An analysis of a campus LAN infrastructure: Case study for Kimathi University College

Abstract

The revolution in computer networking technology today demands for high bandwidth, short response time, reliable network, guaranteed application services and optimum LAN traffic flow. Organizations require optimum network performance to support their business operations and changing customer needs. Therefore, analysis of network performance is very important to maintain and improve network efficiency from time to time. The project set out to analyze network structure and design of Kimathi University College of Technology (KUCT) in relation to gauging some various aspects of network performance that included database response times in various locations of the university, critical university applications like smart card usage and the high bandwidth research lab that ought to have optimum and exciting browsing experience due to the very nature of their existence. Various network designs were simulated vis-e-vis the existing network designs and the results were compared. The construction of the networks is based on aggregate information gathered from some selected production networks and is a representation of the status of our campus networks. The results have been used for recommendations of the KUCT future network design if the optimal performance need to be attained. The results of the final simulations shows a clear difference of the current design and what is desired for the network perpetuation. The load balancing has been enhanced by utilising normal distribution that populates EIGRP interfaces that achieves less response time in the database application and significant reduction of WAN link utilization due to utilization of firewall policy. This further reduces application responses of FTP and HTTP which are the parameters under scope.