Lan Design

[afrogley]

I am in charge of a small business LAN/WAN which has grown over the years and I believe is in need of a review.

Overview of the network:
1 main office with servers, 2 ADSL internet connections, 20 PCs & 3 network printers
3 remote users on Site2Site VPN (one via the main router & the others via the backup/voip router) These ppl use email & IP phones attached to our Avaya IP Office telephone system.
1 Warehouse connected via Wifi to the main office with 2 printers, 10 Pcs & 2 PocketPC devices
1/2 dozen remote users on occasional VPN via the main router for email retrieval.

The 'backbone' is a ProCurve 1600 (8x Gb port) (with layer2? VLAN capability - ie it cannot route between VLANs) and everyone who connects in on a single subnet.

The main use of the network is for Email and Telnet access to the AS400. However, there is a fair bit of intranet, internet & filesharing going on too.

I don't have much complaint about the network speed, but with continual growth I would like to at least have a plan for managing it better!

The physical layout is as follows:

               |- Unmanaged Switch PC's and Printers & Backoffice Server (as400)
               |- Unmanaged Switch PC's and Printers - Gb connection
 ProCurve 1600 |- Main Server (Win 2003 SBS) - Gb connection
               |- Firewall & group/indivudal VPN -- Internet
               |- Telephone Switch & Backup/Voip ADSL line & Site2Site VPN
               |- Wifi Link to Warehouse (about 50Mbs) - unmanaged switch with IP phones/PCs & Printers
               |- My computer - Gb connection

Is this a reasonable set up or should I be considering VLANs/Segmentation of the network?

 

[VinceWhirlwind]

Looks fine to me.

My priority for upgrades would be:
- improve radio link to Warehouse
- replace unmanaged switches with managed ones
- replace 1600 with Layer-3 switch
- upgrade WAN links.

 

[afrogley]

Thanks. The wifi link is currently over two seperate boxes each running about 10mb and we sometimes suffer. So a faster link is in the offing. I've been told that the 5ghz units can achieve 40mb over a couple of km and they have the kit running in their office over 10m at 80mb. So aiming for the middle there.

One option may be to put an Internet link in the warehouse and direct their external traffic through there. As they do carrier labels and manage warehouse shops online it would remove a significant part of the traffic. But I don't really want a 3rd line or the management hassle!

I assume the layer3 switch will reduce network overheads such as broadcasts? I hadn't done enough homework when getting the 1600! Still I could redeploy that into the warehouse and get a layer3 in the office as the main backbone

thanks!! It's quite tricky being the whole it department as I have Boone to talk tech with thank heavens fir places like this

 

[VinceWhirlwind]

I've mucked around with radio links a bit and the best bet is to get rid of it and have cablers lay a bit of dark fibre instead. If you don't have loonies swinging on the antennae and bending them you have tornadoes "adjusting" them or hailstorms cutting chunks out of them. A bit of money spent up-front on some nice dark fibre will save you a lot of headaches in the long term and give you the potential for 1Gb links.

Giving them a separate internet connection sounds like a good way of increasing your costs and workload.

The layer3 switch shouldn't be a huge priority, but it will give you more control over your network traffic. Also, you may eventually find yourself in the situation where implementing VoIP will save you lots of money and the Layer3 switch will be very useful for making that happen.

 

[afrogley]

We did consider a cable connection to the warehouse - unfortunately they're diagonally opposite in an industrial estate - so no easy way of getting the cable in.

At the moment the antenna are indoors - which doesn't help the speed - but as you say - does protect them from the loonies - we don't get much in the way of tornadoes in the uk!! I've got some new kit coming (today!) to improve the link which should get me the speed mentioned above - atm it's on 2 links at 10Mb each!

Avaya IP Office does have VoIP - we use 3 channels for outgoing calls and have a number of IP phones including 6 dect/ip handsets in the warehouse (dect to the base station which has an ip connection to the telephone switch) - I think this is where I may need to start with prioritising traffic/vlans

 

[Cyberprog]

If they're diagionally opposite, a weekends work with a circular diamond cutter and a bit of cement would sort the cable issue, drop in a bit of fibre into the slot and bobs your uncle

Alex Threlfall
Cyberprog New Media

http://www.cyberprog.net

Telecoms, Networks, Hosting, Alarms, CCTV etc.

 

[iolair]

A few thoughts on wireless. I don't really care for it. It seems slower and less reliable. We do have heavy fog, thunderstorms, and tornados here. Usually, several days of hard rain will give us problems. However, once we got the cabling waterproofed, things are better. And, the cost of using the wireless over a 3/4 mile distance is a lot better than the cost of laying fiber would have been, especially since there are only three users at the remote building. You sound like you're on the right track. Layer 3 switches tend to blur the line between switching and routing. If you can afford it, I'd get it as it can really help with eliminating unnecessary traffic (broadcasts).

Iolair MacWalter
Network Engineer

 

[afrogley]

Thanks for the replies.
I ended up purchasing a pair of Compex Access points with bi-polar directional antenna - all for under £150 - running on the (UK) unlicenced 5Ghz band. These have given me a 30Mb+ bandwidth to the warehouse which seems to have satisfied their lust for speed for the moment.
It's a cheap option - but one that will work for the next few years anyway.

FO cable (or any) just wasn't an option - there were too many services/companies/buildings in the way!

Next step is the layer3 switch ...