Willtech Hardware and Software Installation Plan

VLAN

William Bridges

IT/242

January 11, 2015

Prof. Michael Sthultz

WillTech has just relocated to a new building due to considerable growth and expansion. Their need for several floors has been decided by the company’s executive persons. The IT staff has determined that their needs to be several new and additional hardware and software upgrades. The following installation plan will be rolled out by the IT Administrators and IT staff of WillTech.

The IT department has decided to setup a VLAN within the building to accommodate all users involved. A VLAN would allow for the connection of the users on the same virtual network, sharing transmissions only interdepartmentally. Switches must be configured to know which VLANs communicate with which stations and departments.  The different sections of the network will be divided by group function: marketing on the first floor, engineering on the second floor, operations on the third floor, and the call center on the fourth. With the network split into four sections, security will be easier. Each section will be logically separate from the rest of the network, so access is restricted from section to section. Password access will allow for access to the section assigned.

Membership will be established using Port assignment VLAN. Using this membership from a physical aspect allows for easier layout. MAC addressing, user ids, and NAT’s also are easier and more manageable. Layer 3 switches will enable better control of the network. The use of a trunking protocol will allow for all switches to be aware of the VLAN of each switch and host location, as well as providing support and backup for each.

VLAN Trunking Protocol (VTP) is the protocol that switches use to communicate among themselves about VLAN configuration. The VLANs can communicate with each other via the trunking connection between the two switches and stations using the router.  The purpose and benefits of using the (VTP) VLAN Trunk Protocol is adding speed and efficiency to the network. VTP also manages the additions, deletions, and name changes of VLAN’s across multiple switches. Using the VTP reduces the costs and increases the scalability of the network to accommodate the future needs of the company. The VTP modes used will be VTP Server and VTP client. All configurations must be done in VTP server mode. All changes in this mode will be broadcast to all other client switches.