The proposed network infrastructure for DepEd would involve the

establishment of a data center that will house the backbone

devices of the network. This includes the modem, core router and

switch, server, and other devices that are essential to support

the devices inside the data center such as Rack-mountable

Uninterrupted Power Supply (RUPS), server cabinet, rack, patch

panel, etc. For illustrations of the different data center

equipment, see appendix N.

The network’s server farm would make use of an emerging

technology called blade servers which is consist of complete

computer systems with modern dual-core processors capable of 64-

bit computing equipped with generous disk space and RAM. The

blade server technology allows the installation of different

server types with just the use of hot-swappable hard drives. The

proposed network design includes the purchase of four hot-

swappable hard drives for file, database, application, and web

server. The file server will be used for shared storage of

computer files that can be accessed by the workstations from the

different offices. In order to perform data analysis, storage,

data manipulation, and archiving, a database server will be put

up. The application server will house the different applications

of the office such as Microsoft Office. This would help the

office lessen the cost of purchasing licensed software per user.

This will also be the foundation for future application software

that will be running in the office in the future. The office pays

a monthly charge for the maintenance of their website since it is

not under the domain of the Philippine government. The purpose of

establishing a web server is for the website of DepEd.

There will be two types of network cable that will be

installed in the network design. CAT6 unshielded twisted pair

(UTP) cable, which supports up to 1000 megabits per second of

bandwidth with a maximum cable length of 100 meters, will be used

for the backbone connection of the network while CAT5e cable

types which is also capable of gigabit transmission will be used

to interconnect the hosts form the different offices. The data

distribution devices consist of router and Ethernet switches will

also be designed to support gigabit transmission and are backward

compatible.

The TIA/EIA T568B wiring standard will be adopted in the

design of the network infrastructure for structured cabling.

T568B is one of the two color-coded wiring standards used for

wiring eight-position RJ45 modular plugs. The use of wiring

standard is necessary because cables that are terminated with

differing standards on each end will not function normally. T568B

standard is the most widely in the industry today because it

provides one pair for backward compatibility to the Universal

Service Ordering Codes (USOC) wiring scheme which was used in the

old days of telephony.

To establish the location and layout of data transmission

and devices, and network cables, the offices are physically

inspected and measured. The data center is proposed to be

situated at the audio room located at the ground floor. It is a

portion of the multi-purpose hall (See appendix C) that

measures 3.4 meters by 2.5 meters, just enough space to place the

vertical tack cabinet and all other networking equipment. The

room will be equipped with raised flooring (See appendix F) and

other temperature-regulating devices for the needed ventilation

and cooling system to regulate the temperature inside the room.

The network and electric cables will be installed under-floor.

In an under-floor installation, a system of horizontal and

vertical bars is mounted on the Data Center's true floor,

creating an elevated grid in which flat panels are placed. This

creates a raised floor surface, under which structured cabling,

electrical conduits, and cooled air may be routed. 

Most Data Centers are built with a raised floor system.

Despite the additional cost, a raised floor provides several

benefits for a server environment:

The raised floor creates a dedicated space to channel cooled

air through. By strategically placing perforated or grated floor

tiles, you focus and direct this cooling wherever it is needed in

a server environment. There is no equivalent mechanism for

controlling airflow in an overhead system. While it is possible

to install multiple air vents overhead and adjust how far they

are open or shut, they can't direct air in the same pinpoint

manner that floor tiles can.

Routing infrastructure under a raised floor keeps hundreds

or thousands of associated patch cords and power cables out of

sight, which makes them less susceptible to damage or being

unplugged accidentally. The absence of cabling or raceways in the

Data Center's common area also gives the room a more professional

and less cluttered appearance.

Although infrastructure is out of sight, it remains easily

accessible under the floor, much more so than when located above

Data Center server cabinets. (Douglas Alger, Network World, 2007)

The backbone of the entire network infrastructure shall

start at this room and spread-out to the different offices. The

modem provided by PLDT will be stored in the data center together

with the server blades, core switch, and router. The modem will

be connected to a router capable of implementing Access Control

for packet filtering and in turn this router will be connected to

the core switch which will give connectivity to the access

switches for the different offices. The cables coming from the

access switches, server blades, and the core router will be

terminated using patch panels before connecting to the core

switch using patch cords due to the thick diameter of the CAT6

cable. The proposed physical layout of the network infrastructure

plan for DepEd is illustrated in figure 6 and 7 on the succeeding

pages.

The core switch placed in the data center will provide

connectivity to the access switches placed inside the Records

section of C.O.A office at the ground floor and inside the

Planning Office located at the second floor. These are the

advisable positions of the switches considering the security of

the equipment and length of cables from the different network

devices.

All the workstations in each offices will be connected

to the data points with RJ45 jacks (See appendix N) which are in

turn connected to the access switches assigned to each floor. The

access and core switches shall be configured in a manner that

each switch is given at least two different paths passing through

other switches leading back to the core switch. This type of

connection, which is called redundancy, helps ensure continuous

connectivity to the entire network even if one of the switches or

path is down.

In order to safeguard the data center equipment, the core

router and switch, modem, patch panel, and RUPS will be mounted

into a rack installed inside the server cabinet with lock.

Moreover, the data center room will be locked all the time and

only the network administrator will be able to open it and the

server cabinet.

The cables that will run through the switches, router,

computers, patch panels, and server will be carefully mounted

through the corner walls protected with moldings (See appendix

N). These cables will be bundled with cable organizers to ensure

neat and orderly layout.

The placement of the access switches illustrated on figure N

and N were selected based on the length of cables coming from the

different network devices and the security of the devices itself.

They were placed in areas wherein they are not visible in public

and free from physical damage that could be inflicted by human,

animals, and insects. These access switches will be mounted into

an Integrated Distribution Frame (IDF) (See appendix N) installed

in a wall at a certain height. Included inside the IDF will be an

RUPS to keep the connection running even when there is power

interruption. The cables will be terminated through patch panel

before connecting them to the switch using patch cords.