Question

You have been asked to propose a network design for a small business. The business wants it to be as cheap and low maintenance as possible. Security can be minimal, but the network must be able to support four computers that will share two printers and be able to accommodate another machine or two later. Suggest a network architecture and explain why.

Answer 1

A cost-effective and low maintenance network design for a small business with minimal security requirements is a peer-to-peer (P2P) network, which does not require a dedicated server and can easily facilitate shared resources among devices.

Step-by-step explanation:

For a small business looking for an economical and low-maintenance network to support four computers and two printers with the ability to expand in the future, a simple peer-to-peer (P2P) network design would suffice. A peer-to-peer network allows for each device on the network to communicate directly with the others. This type of network is cost-effective because it does not require a dedicated server, which would increase costs both in terms of hardware and maintenance. Simple sharing of resources such as printers can be achieved by configuring each computer to share its connected printers with others on the network.

To set up this network, the business would need a wireless router (or a wired router with enough Ethernet ports), alongside network interface cards (NICs) in each computer if they do not already have them. Ethernet cables would be necessary to connect each device to the router if a wired setup is preferred over wireless connectivity. The wireless option offers more flexibility and ease of adding additional machines to the network. As for security, even for a network with minimal requirements, basic security measures such as Wi-Fi Protected Access II (WPA2) should be implemented to prevent unauthorized access.