Bridging the information gap

It is time to look at the core of any company's IT set-up—the network. How does an SMB go about putting its network in place?

There are many choices available for an SMB looking to upgrade its network or planning to put one together. For example, Internet connectivity is officially ‘broadband now’ and the new corporate LAN is described in Gigabit speeds. WAN connectivity is going wireless, and bandwidth costs have almost halved. To put things in perspective, options abound.

Let’s take a look at the big picture before getting into the nitty-gritty.

Connecting users

The basic unit of networking is LAN connectivity. Here the recommended physical layer is Cat 6 cabling as it can run Gigabit Ethernet (GbE). Cat 6 cabling has been around for a while and prices have reduced as its adoption increases. If your PCs have 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet interface cards and you are rolling out a new network or rewiring an existing one, it is best to go in for a GbE network.

However, if you are stuck with older PCs that have 10/100 Mbps Ethernet interfaces, you are better off with Cat 6 cabling and GbE switching. Many GbE switches are backward-compatible and will give you the freedom to scale up network throughput during your next PC upgrade cycle for a marginal cost. While there are cheaper options available in terms of Cat 5 or Cat 5e and 10/100 Ethernet switches, Cat 6 and GbE offer better future proofing and performance for your investments.

On the software side, using a Windows OS older than Windows 2000/XP is not recommended if you want to take advantage of GbE. This is due to the fact that the TCP/IP stack in Windows versions below 2000/XP do not support Ethernet speeds above 100 Mbps.

Switching it right

It is important to check for backward compatibility when buying a GbE switch. All the switch ports should be compatible with 10/100 Mbps speeds as well rather than just operating at 1,000 Mbps.

A switch’s throughput has to be checked next. For example, the typical GbE switch will permit 1,000 Mbps each of downstream and upstream traffic in full duplex mode. This means that total throughput per port is 2 Gbps. So the total switch throughput is 2,000 multiplied by the total number of ports. The switch’s total throughput specification should not go below this figure. The same logic operates if you are going in for a 10/100 Mbps switch.

Management features are very important. The switch should be remotely manageable via SNMP. This is important if you plan to integrate switch management with infrastructure management (IM) tools.

VLAN (Virtual LAN) capabilities are the next thing to look out for. These help you set up virtually segmented LANs using the same switch for better
performance and easier management.

The right routes

While it is possible to select software routers, the typical SMB prefers hardware. Hardware routers are more reliable and easier to deploy and manage than the software variety, particularly as the typical SMB has a small IT team.

There are two broad categories of routers—core and access. Core routers are used for connecting distributed networks (WAN) whereas access (gateway) routers are used for connecting a company to the Internet.

The primary features to look out for in a router are support for multiple network protocols, networking interfaces, and routing protocols. Your requirements have to be spelled out clearly beforehand. Access control lists (ACL), RADIUS authentication, SPI (Stateful Packet Inspection) firewall, and VPN are some useful security features to look out for.

Next come router management features. Apart from standard console-based and GUI management, it should be possible to manage the router over the Internet. Availability and QoS (Quality of Service) features are also important considerations.

Hello world

On the connectivity front, there are more options than ever before on account of slashed bandwidth pricing and multiple service providers. For the average SMB, the most cost-effective Internet access option is DSL. ADSL services available from players like BSNL, MTNL, Airtel and Tata Indicom (after their DishNet acquisition) offer connections with throughputs of over 256 Kbps. These are sufficient to meet the access requirements of most SMBs. For backup, dialup has improved to the point where it can provide redundancy.

However, SMBs with higher requirements will have to go in for T1 lines. Those in remote locations may require VSATs. These links can also be used for connecting sites on the WAN. Wi-Fi point-to-point links are also being used by various service providers to provide WAN or Internet access links.

Considerations

Irrespective of the kind of connectivity, support is the first thing to look out for. The provider must be able to provide 24/7 support and onsite service.

QoS is the next parameter to consider and an SLA (Service Level Agreement) is the best way to ensure this as it defines parameters such as guaranteed throughput, availability, allowed downtime, and support to help a business keep track of whether the vendor provides the promised quality of service. Penalty clauses in the SLA will cover any loss of business that might result if the said levels are not met.

The number of static IPs that the service provider will give is also an essential pre-requisite. Find out the number of static IPs that you require and negotiate to get the best deal before signing up.

No strings attached

Today, the term wireless usually refers to networks based on the Wi-Fi standards. Wi-Fi is a term that encompasses several wireless network protocols (typically LANs)—IEEE 802.11 a, IEEE 802.11 b, and IEEE 802.11 g protocols.

The use of 802.11 b and g is legal in India, whereas the usage of 802.11 a is restricted. Of the two 802.11s, b and g, the latter is the better option due to its higher throughput (54 Mbps as opposed to 11 Mbps).

The rate of Wi-Fi adoption has been particularly low in the Indian enterprise, especially among SMBs. The main areas of Wi-Fi adoption are those where mobile computing is a requirement, or where easily deployable networks for specialised applications are wanted.

Setting up a Wi-Fi network requires a wireless router or access point and transceivers on the client device—PCI/USB cards for desktops and PCMCIA cards for laptops. Laptops like those based on the Intel Centrino chipset have built-in 802.11 g or b access and these do not require transceivers. It is better to go in for wireless devices and networks using 802.11 g rather than the slower (and buggy) 802.11 b devices. Almost all 802.11 g-based wireless devices are backward compatible with 802.11 b.

802.11 b-based point-to-point links have been used by Indian enterprises for Internet and WAN connectivity for a while now. Some recent deployments use the faster 802.11 g. As of now, Wi-Fi deployments are picking up at a sluggish pace, and only time will tell how Wi-Fi networks fare in the long term among Indian SMBs.