The proposal requires a growth factor of 1000% for the Lan/intranet while the Intranet/Wan must be able to grow 100%. To meet these requirements, the IDFs are configured with Cisco 3524XL Layer 2 switches. The 3524XL Switches are the latest offering from Cisco and are designed for a 7 year lifecycle.

The 3524XL Switches have 2 expansion slots that support Gigabit Ethernet or Gigabit Fiber both Single mode and Multimode. The maximum data transfer rate is 5 gigabytes while the older 2924M switch only yields 3 gigabits maximum throughput.

The 2924M series has 2 expansion slots and has less lifespan and is nearing the end of its life cycle. It will be discontinued as demand dwindles.

For this reason the 3524XL switch was chosen to provide service without becoming obsolete in the near future. Additionally, this is a new installation and the older switches are not required as a result of Administrative consistency.

In the MDF the 6500 series switch/ Router is an excellent choice. It is the latest offering from Cisco and has 6 expansion slots and provides management slots for both layer 3 and layer 2 components. Like the 3524XL switch for the IDF, the 6500 series switch is a new product line with a planned 7 year lifespan giving excellent service without fear of being discontinued in the near future. Again, compatibility is not an issue.

The high processing speeds and large memory with switching integrated into this unit, keeps latency to a minimum. An additional router, model 3640 is installed to interface with the WAN creating a double firewall isolating the Web server and preventing unauthorized attacks to the intranet from the internet.

• Linksys unmanaged 24 port hubs will be installed in each destination. The Linksys hub has an expansion slot and if necessary can be fitted with a fiber.
• Each Classroom will be connected directly to a 3524XL Switch. Every 2 Switch ports will be administratively combined into a virtual network with one (1) collision domain preserving Bandwidth. The ports can also be configured to limit bandwidth. As demand grows, the Virtual LANs can be can be reconfigured administratively to decrease collision domains and increase bandwidth to meet growing demands of audio and streaming video.
• Each classroom will have 4 drops installed, one (1) being for the instructor, one (1) for the students and two (2) for backup. The additional cabling can be utilized to ultimately increase bandwidth, decrease collision domains and yield a growth factor of approximately 1000%.

Gigabit Duplex fiber is being installed to each IDF to keeping latency to a minimum. The slight additional cost of fiber can be justified in that it is nearly impervious to outside interference, resistant to RF and high voltage. It can also be installed over much larger distances without repeaters or antenna effect. It cal also be less expensive for backbone considering the added cost of additional IDF closets and hardware.