An Interim Network Design for Small Organizations

Abstract

This paper describes work I did over the summer of 1998 at Kalamazoo College in Kalamazoo, Michigan. I worked for the school's experiential education department, the L. Lee Stryker Center, designing a simple, low-cost network to replace their previous network implementation. This document describes the situation in which I worked, the steps I took to evaluate the requirements for the new network, the design choices I made, the steps I took to implement the network, and the application I feel my design has to the networking world at large. I wrote this primarily for my successor at the Stryker Center, and for any others who might fin themselves in a situation similar to mine and could have interest in a similar design. Because of this, I have included extensive descriptions of my work environment and the processes I used both in designing and implementing the network. I did this both to put the design in the context to which it is relevant and as an aid to those who might want to put together a similar setup. After all, the process of implementation and the difficulties that might arise along the way are just as important as the overall design to the final success of any project. The results of my particular project have been very gratifying, and it is my wish to contribute in any way I can to the work of those who are doing similar work in similar environments.