Structured Cabling Project, Business Proposal Example

The networking of Hinds Hall’s four floors is going to take on two different formats: a wireless as well as a wired network. Outlined below is an overview of the planned approach to cabling, as the wired network will be the main platform for networking, with the wireless network simply being an addition to increase the networking opportunities. The outline will take on a step by step format, detailing the installation of the six subsystems as indicated within the EIA/TIA 568B standard. The first step in the cabling process will entail identification of the Building Entrance (EF), followed by the selection of an Equipment room, relative to the entry point of the main cables. The best route for the backbone cabling, used to link the telecommunications closets (TE) will then be identified, bearing in mind the distance limitations of the cable used (UTP CAT 6A in this case). The design for the horizontal cabling as well as the termination points (wall plates) for each individual floor will also be outlined.

The building entrance to be used for Hind’s Hall’s cabling will be room number 020 next to the stairway. Room 020 will therefore, also double up as the equipment room, which will contain the servers for Hinds Hall. Room number 20 will serve as the IC or building distributor, the point of connection of Hind’s Hall to the rest of the campus network, hence by extension the Hall’s connection to the service provider. The servers to be shared by all the network users will be located at this central point, with any features for controlled access also being located and operated at this point. As such, room 020 despite its location, will have to be highly secured in order to ensure the integrity of any data or equipment. In addition to servers and telephone equipment, the room will also contain the original terminations for each floor’s telecommunications closets in order to ensure interconnectivity and server control. The number of connections to the switch at this point will therefore include the server, the four telecommunications closets as well as the cabling connecting Hind’s hall to the rest of the campus network, hence allowing for connection to the signal provided by the internet service provider, be it Telco or any other provider.

From the equipment room, backbone cabling will allow for connection to each of the telecommunication closets on each individual floor other than the ground floor. For the ground floor, there will be at least four telecommunications closets excluding the one in the equipment room, all connected to the equipment room (5 telecommunications closets). The telecommunications closets will be located in the CASE classroom (room 018), the instructional cluster room (010), the tutorial lab (014) and the iCafe (room number 023). Each individual closet, with the exception of the TE in the tutorial lab, will contain one 48-port switch, two patch panels that allow for the mechanical termination of 24 points each (48 cumulatively). The termination closet for the equipment room will also contain a router to allow for access to internet. From the telecommunications closets in the iCafe, the CASE classroom, and the Instructional cluster, 20 wall plates with two points of access each will be terminated, resulting in a total of 40 wired access points in the 3 rooms. For the tutorial lab, due to its small size, the number of wall plates will only be 7, enough to support up to 14 machines. From the iCafe, a further two wall plates will be mounted in the two learning centers (rooms 021 and 013) providing two points of access in each room. Further to boost coverage, two wireless access points will be installed in the iCafe and in the Instructional Cluster room, so as to allow for the provision of a reliable wireless network on the ground floor. The wireless network will also cover a significant radius around the building. In total, the ground floor will be able to support 138 workstations through its wired network. The wireless network will also provide further support for wireless devices.

On the first floor, there will be three telecommunications closets, one in the classroom (117), multipurpose classroom (120), and the other in the information technology suite (110). Each of the telecommunications closets will contain one patch panel for 24 mechanical terminations, and one 48 port switch each. In the multipurpose room, the number of workstations will be about 10, although terminations to wall plates from the closet will be spread to each of the 16 offices in the student service suite, bringing the total terminations to 26 for the first TE in the multipurpose classroom. Seeing as room 117 already has a wireless network, a simple wired network of 10 wall plates with 2 access points each (Ermanno 2012). The resulting 20 access points will no doubt increase functionality within the room, allowing for the usage of supporting equipment such as printers and projectors amongst others. In the information technology suite, only an initial total of 20 access points will be installed, although the equipment utilized in the information technology suite allows for further expansion. Overall, the first floor will contain provisions for 66 work stations, with the already existing wireless network in room 117, as well as the newly created access points on the ground floor offers further support for wireless devices.

On the second floor, only one telecommunications closet will be installed in the faculty lounge (Room 243). Similar to the closets in the other two floors, the closet will contain a 48 port switch, but will only contain one patch panel with 24 termination points. The total number of access points created will be 20, together with one wireless access point aimed at boosting the strength of the wireless network on the top 2 floors.

Finally, on the third floor the only telecommunications closet will be located in the Jeffrey Katzer Room (347), and will serve a huge majority of the faculty offices. In order to ensure maximum coverage on the third floor, the telecommunications closet will contain 2 patch panels (a combined capability for 48 terminations) and a 48 port switch. Within the Jeffrey Katzer room, 10 wall plates allowing for 20 workstations will be installed; further, one wall plate will be installed in 13 of the remaining offices, selected according to purpose and rank of the faculty member. An additional wireless access point will be installed on the floor to take care of the faculty members who have access to wireless devices.

The hierarchical representation of the cabling process will be as follows:

The design employed in the ground and first floors, is the same one that will be applied in the other two floors. In total, the access points created by the network will be 260, with each wall plate installed carrying a pair of access points. The access points will be numbered from 1, with the access points orders being according to the room they are located in(access points in room 10, will be numbered first, followed by those in room 014 then 018 and so on.

In order to accomplish this proposed project, there will be a need for:

1. 10 9U cabinets to be used as the telecommunication closets
2. 11 48-port switches
3. 15 patch panels each with a capability of 24 terminations
4. 130 wall plates
5. At least 3 boxes of UTP CAT 6A cable.
6. RJ45
7. Patch cords
8. 4 Wireless Access points

Overall, the structure proposed will also provide an opportunity for further expansion, and the addition of further cables and access points. Furthermore, the proposed network structure creates more workstations than currently required, which provides an opportunity and a challenge for the university to acquire more IT equipment to help take advantage of the networking opportunities provided by the new network. Further the chronological order with which the access points are going to be numbered, will provide an easy to use labeling approach, which make any repairs and maintenance easier to carry out.

References

Ermanno P. (2012) “ Setting Long Distance WiFi Records: Proofing Solutions for Rural Connectivity. Retrieved from http://www.ci-journal.net/index.php/ciej/article/view/487/420

Hind’s Hall Map. Retrieved from http://ischool.syr.edu/iopening/hh_map.aspx

“Structure for Cabling”. Lecture