Mekelle University Faculty of Business &

Economics

Computer Science Department

ICT132: Networks and Digital Communications

Case Study 2 Network Design Troubleshooting

Use the information in the following sections to

help you solve the troubleshooting problem that
follows.

Background Information

Choosing a network that does not meet an

organization's needs leads directly to trouble. A
common problem arises from choosing a peer-to-
peer network when the situation calls for a server-
based network.

A peer-to-peer network might begin to exhibit

problems with changes in the network site. These
are more likely to be logistical or operational
problems than hardware or software problems. The
presence of several indicators is a sign that a peer-
to-peer network is inadequate:
 Lack of centralised security is causing
difficulty
Users are turning off computers that are
providing resources to others on the network

When a network's design is too limited, it cannot

perform satisfactorily in some environments.
Problems can vary depending on the type of
network topology in effect.

Bus Topology

A few situations will cause a bus network's

termination to fail and thereby take the network
down. Possible scenarios include the following:
A cable on the network breaks, causing each
end of the cable on either side of the break to
lose its termination. Signals will bounce, and
this will take the network down.
A cable becomes loose or is disconnected,
thereby separating the computer from the
network. It will also create an end that is not
terminated, which in turn will cause signals to
bounce and the network to go down.
A terminator becomes loose; thereby creating
an end that is not terminated. Signals will start
to bounce and the network will go down.
Hub-Based Topology

While problems with hubs are infrequent, they do

occur. Possible scenarios include the following:
A hub drops a connection. When a computer
becomes disconnected from the hub, that
computer will be off the network, but the rest
of the network will continue to function
normally.
An active hub loses power, causing the
network to stop functioning.

Ring Topology

A ring network is usually very reliable, but

problems can occur. One possible scenario is the
following:
One of the cables in the ring breaks or
becomes disconnected, causing network
performance to drop. In token-ring networks,
the network will stop functioning temporarily.
Restoring the cable will immediately restore
the network.

The Problem
Some or all of the information that you have just
read may be useful in troubleshooting the scenario
that follows.

A small company with three departments recently

began networking and has installed peer-to-peer
networks in each department. The peer-to-peer
networks are not connected to each other. A user in
one department must make a diskette of the
information to be loaded on the next network. Four
employees in one department are working on a
project. Each person has a different set of
responsibilities, and each produces documentation
for a different part of the project. Employees have
each made the hard drive on their own computers
available to everyone else on the project.

As the project grows, each user produces more

documents, and questions arise about who has
which document and which employee last revised a
given document. Also, employees outside the
department who have an interest in the project are
asking to see some of the completed material.

1) Why are problems arising concerning who has

which document? Suggest at least one reason.
2) What one change could you make that would
give you centralised control of the access to
these documents?
3) Describe one change that your solution will
bring to the users' operating environment.

Notes prepared by: FBE Computer Science

Department.
Adapted from: Networking Essentials Plus,
Microsoft Press