building a lan

1. I need to build a lan of about a hundred systems in a building. the network goes as follows:
3 computer rooms of 30 computers each, then cable extensions to some offices to complete the
hundred systems.

'I plan to build a linux box as a firewall connected to a windows 2003 server that runs an active directory services.
I will also have a mail server and a server that host a database and also an internet connection.

what do I implement on the main server to deny one room access to the internet service.

should the main server have 2 NICs, one to the modem and the other to the ,distribution switch or it should have one
NIC with all computers recieving connection directly from a gateway(switch), pls can some explain the two scenarios

what is the advantage of having a fibre optic cable connected from the server(MDF) to the distribution switch (IDF) over a
CAT 5e UTP(100mbs), will a change be really noticed


pls you can make any other recommendations


thanks

sose
registered since 2006

You will not need 2 NIC cards on the main server. The two NIC cards will be needed on your linux box acting as the firewall. The main server will simply be connected to the LAN via the switch.

The advantage of having a fiber cable is of course speed and distance. Fiber is used for backbones because the signal can be transmitted further without the need of the signal being refreshed or strengthened. Granted, you could connect two switches via fiber for the speed in it self, but it all depends on your needs and the amount of money you want to spend. You can have have a very fast LAN simply by running a cat 6 gigabit network.

As to your question if you can notice the speed difference between cat 5e and fiber, the answer is an indisputable yes!

What equipment are you planning to implement? Specs?

Cheers,

ZiPPy

thanks zippy

but

I would have a windows 2003 server, the linux box and then a database server in the control room. on what server will I do my internet connection sharing and why ?

if I am denying internet access to a particular lab will websense do or is there a better internet control measure.

thanks

I am sure you can create policies on your Linux firewall to limit or deny access to the lab. You could also implement Websense to limit and monitor traffic. I've done some research on Websense and found that it's not a cheap product. The licenses are very expensive. It all depends on your funds.


ZiPPy

thanks a million

Also, the windows 2003 server that will run the active directory service for about 150 users with 100 system: can u kindly sugest the specification of the server components becos I intend to clone the server

Specifications in regards to what? Necessary specs? Hardware requirements?

Cheers,

ZiPPy