If you dont want to spend the cash for that, you can do secure VPN over Internet. My company employs a combination of these two methods. Do you have different fileservers at all the sites, or one central repository? You need to provide more specifics to get a clearer answer.
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You're so vain... I bet you think this post is about you. |
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Kilroy
Premium,MVM
join:2002-11-21
Ann Arbor, MI
 ·WOW Internet and C..
| reply to djphoenix
From living in the real world you want as much of the data that you use daily local. Any time you have to leave your site you're at the mercy of your bandwidth. Number of employees per site plays a large part of planning. A four user office can use DSL and VPN in, more than 10 and you need to start thinking about a server. Servers can be backed up during off hours to the home office.
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When will the people realize that with DRM they aren't purchasing anything? |
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djphoenix
join:2001-03-24
Kalispell, MT
| reply to djphoenix
Alright here are the diagrams of the existing networks, I pretty much have the Albany and pontiac sites upgrading to that of the other 2 sites, I don't know if current hardware will support that, I'm sort of looking for info to network all 4 sites. |
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Kilroy
Premium,MVM
join:2002-11-21
Ann Arbor, MI | Really need to update your equipment to something made this century. |
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The Dv8or
DSLReports Forums -- The Mouse House 2.0
Premium
join:2001-08-09
Danbury, CT
clubs: | I'd hate to be the fucker stuck with a Pentium 233 with 64 megs of RAM. 
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You're so vain... I bet you think this post is about you. |
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djphoenix
join:2001-03-24
Kalispell, MT | LOL it's all a virtual company, it's not real... but for the purposes of my paper I have to pitch updating the whole organization... |
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NetAdmin
CCNA
join:2008-05-22
| reply to djphoenix
First recommendation, ditch the flat network designs. Your servers should have their own switch, or ideally, pair of switches, and be dual homed. All network devices should also be dual homed.
If you want the K: drive requirement to work, you have to have a beefier WAN. 256kbps doesn't cut it any more. You have to look into something like DFS or filesystem replication.
Also ditch the single small, 500VA UPS for all of the servers design. Either get decent UPS for each server (1000-1500VA) or get a large enough UPS for all of the servers to be able to run for 15 minutes to allow for an ordered shutdown. UNIX boxen and Exchange servers aren't particularly fond of sudden and improper shutdowns.
And like the other guys said, get some more modern gear... Seriously, hubs?!
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"This is a bus. You know how big a bus is?" |
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Joe12345678
join:2003-07-22
Des Plaines, IL | reply to djphoenix
at least drop all the hubs and get switches 100 min / 1000 better.
hubs can give you big time slow downs.
also the small T-1 links are bad and if that is all you can get then putting up WSUS severs is a good thing. |
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bilbusb
join:2003-04-10
Tucker, GA | reply to djphoenix
looks like you copied that drawing from somewhere.
Looks very old. |
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djphoenix
join:2001-03-24
Kalispell, MT | it's a diagram from a class I'm taking, the point is to pitch upgrades to streamline their manufacturing business. |
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bilbusb
join:2003-04-10
Tucker, GA | reply to djphoenix
Did they give information about the current problems?
Unless there are problems, there is not a lot of reason to upgrade anything. |
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djphoenix
join:2001-03-24
Kalispell, MT | All it says it that we need to Suggest specific systems changes that improve their inventory or manufacturing processes. |
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bilbusb
join:2003-04-10
Tucker, GA | reply to djphoenix
If it does not say what the benchmarks are, kinda hard to do that.
Do they give you a budget? |
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bilbusb
join:2003-04-10
Tucker, GA | reply to The Dv8or
DV, i had 4 P2 500 128mb servers until perhaps a year ago.
I also still have P1, and P2 desktops floating around that were not going to be upgraded. Luckly they "broke" and were unfixable. |
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Joe12345678
join:2003-07-22
Des Plaines, IL | reply to djphoenix
at least drop the hubs and go to a min of 100.
1000 for the severs and maybe even the rest of the network as well. |
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cypherstream
Looking forward to the future of things.
Premium,MVM
join:2004-12-02
Reading, PA
clubs:
1 edit | reply to djphoenix
Actually in a manufacturing environment, those old systems are not unheard of. I used to work in Manufacturing, and that company had a bunch of old 486's and early model pentiums running equipment. All the computer did was run dos, connect to the network drive, pull csv files and use that decimal data to know how big to cut material. Some of the old controllers freaked out when running faster CPU's. It's like their counters were way off and the systems didn't work. Needless to say we would get old crap at auction for that. I don't work there anymore, but I can understand the use for that ancient equipment in certain situations.
It's really a BIG project you have on your hands. Everything network wise needs to be upgraded. Switches, do some VLAN's, look into metro ethernet WAN links or NxT1's if no fiber is available, domain controller at each location with file & print server and replication, maybe go SAN if the budget allows. Heck now if starting from the ground up, SAN and virtuilization is the way to go. There's a lot of different elements in your assignment that really need attention. Good luck! |
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Joe12345678
join:2003-07-22
Des Plaines, IL
| said by cypherstream  :Actually in a manufacturing environment, those old systems are not unheard of. I used to work in Manufacturing, and that company had a bunch of old 486's and early model pentiums running equipment. All the computer did was run dos, connect to the network drive, pull csv files and use that decimal data to know how big to cut material. Some of the old controllers freaked out when running faster CPU's. It's like their counters were way off and the systems didn't work. Needless to say we would get old crap at auction for that. I don't work there anymore, but I can understand the use for that ancient equipment in certain situations. but they should still plan for new software as it will get harder and harder to find working 486 parts. |
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The Dv8or
DSLReports Forums -- The Mouse House 2.0
Premium
join:2001-08-09
Danbury, CT
clubs:
| said by Joe12345678 :said by cypherstream :Actually in a manufacturing environment, those old systems are not unheard of. I used to work in Manufacturing, and that company had a bunch of old 486's and early model pentiums running equipment. All the computer did was run dos, connect to the network drive, pull csv files and use that decimal data to know how big to cut material. Some of the old controllers freaked out when running faster CPU's. It's like their counters were way off and the systems didn't work. Needless to say we would get old crap at auction for that. I don't work there anymore, but I can understand the use for that ancient equipment in certain situations. but they should still plan for new software as it will get harder and harder to find working 486 parts. Now you know why IBM still has a mainframe division. Many companies choose not to upgrade, but rather continue to pour cash into the money pit that is these antiquated systems because somehow it makes more financial sense than putting capital into upgrades. "Buying new" is always a luxury for many of these companies for some ungodly reason.
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You're so vain... I bet you think this post is about you. |
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