Providing Wired and Wireless Network Solutions for Yeshiva University

Executive summary

This report is mainly focused on providing wired and wireless network solution for Yeshiva University. From the given case study “Yeshiva university dorm Wi-Fi changes from restrictive to enriched student experience” the wired and wireless network is designed in order to provide students and IT staff with reliable Wi-Fi connection. First, the report emphasis the scope of the project and challenges and constraints involved in the existing infrastructure. Next, the hardware requirements needed for the project are listed. Based on the requirements, the network is designed with appropriate simulation software detailed with their outcomes and limitations. Finally, the project demonstration with required snapshots is displayed.

Project scope

The main aim of the project is to provide Wi-Fi resource comfort to students and IT staff of the Yeshiva University. In the existing infrastructure, students have unreliable network connectivity in their dorms in all seven buildings where they feel difficult to access the network resources. Similarly IT staff also needs to travel across the various campuses to resolve or troubleshoot those problems (An ARRIS company, 2018). So in order to solve those access point issues, the university proposed the Ruckus wired and wireless infrastructure to be designed and deployed in the university to provide reliable Wi-Fi connection where students depends on network resources for their academics and research projects.

Challenges and constraints

In the existing system, each room provides with access points APs but still the students faces unreliable Wi-Fi connection. Here, some of the challenges are listed:

• The Wi-Fi service provided in the campus are very slow and students need to wait for long time to access the resources
• Unreliable Wi-Fi connectivity where connections dropped unexpectedly
• There is no central database for students to get login and provide authentication facilities and IT staff also need to travel across the campuses to resolve the issues
• So the IT resources get drained seamlessly
• Time consuming to access the network resources
• This unreliability is due to power drew from each AP dorm room where the electrical outlets gets limited to the students
• The use of each APs in each dorm room creates interference issues because due to thick plaster walls in older buildings
• Even there are constraints to the students that they can use only university recommended devices to enable the Wi-Fi connectivity which feels discomfort for the students

The above challenges and constraints can be overcome by the proposed Ruckus wired and wireless network infrastructure providing reliable Wi-Fi connection to the students and staffs of Yeshiva University.

User centric design concept

The user centric design concept deals with designing the network based on the user centered way where the user wants and needs to use the design in the future too. This user centric network design can be obtained from users previous experiences, expectations at present and future expectations based on new experiences (Kankainen, 2003). The primary goal of user centered design is making the network design useful to the students. Such benefits are increased usage of network resources, reduces the costs of IT infrastructure, enhanced support to students and staff. These concepts can be achieved by involving students in the network design and getting feedback from the students about the connection. Some of the differences between the traditional and UCD approach are UCD is user driven where existing system is technology driven and UCD focus on present and future students perspective but existing system focused only on the current students. By following the steps, the UCD can be achieved like (CSE chalmers research group, 2011):

• Plan the human centered process
• Specify the context of use
• Specify the user and organizational requirements
• Produce design solutions
• Evaluate designs against user requirements
• Context of evaluation

Project hardware requirements

The hardware requirements needed for the proposed Ruckus wired and wireless network infra strucuture are listed:

Name of the Wi-Fi device – Ruckus wired and wireless solutions

Company Name – Privatel Inc

Manufacturer Name – Stein and Patrick Mastrorilli

Model- Simulation software

Cable connections – Both wired and wireless connections

Servers- Servers_1, 2, 3, 4

Ports- Port 1, Port 0, Access points AP_1

Hosts– It receives the messages and act accordingly which involves computer systems, user etc

Other requirements – ICX switches, routers, access points, virtual smartzone controller and RG Nets

Features – This list of hardware requirements solve the issues of interference and unreliable Wi-Fi connection to students and enhance the use of network resources without any delay and no compromises in design quality.

Network design

The network is designed using Cisco Packet Tracer simulation software. This software provides visualization of the software configurations to understand the network design even by students and staff easily. It is powerful network simulation tool used easily by students for their innovative research and troubleshooting of the network issues. This network design software approach enhances the benefits like:

• The internal process of networking are visualizes in real time scenario
• It supports future expansion of devices and integrations among them
• It supports advanced protocols and technologies to enhance the benefits offered by the network resources

Outcomes

Some of the outcomes of the network are listed:

• The use of proposed Ruckus APs one AP per room covers the entire room and without the need of the additional APs
• The performance produced by use of Ruckus is high than before and even throughput is also phenomenal
• The configuration changes can be done easily without touching the hardware
• Along with it, the authentication for the students can also be made centralized where the information of the students can also maintain privacy

Limitations

The limitations of the network infrastructure are listed:

• Each dorms uses different SSID and students has to login with different credentials to use and access the Wi-Fi services
• So the connection establishment between those centralized network causes more issues but can be overcome easily when deploying the configurations correctly
• Sometimes interoperability issue of usage of devices may lead to meet some challenges

Future research

The future research can be deploy the new proposed approach in all seven buildings thus reduces the discomfort to the students as well. Also the future research should be concentrated on the availability of the network resources 24/7 days without any interruption. As well as the interoperability issues among the devices used by the students for Wi-Fi connectivity has to be solved.

Conclusion

From the report, we conclude that the usage of network resources determines the students enrichment on academics and their research areas. So availability of resources should be properly maintained in the network services by solving the various issues involved in it like configuration issues, connectivity issues and other external issues. Thus, depending on the advancement in technologies, the devices used to enable Wi-Fi must be definitely appropriate to the network design and resources.

Demonstration

Network design

List of equipment’s

There are many devices used in this design which helps in connecting and implementing the plan made for the university. The following are the devices used in the design. They are,

• Access point with wireless enabled
• Server
• Router
• Switches
• PC’s.

Configurations and settings

 The configuration helps in implementing and deploying the devices in the real situation. Here the configurations and settings are made through the packet tracer file which gives the real time environment in configurations. All the devices in the designs are configured and the final implementation is show in the diagram.

Justification of the settings

 The plan allows the student in the various campus to access the WiFi by using the various factors in the login process. The VLAN systems are elaborated by using the WiFi connections and the requirements are fulfilled by using the SSID and it replaces the vlan in which there will not have any changes experienced in the field of sharing. By using this plan, the students can easily connect with the devices through wireless and there is no need in connecting the devices through the wires. Moreover, it gives the higher efficiency and portability in the connections.

References

• An ARRIS company. (2018). Dorm Wi-Fi changes from restrictive to enriched student experience. https://webresources.ruckuswireless.com/pdf/case-studies/cs-yeshiva-university.pdf , p. 3.
• CSE chalmers research group. (2011). Concepts of user centered design.
• Kankainen, A. (2003). UCPCD: user centered product concept design. ACM , 14.