Networking Self-Teaching Guide: OSI, TCP/IP, LANs, MANs, WANs, Implementation, Management, and Maintenance

Chapter 13. Implementation

	First, have a definite, clear, practical idea—a goal, an objective. Second, have the necessary means to achieve your ends—wisdom, money, materials, and methods. Third, adjust all your means to that end.
	--Aristotle

Aristotle lived many centuries before the age of computer networking, but his wisdom rings true when it comes to implementing any new network infrastructure. For the most part, organizations have used an evolutionary approach to growing their networks, adding capability when it was needed. As a result, many of today's networks are poorly laid out and maintained, often with little or no documentation.

Many executives like to think of their networks as they do any other utility, such as electrical power, telephone service, etc. There is no mistake about it: corporate networks are part of the ingrained infrastructure in running any type of business. However, unlike these other utilities, which have large organizations behind them in their support, the network infrastructure is the sole responsibility of the organization that owns it. Unfortunately, they tend to look at it as an overhead function, and when budget cuts are required, it is always the overhead areas that get chopped first. That is all well and good as long as things keep humming along without interruption. But there comes a day when something decides to burp. If there is network equipment stored in accessible closets, you may have the following scenario occur. The janitor thinks he ...