Document Links

Contents Introduction Key Planning Considerations Design Objectives Getting Started General Design Connectivity Issues for Ethernet Servers and Services Conclusion Appendix A: Standards Bodies Appendix B: Tools and Equipment Appendix C: Network Monitoring Tools References/Credits Illustrations Figure 1: Network Layers Figure 2: Network Topologies Figure 3: Hierarchical Star Network Tables Table 1: UTP Wires and Colors Printer Friendly Version Best Practices in Network Design (PDF file, 238 KB) Get Acrobat Reader

Best Practices in Network Design

Introduction

Planning a network can be daunting. In many cases, the district network technician, PC support person, principal or superintendent needs to know some basics about network design, performance and end-to-end performance. The details of any modern network, however, can be complex and a difficult task to understand, even for an experienced engineer.

This paper serves two purposes. First, it provides a primer in network design considerations for the administrator who needs some assistance in preparing a bid or evaluating a proposal. Second, is provides a reference framework that a district technician can use to build a scalable, supportable network.

Since the two audiences (administrators and technology coordinators) often have very different levels of knowledge and understanding about technology as well as different perspectives, this paper will be too technical for some and not technical enough for others. The intent is to provide a reference and learning tool, and if the reader can be in a better position to make informed technology recommendations and decisions, then the paper has succeeded.