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IT-640-Q2781: Assignment 5-3
SNHU
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A high-level overview of SNHUEnergy’s network architecture has been
presented here. The various kinds of physical network devices that are used in the
organizational setting for the purpose of connecting all the devices across the entity
have been captured (Greenberg et al., 2016). The thorough evaluation of the traffic
patterns has been carried out to capture the critical elements of the business
undertaking. The potential performance concerns and security concerns that might
arise in the present network of the business undertaking have been presented here.
The changes in the network architecture would help SNHUEnergy to strengthen and
simplify its business activities.
Types of physical network devices
In a network, there exist a number of network devices which connect all the
equipment and devices in the wide organizational setting. The main network devices
that make it possible for SNHUEnergy to operate in the dynamic market setting
include hubs, routers, switches, servers and firewall. Each of these devices performs
their respective functions which enhance the technical aspects of the organization. ab ab
➢ Personal Computers – It is the main device that is used by the clients of any
server to access any information and execute an application that has been
provided by the server.
➢ Hubs – They exist at the very end of the networking food chain. Their utility
is extremely important in the case of SNHUEnergy as they can be joined
together for the purpose of creating larger networks. These simple instruments
direct data packets to all the devices that have been connected to the hub
(Networking Devices, 2019, p 2).
➢ Routers – In the network of the organization, the routers are used to create
larger networks. They are able to conduct this function by combining or
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joining 2 network segments. A router is able to route the data that it receives
from one network to another network. After the networking device has
received a packet of data, it goes through the header of the packet in order
to ascertain the destination address. Once this is done, it looks into its routing
table to comprehend how to reach the destination address (Networking
Devices, 2019, p 8).
➢ Switches – These are the connectivity points which establish the link with the
Ethernet network. This networking device basically forwards the data to the
specific connection that is supposed to receive it. Its role is of paramount
importance to strengthen the overall network performance. It establishes a
direct path between 2 network devices and manages their communication
(Networking Devices, 2019, p 3).
➢ Servers – It is an indispensable device of the network as it offers service to
the client. The computer program is responsible to process client request and
deliver the requisite data to the client over the network connection (What is
server, 2019).
➢ Firewalls – This networking device manages and controls the overall access to
the organizational network. In the case of SNHUEnergy, the objective of the
firewall is to safeguard the organizational data and digital resources from any
kind of external threat. These network elements are basically placed at the
entry or exit point of the firm’s network (Networking Devices, 2019, p 5 ).
These are the basic network devices that make it possible for a network to
effectively function and act as a medium to share data and information. In the
case of the SNHUEnergy organization, these network devices play a key role to
give shape and structure to the network of the business undertaking.
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Traffic pattern currently used in SNHUEnergy and Patterns across the
Infrastructure
All business organization s including SNHUEnergy wish their network to
function in a smooth and effective manner. But in the practical setting, the smooth
functioning of a network is not a key. This is due to the involvement of a wide
range of variables that can influence the ultimate network performance. As per the
Traffic Flow Wireshark Capture, the IP address 10.0.6.73 sends data to the IP
address 10.1.6.7 and vice versa. The Transport Control Protocol (TCP) is used for
this purpose. The protocol titled ‘MySQL’ exists between the two IP addresses. It
showcases that on one side the data that was created with the help of the program
is edited and it is sent to the other side for the purpose of review and making
alterations. After the same is done, it is again sent back (IT 640 Traffic Flow
Wireshark Capture, 2019). The communication that takes place within the
organization via Transport Control Protocol includes the core applications that are
used in the organizational setting like emails. The same situation can be observed
between other IP addresses as well including 10.0.8.73 and 10.0.8.42 (IT 640 Traffic
Flow Wireshark Capture, 2019).
The kind of interaction that takes place between the IP addresses
67.16.104.172 and 10.0.6.73 is made via the Real Time Protocol (RTP). It primarily
uses the VoIP phone system as well as Video Conferencing to enhance the
communication of SNHUEnergy. The IP address 127.0.0.1 which uses the TCP
protocol is the same in the source as well as the destination (Paszke et al., 2016).
This is a unique case which generally does not take place. Such behavior could lead
to the creation of a network loop in the network of the organization. In this specific
case, when the switch receives any broadcast from the network device, it will be
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forwarded to other ports. Since in the case of 127.0.0.1, the source and the
destination are one and the same, the network device will get the very same
broadcast as it will presume that it is a new broadcast and it will forward it to
other ports causing a network loop. It can adversely affect the performance of the
network of the entity (Rost et al., 2016). This is because there will arise
communication challenges in the network. In order to optimally manage the patterns
of traffic that exist in the organizational setting, SNHUEnergy needs to have in place
a robust VoIP Phone Services and Video Conferencing so that it can have a better
control over the high volume of network traffic.
The traffic patterns of the entity need to shed light on both the ends of the
network of the organization including the Memphis office as well as the Dallas
office. In the Dallas office, the servers that are mainly responsible for the payroll
and accounting, human resource function and emails send information to the switch
via their ports. It is then transmitted to the PCs of the clients that use the Dallas
network. It is also sent through the router so that it can be accessed in the
Memphis office. The exact same process is conducted when the billing and
operations activities are conducted at the Memphis office. Due to the
interconnectedness of the work processes of the SNHUEnergy offices, it is extremely
important for both the ends to have suitable devices and applications so that the
information flow and traffic management can be simplified (Rost et al., 2016). Thus
the pattern of traffic that exists in the current network of the business concern needs
to be managed in a better way so that the performance can be improved to a
significant extent. Similarly, there is the scope to bring about constructive changes in
the level of connectivity across the offices so that the patterns that exist across the
infrastructure of SNHUEnergy can be strengthened.
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Potential Performance Issues in the current network
The existing pattern that is exhibited in the SNHUEnergy organization
increases the gap between the Dallas office and the Memphis office. The
connectivity is weak which has a major implication on the overall performance of
the business undertaking in the dynamic market setting. The increase in the total
number of users on the organizational network would naturally mean that the
network has more traffic (Greenberg et al., 2016). This could lead to a slowdown,
affected network performance, outrage and loss of data in the worst cases. As the
business undertaking intends to expand the business operations and grow in the
dynamic market setting, it needs to carefully design the network architecture where
all the network devices can optimally function and manage the rising traffic. The
hardware and software components of the business undertaking need to be constantly
upgraded so that the vulnerabilities of the business can be kept under a thorough
check. In the digitalized era, the business must focus on simplifying and streamlining
the overall connectivity between its offices that are located in different locations.
Such an approach would have a direct impact on its performance (Paszke et al.,
2016). An improved level of connectivity and interaction would mean that the flow
of information and data available the network would be aligned and it would in turn
positively impact the performance of the business concern. All the functions that are
conducted in the offices could be streamlined including the human resource activities,
accounting and payroll, and operations. There is scope for the business entity to
enhance the network architecture and thus address the existing performance issues
that starter it at its face.
Potential Security Issues in the current network
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In the existing network model of SNHUEnergy, there arise a number of
security issues. These elements arise due to the poor quality of the communication
design and the ineffective connectivity that exists between the operational offices of
the entity. At present, the network traffic of the concern is increasing and it could
further expand with the growth of the business. Irrespective of the size of the
business entity, it must take the security aspect very seriously as it could have a
major impact on the business activities as well as the performance of the
organization. The security management can be strengthened so that threats from the
external parties such as cyber attackers and cyber hackers. The major functions and
activities that are conducted in the business network relating to HR function,
accounting and payroll and operations need to be safeguarded so that the
confidentiality aspect can be strengthened in the best way possible.
For the purpose of adopting a holistic security model at the business level,
the business undertaking needs to train its organizational personnel so that they can
be empowered to identify potential threats and risks in the dynamic organizational
setting. At present, there is the scope before SNHUEnergy to enhance its security
model so that the quality of the connectivity between the offices can be improved in
the process. The most innovative and appropriate technology-oriented resources need
to be used so that the business can grow in a safe and secure manner. Such an
approach will be crucial to help the firm enhance the safety aspect of the
environment in which it functions.
References
Greenberg, A., Lahiri, P., Maltz, D. A., Patel, P. K., Sengupta, S., Jain, N., & Kim,
C. (2016). U.S. Patent No. 9,497,039. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and
Trademark Office.
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Networking Devices. (2019). Retrieved from
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What is server. (2019). Definition from WhatIs.com Retrieved from
https://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/server
IT 640 Traffic Flow Wireshark Capture. (2019). Retrieved from http://snhu-
media.snhu.edu/files/course_repository/graduate/it/it640/it640_traffic_flow_wireshark_
capture.pdf
Paszke, A., Chaurasia, A., Kim, S., & Culurciello, E. (2016). Enet: A deep neural
network architecture for real-time semantic segmentation. arXiv preprint
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