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 networks 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.