Wesley Grammar School
Class: 2 General Arts 1B — GROUP 3
Welcome to Group 3's official Local Area Network (LAN) design proposal for the Wesley Grammar School Computer Laboratory. Designed specifically for all 20 student workstations, featuring itemized Ghanaian device pricing and a dual hardware/software firewall security structure.
Group 3 Member Roster (7 Members)
Essiem Kingsley Cobby
2 General Arts 1B
Abdulai Salamatu
2 General Arts 1B
Otabil Kelvin
2 General Arts 1B
Mensah Obed
2 General Arts 1B
Dezara Pokua
2 General Arts 1B
Freeman Lindsey
2 General Arts 1B
Dzikunu Saint Lisa
2 General Arts 1B
Laboratory Requirements Specification
All 20 individually rendered on poster
Rotational shifts per class session
Single enclosed lab room layout
~ $1,165 USD (detailed below)
Key Operational Applications
- Web Browsing & Research: Access to educational research sites & MoE e-learning portals.
- Programming & IDEs: Python development environment, HTML/CSS editors, and Scratch block coding.
- Office Productivity: Word processing, spreadsheets, and presentation software.
- Central File Sharing & Printing: Submitting assignments to lab server and sending print jobs to shared lab printer.
Critical Design Constraints
- Cost Constraint: Avoid unnecessary fibre cabling. Use Category 6 Unshielded Twisted Pair (Cat6 UTP) copper cabling.
- Scalability Requirement: Switch choice and layout must accommodate 10 to 20 extra PCs in future expansions.
- Security Threats: Addressed via dual Hardware Firewall (edge protection) and Software Firewall (PC endpoint protection).
Chosen Topology: Star Topology
Rationale Summary: Star Topology is selected because all 20 workstations connect directly to a central 24-port switch. If one student PC or cable fails, the remaining 19 computers stay online. It offers the best balance of low cost, high reliability, simple troubleshooting, and rapid future expansion for Wesley Grammar School.
| Topology Type | Cost Level | Fault Tolerance | Ease of Expansion | Suitability for Wesley Grammar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ★ Star | Moderate / Low | High (Individual isolation) | Very Easy (Plug into switch) | BEST FIT ✓ |
| Bus Topology | Very Low | Very Poor (Single cable drop brings down all) | Difficult (Requires breaking bus) | Unsuitable (Poor reliability) |
| Ring Topology | Moderate | Poor (One PC break disrupts ring) | Moderate | Unsuitable (Difficult maintenance) |
| Mesh Topology | Extremely High | Extremely High (Multiple redundant links) | Complex cabling | Unsuitable (Exceeds budget limit) |
Itemized LAN Equipment & Pricing Breakdown
| Item Description | Model / Specification | Qty | Unit Price (GH₵) | Total Cost (GH₵) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24-Port Gigabit Switch | TP-Link TL-SG1024 / Cisco Business 110 (Gigabit) | 1 | GH₵ 1,800 | GH₵ 1,800 |
| Integrated Gigabit Router & Firewall | MikroTik hEX S / TP-Link SafeStream Gigabit Router | 1 | GH₵ 1,200 | GH₵ 1,200 |
| Central Lab File Server | Refurbished HP ProLiant / Custom Core i5 Server Unit | 1 | GH₵ 4,500 | GH₵ 4,500 |
| Wireless Access Point (WAP) | TP-Link EAP225 / Ubiquiti AC Lite Dual-Band | 1 | GH₵ 950 | GH₵ 950 |
| Shared Network LaserJet Printer | HP LaserJet Pro M404dn (Ethernet enabled) | 1 | GH₵ 3,800 | GH₵ 3,800 |
| Cat6 UTP Cable Box (300m) | D-Link / Giganet Solid Copper Cat6 Cable Box | 1 | GH₵ 1,400 | GH₵ 1,400 |
| RJ45 Connectors & Wall Trunking | Pack of 100 RJ45 boots + 15m PVC PVC Trunking channels | 1 Lot | GH₵ 650 | GH₵ 650 |
| Central UPS Power Backup | APC 1500VA Line-Interactive UPS for Switch & Server | 1 | GH₵ 2,000 | GH₵ 2,000 |
| ESTIMATED TOTAL NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE BUDGET: | GH₵ 16,300 (~ $1,165 USD) | |||
* Note: Workstation desktop computers (20 units) are assumed to be supplied separately by Wesley Grammar School or MoE/GES computer lab distribution. The budget above covers all networking equipment required to interconnect the 20 PCs, server, printer, and internet router.
Logical IP Allocation Table (All 20 PCs mapped)
| Device Name / Host Label | Device Type | Assigned IP Address | Assignment Type | Switch Port # |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GW-ROUTER-01 | Router / Hardware Firewall | 192.168.1.1 | Static | Port 01 |
| SW-CENTRAL-01 | 24-Port Switch (Management) | 192.168.1.2 | Static | Internal |
| SRV-FILE-01 | Lab Server (Storage/Auth) | 192.168.1.5 | Static | Port 02 |
| PRN-SHARED-01 | Network LaserJet Printer | 192.168.1.6 | Static | Port 03 |
| WAP-LAB-01 | Wireless Access Point | 192.168.1.7 | Static | Port 04 |
| PC-LAB-01 to PC-LAB-20 | 20 Student Workstations (Individual) | 192.168.1.10 – 192.168.1.29 | DHCP Reserved / Static | Ports 05 – 24 |
| DHCP-POOL-WIFI | Wireless Laptops / Teacher Devices | 192.168.1.100 – 192.168.1.150 | Dynamic (DHCP) | Wireless (WAP) |
Understanding Hardware Firewall vs. Software Firewall
Teacher Clarification: Why Both Hardware & Software Firewalls?
Your teacher is completely right that software firewalls exist on computers! To give Wesley Grammar School maximum security, we use a Dual Firewall Strategy:
1. Hardware Firewall (Perimeter Guard)
Located at Router / Network Edge
- Where it lives: Inside the internet gateway router device before data reaches the switch.
- What it does: Filters bad incoming internet traffic, blocks hackers from outside, and prevents malicious websites from reaching all 20 computers at once.
- Why we need it: Protects the school LAN from global cyber attacks before any bad data gets inside.
2. Software Firewall (Endpoint Guard)
Installed on Each of the 20 PCs
- Where it lives: Runs as software on each workstation (e.g., Windows Defender Firewall).
- What it does: Controls which applications on that specific PC can access the network and blocks unauthorized background programs.
- Why we need it: If a student plugs an infected USB flash drive into `PC-LAB-05`, the software firewall stops the virus from spreading across the switch to `PC-LAB-06`.
Group 3 Security Summary Checklist:
Group 3 Poster Diagram (All 20 Workstations Displayed)
Switch, Router + Firewall & UPS
Mounted WAP Ceiling Unit
Port 03 Connection