The network diagram is the mainstay of the network engineer’s toolkit. It is the documentation that can describe both the physical layout and logical functionality of a network system. It is also a great way to communicate the architecture of a network and is vital in troubleshooting problems like bottleneck issues, routing determinations, geographic distribution of computing power, where redundancies are needed or more importantly where single points of failure exist.

Your assignment for this workshop is to create a network diagram for a fictitious company’s network with the parameters below. Use your imagination and practical experience to design and draw a fictitious network diagram. During the workshop we will review each diagram and discuss best practices, areas of improvement and how you can do the same in practice.

The fictitious company:

• 120 employees
• 100 PCs, laptops, mobile devices
• Single location
• VOIP phone system
• Secure Wifi throughout the facility
• Windows Active Directory based network
• Some Apple MacBooks and iMacs
• Engineering department does CAD drawings and simulations
• Remote access for remote users

For some example network diagrams, do a Google search.

Please submit your network diagram as instructed along with any supporting documentation that you create per the instructions provided in the workshop welcome email.

Good luck!