F.A.R.B Case Study
F.A.R.B Software Development, LTD.: Network Design and
Implementation


CCNA 1: Networking Basics v3.0
Cisco Networking Academy Program







Overview
Students completing this case study should be able to:
■ Gather information for the pre-installation process and lay plans
for the installation process.
■ Create documentation as would be required for creating a real
network.
■ Comply with TIA, EIA, and electrical standards

These objectives are spelled out within this case study in a letter from
Cheryl Farb, President, FARB Software Development LTD., which
for this case study is serving as the client company.
General Design Process Framework
Network design is best done by following a framework. To determine
where the wires go requires knowledge of the structure to be

networks. You will need to know where the users are, and what their
applications are, in order to begin to sketch out a viable network. A
layer one LAN logical and physical topology must be developed. This
development includes the type of cable and the physical (wiring)
topology that are selected, and the physical placement of
infrastructure connection points on the network.
A Layer 2 segmentation plan must be overlaid on the previously
created Layer 1 topology. This layer plan includes devices added to
the topology to improve its efficiency and functionality. Examples of
these devices might be switches and bridges. This layer also includes
the use of technologies such as micro-segmentation, VLANS, and
STP, to add efficiency and reliability.
A Layer 3 hierarchical plan is then overlaid on both of the previous
two layers. This plan includes adding Layer 3 devices that will
provide Intranetwork and Internetwork functionality to the network,
as well as creating a network address plan. Layer 3 is where routing
and firewalls are implemented imposing a logical structure on the
network. They can also be used for segmentation of both collision
and broadcast domains.
An extension of the Layer 3 plan might be considered a Layer 4 plan.
This plan could be laid over the first three, moves strictly to software,
and controls access and availability of the network. It involves access
lists and firewall configuration. While a complete network design will
keep moving up the OSI model, it is beyond the focus of this project.
This design will focus on Ethernet, IP, Layer 1, Layer 2, and Layer 3,
which is the focus of this curriculum. The design process logically
flows up the layers of the OSI model.
1-2 CCNA 1: Networking Basics v3.0 – F.A.R.B Case Study Copyright  2003, Cisco Systems, Inc.

The most important and many times the most neglected part of

network design and operation is the documentation. The main focus
of this project is the documentation of the network design.
Documentation for this project should include wiring maps,
addressing schemes, any brainstormed ideas, problem-solving
matrices, and any other notes made while making these
determinations.

Pre-design process
Before a network can be designed, the data needed to design the
network must be gathered. In order for a network to be effective and
serve the needs of its users, it should be gathered according to a
systematic series of preplanned steps. These steps provide a guide to
completely discover the data needed to create the network.
The first step in the process is to gather information about the
organization. This information should include:


■ Organization history and current status
■ Projected growth
■ Operating policies and management procedures
■ Building diagrams (blueprints)
■ Existing network diagrams and documentation
■ Office systems and procedures
■ Viewpoints of the people who will be using the LAN

In the Case Study Material Packet, you will find
communications from the president outlining of F.A.R.B
Software Development, LTD.



In this letter, Farb indicates her specific requirements for this project.
The second step is to make a detailed analysis and assessment of the
current and projected requirements gathered in the first step. This step
will identify and define issues or problems that need to be addressed
(e.g. a remote room in the building may not have network access). It
will also provide information about future network expansion needs,
access, and security.
The third step is to identify the resources and constraints of the
organization. Organization resources that can affect the
implementation of a new LAN system fall into the categories of
hardware, software, and human resources. If this were a network
expansion or upgrade, existing computer hardware and software must
1-3 CCNA 1: Networking Basics v3.0 – F.A.R.B Case Study Copyright  2003, Cisco Systems, Inc.

be documented. Identification and the definition of those projected
needs must also be done. The answers to some of these questions will
also help determine how much training will be required, and how
many people will be needed to support the LAN. The questions asked
should include:
■ What are the financial resources of the organization?
■ How are these resources currently linked and shared?
■ How many people will be using the network?
■ What are the computer skill levels of the network users?
■ What are the attitudes toward computers and computer
applications?

Following these steps, documenting the information in the framework
of a formal report will help estimate costs and develop a budget for
the implementation of a LAN.



Design methodology and deliverables
With the material that has been presented to this point, a strong
foundation and understanding should have been developed for the
concepts of a layered communications model. Using the OSI model
as the framework, an understanding of the functions and devices that
support operations at those layers should also have been gained.
To perform this case study, material related to the physical design and
installation of a network must be learned. As was presented in
previous material, there are rules and standards that govern how a
network is designed and built. These rules and standards must be
learned before the actual case study can be performed.
Students completing this lesson should be able to:
■ Develop a Layer 1 and 2 topology
■ Gather information for both the pre-process and the process
■ Create documentation during the course of the process
■ Comply with TIA, EIA, and electrical standards

Please note that this aligns with Farb’s requests for her company’s
project.

1-4 CCNA 1: Networking Basics v3.0 – F.A.R.B Case Study Copyright  2003, Cisco Systems, Inc.

Standards organizations

When designing and building networks, it is necessary to ensure
compliance with all applicable fire codes, building codes, and safety
standards. Perhaps the most important part of the network design
process is designing according to the EIA/TIA and ISO/IEC industry
standards. The focus in this curriculum is on the standards for

networking media that have been developed and issued by the
following groups:

■ ISO International Organization for Standardization (not an
acronym, see glossary)
■ IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
■ UL Underwriters Laboratories
■ EIA Electronic Industries Alliance
■ TIA Telecommunications Industry Association

The latter two organizations jointly issue a list of standards called the
TIA/EIA standards. In addition to these organizations, local, state,
county, and national government agencies issue specifications and
requirements that can impact the type of cabling that can be used in a
local area network.
It is also important to understand that these standards are constantly
being reviewed and periodically updated to reflect new technologies
and the ever-increasing requirements of voice and data networks. Just
as new technologies are added to the standards, others are dropped or
phased out. In many cases a network may include technologies that
are no longer a part of the current standard or being eliminated.
Typically, this does not require an immediate changeover, but these
older, slower technologies are eventually replaced in favor of faster
ones.
Web link:
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Standards Definitions
The primary standards that will affect layer design have been created
by the TIA/EIA. The Telecommunications Industry Association

(TIA) and Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA) are trade associations
that jointly develop and publish a series of standards covering
structured voice and data wiring for LANs. These industry standards
evolved after the U.S. telephone industry deregulation in 1984, which
1-5 CCNA 1: Networking Basics v3.0 – F.A.R.B Case Study Copyright  2003, Cisco Systems, Inc.

transferred responsibility for on premises cabling to the building
owner. Prior to that, AT&T used proprietary cables and systems.
Both TIA and EIA are accredited by the American National
Standards Institute (ANSI, section 6.2.7) to develop voluntary
industry standards for a wide variety of telecommunications products.
This means that many standards are often labeled ANSI/TIA/EIA.
The various committees and subcommittees of TIA/EIA develop
standards for fiber optics, user premises equipment, network
equipment, wireless communications, and satellite communications.
TIA/EIA 568-A is the former Commercial Building Standard for
Telecommunications Wiring. There are several supplements covering
some of the newer, faster copper media. The standard and all of its
supplements have been replaced by TIA/EIA-568-B.
TIA/EIA-568-B is the current Cabling Standard. The standard
specifies minimum requirements for telecommunications cabling,
recommended topology and distance limits, media and connecting
hardware performance specifications, and connector and pin
assignments. This standard specifies the component and transmission
requirements for media. TIA/EIA-568-B.1 specifies a generic
telecommunications cabling system for commercial buildings that
will support a multi-product, multi-vendor environment. TIA/EIA-
568-B.1.1 is an addendum that applies to 4-pair unshielded twisted-
pair (UTP) and 4-pair screened twisted-pair (ScTP) patch cables bend
radius. TIA/EIA-568-B.2 specifies cabling components, transmission,

system models, and the measurement procedures needed for
verification of twisted pair cabling. TIA/EIA-568-B.3 specifies the
component and transmission requirements for an optical fiber cabling
system.
TIA/EIA 569-A is the Commercial Building Standard for
Telecommunications Pathways and Spaces. The standard specifies
design and construction practices within and between buildings that
are in support of telecommunications media and equipment. Specific
standards are given for rooms or areas and pathways into and through
which telecommunications equipment and media are installed.
TIA/EIA-606 is the Administration Standard for the
Telecommunications Infrastructure of Commercial Buildings
including cable-labeling standards. The standard specifies that each
hardware termination unit have some kind of unique identifier. This
identifier must be marked on each termination hardware unit or on its
label. When identifiers are used at the work area, station terminations
must have a label on the faceplate, the housing, or the connector
itself. All labels must meet legibility, defacement, and adhesion
requirements as specified in UL969.
TIA/EIA-607 is the standard for Commercial Building Grounding
and Bonding Requirements for Telecommunications supports a multi-
vendor, multi-product environment, as well as the grounding
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practices for various systems that may be installed on customer
premises. The standard specifies the exact interface points between
the building grounding systems and the telecommunications
equipment grounding configuration and specifies building grounding
configurations needed to support this equipment.
Electrical Safety

Generally speaking, electrical current follows the path of least
resistance. Because metals such as copper provide little resistance,
they are frequently used as conductors for electrical current. Materials
such as glass, rubber, and plastic provide more resistance and do not
make good electrical conductors. Instead, these materials are
frequently used as insulators. They are used to insulate conductors to
prevent shock, fires, and short circuits.
There are many different shapes of electrical outlets throughout the
world. Two of the three connection points provide the power circuit.
The third connector protects people and equipment from shocks and
short circuits. This connector is called the safety ground connection.
In electrical equipment where this is used, the safety ground wire is
connected to any exposed metal part of the equipment. The purpose
of connecting the safety ground to computing equipment is to prevent
people from being exposed to hazardous voltage resulting from a
wiring fault inside the device.
An accidental connection between the hot wire and the chassis is an
example of a wiring fault that could occur in a network device. If
such a fault were to occur, the safety ground wire connected to the
device would serve as a low resistance path to the earth ground. The
safety ground connection provides a lower resistance path than the
human body, thus reducing the risk of shock or electrocution.
When properly installed, the low resistance path, provided by the
safety ground wire, offers sufficiently low resistance and current
carrying capacity to prevent the build up of hazardously high
voltages. The circuit links directly to the hot connection to the earth.

Telecommunications Room Requirements
Layer one design is the largest component of the total network
design. It involves the implementation of the preliminary designs

gathered in the pre-process phase of the network design to create the
Structured Cabling System. This includes, but is not limited to,
creating the logical topology, creating the wiring map, selecting
wiring closets, and cable selection. This design must conform to the
appropriate standards organization’s rules for design.
Students completing this lesson should be able to:
1-7 CCNA 1: Networking Basics v3.0 – F.A.R.B Case Study Copyright  2003, Cisco Systems, Inc.

■ List location and design requirements for telecommunications
rooms
■ Explain cable management design and specification
■ List considerations for selecting and installing equipment racks
■ Explain key environmental, safety, and power considerations in
telecommunications room location, design, and installation
Entrance facility
The entrance facility (EF), or demarcation point (demarc), also called
the point of presence (POP) or minimum point of entry (MPOE),
provides the point at which outdoor cabling interfaces with the intra-
building backbone cabling. It represents the boundary between the
service provider's responsibility and that of the customer. In many
buildings, this is the same point of presence (POP) for other utilities
like electricity and water.
The service provider is responsible for everything from the demarc to
the service provider's facility. Everything from the demarc into the
building is the customer's responsibility.
The local telephone carrier is typically required to terminate cabling
within 15 m (49.2 ft) of building penetration and to provide primary
voltage protection. This is usually installed and provided by the
service provider.
TIA/EIA-569-A specifies the standards for the demarc space. The

standards for the structure and size of the demarc space are based on
the size of the building. In buildings larger than 2,000 usable square
meters, a locked, dedicated, and enclosed room is recommended.
The following are general guidelines when setting up a demarcation
point space:
■ One square meter of plywood wall mount should be allowed for
each 20 square meter area of floor space.
■ Surfaces that must be covered with plywood are painted with a
fire retardant paint.
Telecommunications and equipment rooms
After the cable enters the building through the demarc, it travels to
the telecommunications room, also called the main distribution
facility (MDF). This is the center of the voice and data network. A
telecommunications room, or TR, is the area within a building that
houses the telecommunications cabling system equipment. This
includes the mechanical terminations and/or cross-connect for the
horizontal and backbone cabling system. It would be common for
departmental or workgroup switches, hubs, and possibly routers to be
located here.
1-8 CCNA 1: Networking Basics v3.0 – F.A.R.B Case Study Copyright  2003, Cisco Systems, Inc.

The equipment room is a similar room that may exist in larger
networks or in companies that specialize in telecommunications. An
equipment room is essentially a large telecommunications room that
may house the main distribution frame, PBXs, secondary voltage
protection, satellite receivers, modulators, high speed Internet
equipment, and so on. The design aspects of the equipment room are
specified in the TIA/EIA-569-A standard.
When designing a network, some designers will include both a
telecommunications room and an equipment room depending on the

amount of equipment and the needs of the customer. In this module,
the telecommunications room is used to house the wiring and
equipment. Regardless of whether there are separate rooms, both
must conform to the standards produced by TIA/EIA-569-A, which
are explained throughout this lesson.
There are several factors that need to be considered when planning a
network. The first is placement of the TR, since this space contains
the networking cables and devices used. Accessibility and security
are other factors to consider. A TR should be easily accessible, but it
is a vulnerable point in the network and should be well secured. A
disgruntled employee or someone intent on mischief can disable an
entire network with a few seconds of work in the TR. Whether a TR
is a dedicated room or a part of another room, it should be physically
secure.
Location restrictions and size requirements
TRs should be located away from sources of electromagnetic
interference like transformers, motors, x-ray, induction heaters, arc
welders, radio, and radar. Water is another potential problem, so
rooms with water pipes are best avoided, with the exception of a
sprinkler system, which may be required by local fire codes. A dry
gas fire suppression system is often used in place of a water sprinkler
system. It will prevent any serious risk of damage by extinguishing a
fire without the use of water.
In many cases, the demarc space contains both water and
electromagnetic sources, so it is not an ideal room for housing wiring
and networking devices. This is the reason why most network
equipment is housed away from the space where the utilities (power,
water, and telephone) enter the building.
In office buildings there is a need to have a TR on each floor. The TR
on each floor is the junction between backbone and horizontal

cabling. It can contain both voice and data telecommunications
equipment, termination blocks, and cross-connect wiring. More than
one TR per floor is required if the distance to a work area exceeds 90
m (295.3 ft), or if floor area served exceeds 1,000 square meters.
TIA/EIA-569 specifies that the size of a TR must be at least 3.0 m x
3.4 m (9.8 ft x 11.2 ft) for each 1,000 square meters of work area
served.
1-9 CCNA 1: Networking Basics v3.0 – F.A.R.B Case Study Copyright  2003, Cisco Systems, Inc.

Room and equipment access
TIA/EIA-569 specifies the size of the door and the type of locks used
for a TR. The door of a TR should be at least 0.9 m (3 ft) wide and
should swing open out of the room. This ensures an easy exit for
workers. It also ensures against injury or upset equipment should
someone open the door suddenly. The lock should be located on the
outside of the door, but should allow anyone who is on the inside to
exit at any time.
A wiring hub and patch panel may be mounted to a wall with a
hinged wall bracket or with a distribution rack. If the choice is a
hinged wall bracket, the bracket must be attached to the plywood
panel that covers the underlying wall surface. The purpose of the
hinge is to allow the assembly to swing out so that workers and
repairmen can easily access the backside of the wall. Care must be
taken, however, to allow 48 cm (18.9 in) for the panel to swing out
from the wall.
If a distribution rack is used it must have a minimum 15.2 cm (6 in)
of wall clearance for the equipment, plus another 30.5-45.5 cm (12 -
17.9 in) for physical access by workmen and repairmen. A 55.9 cm
(22 in) floor plate, used to mount the distribution rack, will provide
stability and will determine the minimum distance for its final

position.
If the patch panel, hub, and other equipment are mounted in a full
equipment cabinet, they require at least 76.2 cm (28.6 in) of clearance
in front, in order for the door to swing open. Typically, such
equipment cabinets are 1.8 m high x .74 m wide x .66 m deep (5.9 ft
x 2.4 ft x 216.5 ft).
Walls, floor, and ceiling specifications
If there is only one TR in a building, then the floor on which it is
located must be able to bear the load specified by the installation
instructions included with the required equipment, with a minimum
capability of 4.8 kPA (kilopascal), equivalent to 100 lb/ft². Where the
TR serves as a secondary TR, the floor must be able to bear a
minimum load of 2.4 kPA (50 lb/ft2).
A minimum of two walls should be covered with 20 mm AC plywood
that is at least 2.4 m (8 ft) high. If the TR serves as the primary TR
for the building, then the telephone point of presence (POP), or
demarc, may also be located inside the room. In such a case, the
interior walls of the demarc, behind the PBX, should be covered from
floor to ceiling with 20 mm plywood. A minimum of 4.6 m (15 ft) of
wall space should be provided for the terminations and related
equipment.
In addition, fire prevention materials that meet all applicable codes
(fire-rated plywood, fire-retardant paint on all interior walls, and so
on) should be used in the construction of the telecommunications
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room. Rooms must not have a dropped, or false ceiling. Failure to
observe this specification could result in an insecure facility and
allow for possible unauthorized access.
Power outlets and lighting specifications

A TR should have a minimum of two dedicated, non-switched, AC
duplex electrical outlet receptacles, each on separate circuits. It
should also have at least one duplex power outlet positioned every 1.8
m (6 ft) along each wall of the room and should be positioned 150
mm (6 in.) above the floor. A wall switch that controls the main
lighting of the room should be placed immediately inside the door.
An emergency power source should be considered and supplied, if
available.
While florescent lighting should be avoided for cable pathways
because of the outside interference that it generates, it can be used in
telecommunications rooms with proper installation. Lighting
requirements for a telecommunications room specify a minimum of
500 lx (brightness of light equal to 50 candles) and that light fixtures
be mounted a minimum of 2.6 m (8.5 ft) above the floor.

Cable management
The layout and management of cables and equipment is another facet
of the structured cabling system. This section of the chapter explores
the types of equipment that are needed in the TR, from cable
management systems and equipment racks to wall fields and patch
cords.
Cable management devices are used for routing cables and providing
a neat and orderly path for the cables. Cable management also eases
cable additions and modification to the wiring system. There are
many options for cable management in the TR. Cable baskets, ladder
racks, conduits, and wire minders are all popular options Special
cable management systems called innerducts are used exclusively for
fiber-optic cables. They are plastic tubing that protect fiber-optic
cabling and are then tied to ladder racks.
Cable management will normally be associated with the type of patch

panel that is used. For example, if the project uses Panduit patch
panels, it will use Panduit cable management.
Equipment racks
The typical equipment in a TR is mounted on equipment racks. Racks
are floor mounted metallic frames that support the installation of
patch panels and active equipment like switches, routers, or servers.
Patch panels, which use patch cords that are inserted by hand, and
equipment that requires access to both front and back, are usually
mounted on relay racks. A relay rack is the open-style freestanding
rack that is used in a telecommunications room. It has two central
vertical rails, as opposed to the rack frames used in other industries,
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which are four-sided, often closed-in, with the mounting rails on each
corner.
Equipment must be placed into equipment racks with care.
Considerations include ease of use and whether or not the equipment
uses electricity, cable routing, and/or cable management. For
example, a patch panel would not be placed high on a rack if a
significant number of changes were to take place after the systems
were installed. Convenience of use is a large consideration when
planning the equipment layout.
If active electronic equipment is also planned for the rack, plans must
be made to power this equipment. Many designers put transient-
suppressing power strips in the racks, and then run individual power
cords down the rack rail to the surge suppressor. Powered equipment
generates heat, which must be dispersed. Care must be taken not to
block fans.
Scalability is also a consideration in an equipment layout, as future
growth should be accommodated. Space should be left on a rack for

future patch panels, or in an initial layout, floor space should be left
for future rack installations.
Work area cabling
Work area cabling extends from the telecommunications outlet in a
room to the user workstation. Work area cabling is designed to be
relatively simple to interconnect, so that it can be moved or changed
relatively easily. Each work area serves a maximum of 10 square
meters of usable floor space.

Work area equipment includes the following components:
■ Workstation equipment, such as computers, data terminals,
telephones, fax machines, printers
■ Cables, such as patch cables, modular cords, PC adapter cables,
fiber jumpers
■ Adapters external to the telecommunications outlet
The TIA/EIA-568-B standard requires a minimum of two
telecommunication outlets for each individual work area. The first
outlet must be a four-pair, 100 Ω unshielded twisted pair (UTP) or
screened twisted pair (ScTP) cable and connector. Category 5e is
recommended for this outlet. There are three choices allowed by the
standard for the second outlet:
■ Four-pair, 100 Ω UTP or ScTP cable and connector (category 5e
recommended)
■ Two-fiber 62.5/125 µm or 50/125 µm optical fiber and connector
■ 150 Ω shielded twisted pair (STP) cable and connector (not
recommended for new installations)
1-12 CCNA 1: Networking Basics v3.0 – F.A.R.B Case Study Copyright  2003, Cisco Systems, Inc.

Network Applications at FARB
To estimate the amount of traffic that the network will carry will

require you to understand the nature of the traffic. Database transfers
seem to take a lot of bandwidth, as does videoconferencing. Web
applications are often gentle on bandwidth, with the exception of
streaming audio and video applications.
The IT staff at FARB has a accumulated a list of software
applications frequently used by the staff. This is broken out by which
group of users uses which application. You can find the information
about FARB and software requirement list in the Case Study Material
Packet.
Where does it all go?
FARB has not progressed in its planning to the point that you have
been told which users get what seats, nor even which department gets
which area of the building. You have been handed some fairly
developed blueprints from which to begin your efforts. They are
entirely adequate for locating the Telecommunications Rooms in the
project.
You can find the drawings for Desk Assignments, Plumbing and
HVAC, Rooms, and Electric Telephone and Lighting, along with the
building plan legend, roof cross-section end view and side view, in
the Case Study Material Packet
.

As is often the case, not all the information you need is on any one
drawing. Further, some of the drawings seem to be not useful to your
requirements. Nevertheless, they are a good start towards designing a
network to meet FARB’s requirements.
The following set of hints should guide you as you negotiate the
blueprints and start picking off information.
Structured Cabling Case Study Hints
Introduction:

This case study will provide experience in practicing your networking
and cabling skills. While working through the study, the goal will be
designing the network layout for F.A.R.B Software Development,
Ltd. You will reach this goal by performing several tasks involved in
understanding the request for information and in deriving that
information from the drawings.
There are four layers of documentation:
■ The first is a file that specifies President Cheryl Farb’s idea for
the network facility in the proposed new F.A.R.B building.
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■ Second is a requirements document that has been worked up by
the internal IP staff, or which you are part. This lists what must
be connected where.
■ Third are several sets of drawings of each of the four floors of
the building.
■ Fourth are some detail drawings to give you some idea of the
methods of construction to be used. This will help you make
decisions about cable routing.
Take you time as you work through this case study. You will find
much of the value will come from trying several different approaches.
Discussion with class members and teammates may help solidify your
understanding of the important topics this case study brings forward.

Instructions:
Locate the letter to the internal Support Team from President Cheryl
Farb. This document shows 10 items on which your ideas and input
are requested. The last part of the letter includes a forecast of the
company growth.
Here are the ten items. (Some of them have several steps):


■ Recommendations of network equipment
■ Recommendations on network cabling
■ Any construction requirements
■ Network equipment locations
■ A wiring plan including:
– A horizontal and vertical logical layout
– A horizontal and vertical physical cabling layout
– A cabling plan for the server room
– Layouts of all MDFs and IDFs
– Work area cable outlet identification plan
■ Security and fire prevention recommendations for server room,
MDF and IDFs
■ Electrical protection for equipment
■ An IP addressing scheme for all devices on the network
■ A cost projection for the implementation of the network,
including:
– Equipment purchase costs
– Cabling and testing costs
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– Equipment installation costs
– Training and support costs
■ A timeline for the implementation of the network.

Following is a study guide that contains hints to help you complete
these tasks.

Hints


1-Recommendations of network equipment
Look at pages 1 of Visio 1 Building Floor 1 (Ground Floor)

Work through the following questions:

What is the purpose of this floor?
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
(Warehouse, reception area)


What door will workers move freight through?
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________ (The
large garage doors at the rear of the building)

What doors will visitors come in?
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
(Front doors off lobby that has reception station in it.)


Where are visitors most likely to go after they sign in?
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
(The conference room adjacent to the reception area)

Where would you consider using wireless technology?
___________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________

(Guests could log on to the Internet via wireless in the reception and
conference areas. Warehouse staff could use wireless for inventory.)

If your department is someday tasked with wiring IP security
cameras, what areas would you want to keep under surveillance?
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________

1-15 CCNA 1: Networking Basics v3.0 – F.A.R.B Case Study Copyright  2003, Cisco Systems, Inc.

(The two Secure storage areas, the rear walk through door, and the
reception area)

From where does the telephone company serve this building?
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
(There is a point of presence (POP) next to the mechanical room.)


What kind of lock should it have?
________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
(A good one that can be opened from the inside)

Would the POP be a good place for the servers?
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
(Possibly, it is certainly big enough, and it is close to the elevators for
easy access.)



Could you install the risers in the POP?
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
(No. Check the floor above and you will see it has a conference room
in that position).


Where might you install the risers?
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
(There is a small hallway adjacent to each stair way. Check that out)

The horizontal cabling should always go parallel to walls. To get to
Room 1.2 while staying parallel to walls will make a cable run of
how many meters? Is this useable?

___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________

(The distance is about 94 meters. This is barely enough to make the
run, go down the walls, and join a work area connector. The designer
must choose whether to cheat a little bit or to take advantage of the
wireless system that is installed for the warehouse or conference
room. This would present a security hassle but would solve a major
problem.)
1-16 CCNA 1: Networking Basics v3.0 – F.A.R.B Case Study Copyright  2003, Cisco Systems, Inc.

Floor 2
Floor two is dense with offices. It also contains the bottom floor of an

auditorium. Not only would the auditorium be a possible candidate
for wireless, it also may effect the routing of wires, as it extends
several floors in height.

Where might you put the Telecommunications Room on floor
2? You might consider using two of them.
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
(Rooms 2.31, because if offers ceiling access to Room 3.10 above
and to the mechanical room below. Might need to add one at 2.7 to
accommodate the offices against that wall.)
Floor 3
Floor 3 has large unplanned spaces in rooms 3.1 and 3.2. If you place
the Telecommunications Room in room 3.10, how can you server
these spaces, especially the far side of Room 3.2?
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
(Wireless is a good solution for now. And then when the rooms are
built out, put a second telecommunications room in either of them.)
Floor 4

You notice a large deck on floor 4, as well as a banquet area with a
piano. What would you need to provide network connectivity to this
area?
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
(You would only need one TR and some wireless to serve this area.)

Where will you put the TR?
___________________________________________________

___________________________________________________
(This is tough. Room 4.5 seems to be an office. However, Room 4.8
is blank. There is a hallway near room 4.10 that has an exterior door.
As this is the 4th floor, you suspect an error. Further, Room 4.10 is
shown with a door facing into the middle of a stairwell. Chances are
you could mention these apparent errors, and request that at the same
time they are corrected, that a TR be installed between Rooms 4.4
and 4.5.) This would be in a good alignment with the TRs on the
floors below.
You are now prepared to go to work. Count up the number of desks
that would be served by each of these Telecommunications Rooms.
1-17 CCNA 1: Networking Basics v3.0 – F.A.R.B Case Study Copyright  2003, Cisco Systems, Inc.

Multiply by two outlets per desk. Divide this number by 16, Round
up as required, and order that many 16-Port Switches. That is your
first item for the network equipment list.
You will need rack frames to support those switches. Order two
frames per room to start.
Order patch panels to cover the lines you’ve just specified. Mount
these in the Continue until you have covered all network equipment
for this job. It would be best to work this up in a spreadsheet.
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________

Network cabling.
You determined how many work area outlets you needed for each TR
in step 1. Use cabling of a high grade, Cat 5e or greater. Using a ruler
map out the routes for these runs, and then pick off the dimensions.
Add them all up, round up to the nearest 1000, add 1000, and then
divide by 1000 this is how much cable (1000 foot boxes) you need.

There is a trick here: Look at drawings called Visio-4 HVAC. This
shows the Water and Air Conditioning duct work. Notice that there is
both supply and return air. The ceiling is not a plenum ceiling. If local
fire and building codes allow, you can specify a cable that is not
plenum rated. This will result in considerable savings.
Construction requirements.
You determined that you needed risers between each floor. This will
require coring and that the bottom floor will pass through the
mechanical space. This will require conduit.
You also modified some rooms on the 4
th
floor by adding the TR.
Next Steps
You are now prepared to work your way through most of the rest of
the case study. Have fun. Relax. Remember that the thinking and
planning and false starts and discussion with your teammates is where
the true value of this exercise lays.
1-18 CCNA 1: Networking Basics v3.0 – F.A.R.B Case Study Copyright  2003, Cisco Systems, Inc.